Vincent Rigby Weighs In on Halifax International Security Forum | POLITICO
November 2025 | POLITICO’s Canada Playbook featured Vincent Rigby in its preview of this year’s Halifax International Security Forum, highlighting the absence of a U.S. delegation. Rigby said democracies must stay aligned and show that their defence commitments and political values continue to guide their choices. He explained that Canada can affirm its partnership with allies while avoiding any actions that could be perceived as deliberately provoking the Trump administration.
Jennifer Welsh on Protecting Civilians in a Turbulent Age | 2025 Keenan Lecture
November 19, 2025 | Jennifer Welsh delivered the keynote address at the 36th Michael Keenan Memorial Lecture at St. Thomas More College, speaking on the weakening of civilian protection in contemporary conflict. Welsh explained that impunity now shapes conflicts in a way that weakens long-standing commitments to civilian protection.
Pearl Eliadis on Finding Solutions to Combat Montreal's Homelessness Crisis | ICI RDI
November 17, 2025 | Pearl Eliadis recently spoke to Radio-Canada's ICI RDI on the right to housing as a proposed tool to combat homelessness.
Vincent Rigby on What Budget 2025 Means for Canada’s Defence Industry | CDA Institute
On the Conference Defence Associations Institute's Expert Series, Vincent Rigby analyzed the 2025 Canadian Budget's major increase in defence spending and the creation of the Defence Investment Agency. He welcomed the focus on procurement reform and a stronger defence industrial base, while cautioning that new machinery will take time to deliver results. Rigby also stressed the importance of transparency and steady cooperation with the United States through NORAD and other defence efforts.
Jennifer Welsh on the Participation of IDP-Led Organizations | Journal of Refugee Studies
November 17, 2025 | A co-authored article by Jennifer Welsh, based on an international conference organized at McGill in December 2024 on IDP participation, has been published in the Journal of Refugee Studies. The article, titled "IDP perspectives on IDP participation," shares key arguments from the workshop.
Pearl Eliadis on Free Speech Rights in Quebec School Disciplinary Case | The Montreal Gazette
November 11, 2025 | The Montreal Gazette reported on a case involving a Montreal West high school student who was disciplined after posting comments critical of Israel on her private social media account.
Pearl Eliadis on Understanding and Using the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms | Democracy, Explained
November 12, 2025 | Pearl Eliadis was featured on Apathy is Boring’s new podcast Democracy, Explained in an episode titled “Know Your Rights.” The discussion focuses on the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, what it means in everyday life, and why it matters for young people who want to understand and exercise their rights.
Vincent Rigby on the Case for a Real National Defence Strategy | RAUSI
October 31, 2025 | Vincent Rigby spoke at Canada's Missing Playbook, a RAUSI webinar series from the Rocky Mountain Conference on Security and Defence. He discussed the absence of a coherent national framework guiding Canada's defence and called for stronger leadership and coordination across the government. Rigby argued that effective national security depends on a clear purpose and the political will to turn commitments into action
Anil Wasif on Canada's Immigration Policy Breakdown | Policy Magazine
October 30, 2025 | Writing in Policy Magazine, MPP '21 Anil Wasif reflected on the opening of the 2025 Max Bell Lecture in Calgary, featuring Globe and Mail columnist Tony Keller. Drawing on Keller's book Borderline Chaos: How Canada Got Immigration Right, and Then Wrong, Wasif explored how weak governance and competing interests have eroded public trust in Canada's immigration system.
Norman Hillmer on Mackenzie King’s Cautious Transformation
October 1, 2025 | Norman Hillmer (Slater Family Visiting Scholar) co-authored the chapter “King’s Cautious Transformation” with Stephen Azzi in The Enduring Riddle of Mackenzie King (UBC Press, 2025), edited by Patrice Dutil.
Sonja Solomun Named a 2025 Bishop’s University Top 10 After 10 Award Recipient
The Max Bell School of Public Policy is proud to celebrate Sonja Solomun, Faculty Associate at the Max Bell School and Deputy Director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University, has been selected as one of Bishop’s University’s 2025 Top 10 After 10 Award recipients, one of the university’s highest honours recognizing outstanding alumni achievement.
Leslie Fierro Elected to the American Evaluation Association's Board of Directors
We are thrilled to share that Leslie Fierro has been elected to the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) Board of Directors for a three-year term, serving as a Board Member-at-Large from January 2026 through December 2028.
Vincent Rigby on Canada–India Relations and National Security Tensions | CTV News
October 21, 2025 | Vincent Rigby discussed on a panel with fellow former national security advisors Jody Thomas and Richard Fadden on CTV’s Power Play with Vassy Kapelos about the increasingly strained relationship between Canada and India. The panel explored issues of trust following the expulsion of Canada’s last envoy to India and examined broader national security concerns shaping the bilateral relationship.
McGill roundtable on Arctic sovereignty and security focuses on co-operation, Indigenous partnerships | McGill Reporter
October 16, 2025 | Vincent Rigby spoke at a McGill roundtable on Arctic sovereignty and security that examined Canada’s northern strategy amid rising geopolitical tensions. He emphasized that national defence cannot be addressed through military means alone, calling for a broader approach grounded in partnership and community well-being.
The roots of Quebec's secularism debate, why it isn't going away — and who it benefits | CBC
October 19, 2025 | In a CBC News story examining Quebec’s debate over secularism, new proposals to ban public prayer have reignited long-standing divisions over the role of religion in public life. Pearl Eliadis explains that what is often called secularism in Quebec reflects laïcité, a stricter model that seeks to exclude religion from the public sphere.
