Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Why it started, how it's going, what does it mean for the rest of us, Canada’s role in comparison to others, and what might happen next.

This is event is co-sponsored by the CIDP, Queen's Department of Political Studies and Queen's School of Policy Studies.

notes:

• a light lunch will be served for those who attend.
• Registration is not required.
• This event will not be recorded and no virtual option is available.

Bio:

Lt-General (ret’d) the Honourable Andrew Leslie, PC, CMM, MSC, MSM, CD, BA, MA, PhD (hc) was a soldier and led the 57,000 people in the Canadian Army in fires, floods, earthquakes, security missions, peacekeeping and war (Cyprus, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Afghanistan and elsewhere), being awarded numerous national and international honours and decorations. He has also been a Senior Vice President of a very large multinational corporation, a Federal Member of Parliament, the Chief Government Whip, the Parliamentary Secretary focused on Canada-US Relations and Trade during the time of NAFTA and was included on varied Federal cabinet committees. He now sits on several corporate boards and speaks on international affairs, leadership, transformation, governance, and crisis response. He was educated at Ottawa University (BA), the Royal Military College (MA) where he was also conferred a Doctorate, various Military Staff Colleges, and both the Harvard Business School and the Rotman School of Business.   

Jessica Auchter’s talk will focus on intersections between masculinity and violence and on the strategic use of sexual violence as a tool during civil war. While women are often victims of such violence, this talk focuses on those instances when men are targeted as a mechanism of emasculation that serves particular political and strategic aims. Specifically, the talk will draw out the strategic logic of sexual violence against men in cases of civil war, such as Syria, where we see its widespread occurrence in the context of government detention centers, and in cases of ethnic violence, such as Myanmar, where the military has adopted its use as a tactic of ethnic cleansing. Though sexual violence often manifests differently for men and women in these cases, both are premised on norms of masculinity and vulnerability that structure social, political, and ethnic identities.

Bio:

Jessica Auchter is Research Chair in Visual Culture in International Studies and Full Professor at Université Laval in Québec. She is the author of Global Corpse Politics: The Obscenity Taboo (Cambridge University Press, 2021), and The Politics of Haunting and Memory in International Relations (Routledge, 2014). Her work appears in Critical Studies on Security, Journal of Global Security Studies, International Affairs, Human Remains and Violence, Review of International Studies, and International Feminist Journal of Politics, among others, and in several edited volumes. She is currently working on a book project on the visual representation of human rights violations, including sexual violence.  

The CAF is facing a number of challenges and while many are related to the increasing insecurity around the world through belligerent actors, expanding threats to what constitutes security, and fiscal realities, many are also of our own making. The CAF is facing a recruitment and retention challenge. This is being driven by the fact that the CAF has been slow to evolve in its principles, values, expectations that are increasingly out of step with Canadian society. This presentation will provide a brief overview of some of the work that has been so far to realign and reinforce our principles, values, and expectations as we work to renovate the culture of the CAF to better position us to secure Canada's interests and do in a way that is also reflective of Canadian values.

Bio:

Abstract:

Too often lack of ethical behaviour or misconduct in large organizations like DND is attributed to the questionable actions of a few individuals, so-called “bad apples.” However, there are systemic factors in organizations that are often overlooked as the cause of ethical failings or misconduct and that can actually cause greater damage to the organization than individual misbehaviour. I will talk about how military culture affects ethical behaviour in the larger DND organization. While part of DND, the military has its own distinct roles and culture that impact on the behaviour of both civilian and military members of DND. I will focus on those systemic aspects of Canadian Armed Forces culture that have had the greatest impact on ethical behaviour in DND.

Zoom link to attend: https://zoom.us/j/92846041514?pwd=d3dpcnc1emVLWm9tWkhXbE5NNk1UQT09

Meeting ID: 928 4604 1514
Passcode: 006179

Bio:

Allan English teaches Canadian Military History in the Queen’s University History Department. His book Understanding Military Culture: A Canadian Perspective was published in 2004 and he continues to research and publish in that area. Over his 30-year academic career, he has taught various courses related to military culture, organizational change, and ethics and the military profession at the undergraduate and graduate levels at Queen’s University and the Royal Military College of Canada and to senior and general/flag officers at the Canadian Forces College in Toronto. His latest research examines systemic obstacles to
culture change in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), especially that change intended to reduce the incidence of sexual misconduct in the CAF. His latest work is as co-editor and chapter author in the book Why We Fight: New Approaches to the Human Dimension of Warfare (2020).

In this installment of the CIDP's mentorship program with our visiting defence fellows, LTC Tokach and Col Jurkowski will examine the military cooperation with inter-governmental organizations, law enforcement agencies and civilian organizations. The floor will then be open for any discussion pertaining to international and defence policy. A light dinner will be provided for attendees.

*A light meal will be provided

Disasters are increasing in frequency and severity across Canada. There were 195 major disasters identified in the Canadian Disaster Database that struck Canada between 2008 and 2018. Combined, these disasters have cost tens of billions of dollars in damages and displaced hundreds of thousands of people and due to increased scale, outstrip local and provincial resources quickly. This has led to and increased “ Request for Assistance” from Provinces to the Federal Government and the Canadian Armed Forces taking on greater responsibility over the last decade as the “force of choice” that can support Canadians in their time of need. A national debate has emerged, questioning the capacity of the CAF, due to personnel shortages and an increased Operational tempo, to continue as the primary action arm to Federal government disaster response.

This discussion will initially lay out the present Federal frameworks for Emergency Management, the historic CAF response metrics and provide some context for the ongoing pressures on the force, demonstrating the gaps that have emerged. Having established the need, the study will use several case studies to explore the options available to generate a hybrid skilled volunteer/professional response element that would seek to fill this emergent space and the steps necessary to fully realize its potential. Drawing on both practitioner experience and the contemporary Emergency Management Literature, the discussion will hope to expose the audience to the contemporary Canadian Disaster Landscape, current policy frameworks, current pressures on the status quo and an option to Government to invest in human capital to mitigate impact on the Canadian population.

Speaker