In the process of developing a gender-informed, culturally competent mentorship program, 28 interviews were conducted with individuals who identified themselves as experts in mentorship, mentors, mentees, or a combination of all three. The current presentation will provide a snapshot of those conversations about mentorship, gender, organizational culture, and whether or not there should be a place for women-specific mentorship should be provided in the CAF.

PDF of Presentation (1.6 mb)

Linna Tam-Seto, Ph.D., O.T.Reg. (Ont)

CDSN Post-Doctoral Fellow
Centre for International and Defence Policy

Dr. Linna Tam-Seto is the inaugural Canadian Defence and Security Network Postdoctoral Research Fellow completing her fellowship at the Centre for International and Defence Policy (CIDP) at Queen’s University with Dr. Stéfanie von Hlatky.

Linna holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Science and a registered occupational therapist with experiences working in the area of child, adolescent, and family mental health and supporting evidence-based professional practice. Linna’s research interests include understanding the health and well-being of Canada’s military members, veterans, public safety personnel, and their families with a focus on life transitions and changes. Linna’s current work at the CIDP involves the development of a gender-informed, culturally competent mentorship program to support servicewomen within the Canadian Armed Forces.

Linna has also received a MINDS grant to conduct a validation study of the mentorship program.

The Obama administration announced its strategic pivot to Asia in 2011. Over the last decade, the pivot has evolved, from strategic rebalancing under Obama, to the Trump administration’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” strategy. But has the centre of gravity of U.S. diplomacy and defence shifted to the Indo-Pacific as initially planned? By removing the U.S. from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and accelerating the American retreat from world affairs at a time when China was consolidating its position in the Indo-Pacific, did the Trump administration compromise the American strategy on Asia? How did America’s allies react to the U.S. pivot and what impact did it have on rival powers, such as China and Russia, and on the balance of power in the Middle East? Finally, what lessons should Canada learn from this strategy and what are the strategic and defensive implications for Ottawa?  

This workshop is being organized by the Network for Strategic Analysis, created by the Mobilizing Insights in Defence and Security (MINDS) program of Canada’s Department of National Defence. The workshop will bring together academic and military experts to take stock of this strategic issue in the context of increased rivalry between major powers.

Download the Programme [PDF 2.7MB]

Programme:

9:30 Opening remarks by Jonathan Paquin (Université Laval)

9:35 – 11:15 The Evolution of the Strategic Pivot and the Response of Washington’s Allies

Moderator: Stéphanie Martel (Queen’s University)

• Rachel Esplin Odell (Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft) - The U.S. pivot then and now
• Jonathan Berkshire Miller (Japan Institute of International Affairs) - An East Asian perspective on the pivot: Japan and Korea
• Natalie Sambhi (Australian National University) - Australia and ASEAN states’ response to the pivot
• Cleo Paskal (Chatham House) - European perceptions of strategic changes in the Indo-Pacific

11:15 – 12:00 Keynote Speaker -  Commodore Angus Topshee, OMM, MSM, CD

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 – 14:15 Reactions of Rival Powers to American Rebalancing

Moderator: Yann Breault (Royal Military College of St-Jean)

• Bonnie S. Glaser (Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington D.C.) - China’s positioning in the face of American rebalancing
• Zachary Paikin (Institute for Peace and Diplomacy, Toronto) - Russia’s response to the U.S. initiative  
• Pierre Pahlavi (Canadian Forces College) - The consequences of the pivot for Iranian foreign policy and the balance of power in the Middle East

14:15 – 14:30 Closing Remarks

This lecture will examine the CAF/DND WPS agenda and the implementation of UNSCR 1325 focusing on CAF/DND strategy, including the institutional and the operational lines of effort. Furthermore, the presentation will look at the key achievements, the challenges remaining and will conclude with a few recommendations on the way-forward. 

Brigadier-General M.H.L. (Lise) Bourgon, OMM, MSC, CD

Canadian Forces Visiting Defence Fellow, 2020-21
CIDP

Brigadier-general Lise Bourgon joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1987 and received her pilot wing following graduation from College Militaire Royal de St-Jean in 1992. 

As a helicopter pilot, she was assigned to 423 Maritime Helicopter Squadron in Shearwater, Nova Scotia where she deployed on numerous Royal Canadian Navy deployments. She also served as an instructor with 406 Maritime Operational Training Squadron (OTS). Operational tours included Detachment Commander on HMCS Montreal during a 6-month tour and the Joint Task Force (JTF) Commander for OP IMPACT, the first Canadian female to serve in that position. 

Leadership opportunities included the command of 406 Maritime OTS, the Maritime Helicopter Wing in Shearwater and the Canadian Task Force assigned to OP INHERENT RESOLVE. 

Staff positions have included project management, Executive Assistant to the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Liaison Officer at the NATO Air Headquarters in Ramstein, Germany, Director General Operations at the Canada Joint Operational Command and Director General Operations at the Strategic Joint Staff. She is currently assigned as the Defence Fellow at the Centre for International Defence and Policy at Queen’s University. She is also the Women, Peace, and Security Champion for the CAF.  

BGen Bourgon is a graduate of Air Warfare College, holds a Master Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University and a Master's in Public Administration from Royal Military College of Canada

The response to Covid19 is often framed as a war: the virus is an enemy; medical workers are described as being on the frontlines; the effort to treat patients is a battle.

Looking at this issue through the lens of securitization theory and exploring the impact of metaphors, this presentation examines the implications of framing pandemic response in martial terms, using historical and contemporary examples from around the world--both positive (e.g. unity of effort, national mobilization of resources) and negative (e.g. militarization of response, abrogation of civil liberties in deference to 'national security', a 'sacrifice calculus' whereby lives are commodified, etc.).  Special attention will be paid to the developing situation in Canada and the way in which securitization has lead to an increased role for the military.  

The presentation concludes with a discussion of the longer-term implications for such an approach.  Beyond the immediate crisis response we are currently in, how might this shift our understanding of security and the appropriate use of the military.  

Christopher Ankersen

Clinical Associate Professor
The Center for Global Affairs, NYU

Dr. Christopher Ankersen is Clinical Associate Professor at the Center for Global Affairs, where he teaches in the Transnational Security concentration. He is the faculty lead for the Global Risk specialization. 

Prior to joining NYU, Christopher worked for the United Nations.  He held positions at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok; the UN Assistance to the Khmer Rouge Trials in Phnom Penh; the UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna; and with the Department of Safety and Security in New York, where he was Desk Officer for Iraq.  

From 2002 to 2004, Dr. Ankersen was Ralf Dahrendorf Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has taught at the LSE, the London Centre for International Relations, King’s College London, Carleton University, and the Royal Military College of Canada and has lectured at staff colleges in Canada, Australia, and Denmark. From 2000 to 2005, he acted as a strategy consultant to militaries, governments and private firms in the UK and Canada. From 1988 to 2000, Dr. Ankersen was an officer in the Canadian Forces, serving in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry, including on overseas missions with the UN and NATO.

He has produced a number of publications on international relations and strategic studies, including The Politics of Civil-Military Cooperation and three edited volumes: The Future of Global Affairs, Understanding Global Terror, and Civil-Military Cooperation in Post-Conflict Operations.

From Tripoli to Baku, and several points in-between, Turkey finds itself today on the front-lines of many regional conflicts. Meanwhile, on the home front, alleged followers of Turkish Islamic cleric Fetullah Gülen, who Turkey blames for the 2016 attempted military coup, continue to be arrested, the threat of renewed attacks by the Kurdish PKK lingers and the Turkish Lira slides.  How will Turkey’s Middle East end-game play out? Join us for a tour-de-force discussion that will include insights gleaned from the speakers last visit to Ankara and Istanbul in November 2019, and his recent research and upcoming book chapters on Canada-Turkey relations and Canada's strategic engagement in the Middle East and North Africa.

Chris Kilford 

President
Canadian International Council,
Victoria Branch

Dr. Chris Kilford served as Canada’s military attaché in Ankara, Turkey from 2011-2014 with cross-accreditation to Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkmenistan. He also served in Afghanistan from July 2009 to July 2010 as the deputy military attaché and is a former Commanding Officer of 4th Air Defence Regiment. Since retiring from the military in 2014, he has continued to keep a close eye on the region and become a respected commentator on historical and contemporary events.  He holds a PhD in history from Queen’s University, is a graduate of the Advanced Military Studies Course and the National Security Program (equivalency granted). He is also a member of the Canadian International Council National Board and President of the Victoria branch.

The NATO Defense College is not a well known organization. However, the professional education that it offers, along with engagement activities and ongoing research, provide effective knowledge mobilization in support of NATO initiatives. Dr Howard Coombs, a former NATO Defense College Research Fellow, will discuss the College and present an overview of the work that this institution conducts to support twenty-first century Alliance activities.

Howard G. Coombs

Associate Professor - Royal Military College of Canada

Howard G. Coombs is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair of War Studies at the Royal Military College of Canada, in Kingston, Ontario. He is also a part-time Canadian Army reservist with the Office of the Chief of Reserves, located at the Canadian Armed Forces National Defence Headquarters. Coombs received his PhD in Military History from Queen’s University, in Kingston. His research interests are Canadian professional military education, in addition to post-Cold War Canadian military operations and training . In 2020 he was the first Canadian Mobilising Insights in Defence and Security Programme (MINDS) Fellow at the NATO Defence College in Rome, Italy.

Canada must adapt to an unpredictable international environment, defined by increased great power competition and the proliferation of regional conflicts to which it is often called upon to respond. The Network for Strategic Analysis’ annual colloquium will examine the theme of a fractured international order by considering the adaptation of different regions to this new international architecture, the viability of multilateralism as a model for interstate cooperation, and the more visible role of capacity building in conflict management.

Day 1 - December 10

09:30 - 09:45      Welcoming Remarks by Co-directors

• Dr. Stéfanie von Hlatky (Centre for International and Defence Policy, Queen's University) and 
• Dr. Justin Massie (Université du Québec à Montréal)

09:45 - 10:45      The Fractured International Order 

Moderator: Jonathan Paquin (Université Laval)

• Anessa Kimball (Université Laval): Adapting under Uncertainty: American Leadership and The Future of The Fractured Order
• Ting-Sheng Lin (Université du Québec à Montréal): South China Se: Military Dimension of Chinese Behaviour
• Thomas Juneau (University of Ottawa): The Middle East, Between Trump and Biden

11:00 - 12:00      Keynote Speaker

• Lieutenant-General M.N. Rouleau, CCM, MSC, CD (Department of National Defence)

12:00 - 13:00      Lunch

13:00 - 14:00     Capacity Building and Conflict Management

 Moderator: Théo McLauchlin (Université de Montréal)

• Lee Seymour (Université de Montréal): Capacity Building and Security on The Ground 
• Bruno Charbonneau (Collège militaire royal de St Jean): The Return of Human Security? 
• Yolanda Bouka (Queen's University): Women, Peace and Security

Day 2 - December 11

09:30 - 09:40      Welcoming Remarks by Co-directors

0940 - 10:40       Multilateralism in Free Fall? 

 Moderator: Sarah-Myriam Martin-Brûlé (Bishops University)

• Marie-Joëlle Zahar (Université de Montréal): Back to the Future? The United Nations in Turmoil
• Stéphanie Martel (Queen's University): ASEAN's Contributions to Multilateralism and Regional Order in Asia-Pacific
• Costanza Musu (University of Ottawa): The European Union and Multilateralism

11:00 - 12:00     Keynote Speaker

• Marina Henke (Hertie School)

Synopsis

An enduring question for armed forces is how to recruit, develop, support, and retain the best people, people who are smart, skilled, physically fit and willing to lay down their lives if necessary. This workshop focussed on the ability of the armed forces to meet its person-power requirements based on the establishment of an organizational culture of inclusiveness and cohesion.

We achieved this by showcasing research and practice which examines the recruitment, employment, and retention of under-represented groups as outlined in the Employment Equity Act, particularly women, visible minorities, and Indigenous peoples. The workshop also addressed other forms of diversity and identity within the defence organizations, such as the generational and LGBTQ2S+ perspectives. In line with the broadly adopted diversity lens, we will also examine diversity from a Whole Force perspective, including institutional distinctions related to regular and reserve force personnel, military members and defence civilians, as well as cultural differences among the military services.

Retention of trained and experienced personnel is particularly important in the armed forces because militaries must select, train, and promote from within, yet retention is getting harder in today’s competitive job market. The Canadian Chief of the Defence Staff and others have argued that the military needs more flexible personnel policies to attract and keep talent, especially for specialized skills for emerging challenges. Is this something that other armed forces have done successfully?

Understanding the concerns of specific groups is important to tackle integration challenges as the Canadian Armed Forces and the Department of National Defence strive to become more diverse and incorporate cultural change at the institutional level. This workshop brought together subject matter experts across the Canadian defence and security community, including university scholars, researchers and practitioners in the CAF/DND, as well as international experts to exchange information and co-develop knowledge in the military personnel domain.

Deliverables

• The Many Faces of Diversity in Military Employment, Journal of Military, Veteran and Family Health - Vol. 8, No. s1, April 2022 (PDF 3.51mb)

Kingston International Lecture Series

As an arctic nation, Canada has a unique opportunity in terms of access to a region with immense potential. However, Canada is not alone in this opportunity and other arctic nations such as Russia, are actively pursuing this same potential and leaving Canada behind. In addition, states such as China, which although are not geographically contiguous to the arctic, are also making claims to arctic access. In this talk, Matthew will draw on his extensive experience, reflecting on what he has observed is happening in our own backyard and what it means for our prosperity and our country.

Matthew Fisher 

Resident Visiting Scholar in defence and security
The Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History and Massey College,
University of Toronto 

About Matthew Fisher 

Matthew Fisher is the first Resident Visiting Scholar in defence and security at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History and Massey College, University of Toronto, and a fellow of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. He is Canada's most experienced foreign correspondent, with 45 years of experience, having been to 172 countries and lived in Belgium, Germany, Russia (8 years in Moscow), Hong Kong, Britain, Iraq, Jerusalem and Afghanistan.  During his travels he has observed 19 wars and conflicts from Central America and Rwanda (the genocide) to Chechnya, Nagorno-Karabakh, the Balkans, the Middle East, Somalia, Timor, South Asia and Abu Sayyaf's Islamic war in Mindanao and he visited 34 of Canada's 52 Arctic communities as well as Greenland, Alaska and Siberia. He was the international affairs columnist for the Toronto-based National Post and Postmedia for 17 years. Before that he worked as a columnist for Canada’s Sun Media newspapers and as the Toronto Globe and Mail's bureau chief for Alberta and the Far North.

Leah West Sherriff 

Anti-Terrorism Fellow 
University of Ottawa Faculty of Law

Biography

Leah West Sherriff is Counsel with the National Security Advisory and Litigation Group of the Department of Justice. Her work predominantly involves litigation around the protection of national security information. She is also a member of the team responsible for drafting and implementing Bill C-59 “An Act respecting national security matters”. Before joining DOJ, Leah was involved in advocacy work related to human trafficking, security certificates, lawful access and the reform of Bill C-51. She also worked for a  private intelligence firm in Virginia consulting on business development in the area of spectator sports security. Leah is proud to have served as an Armoured Officer in the Canadian Army for ten years with whom she deployed to Afghanistan as the junior operations officer in 2010. While overseas Leah was involved in the targeting process on a daily basis, and also worked closely with Special Forces from various allied countries during the planning of operations in Kandahar.  Leah is a graduate of the Royal Military College, U of T Law, and  holds an MA in Intelligence Studies. She is currently the Antiterrorism Law Fellow at the University of Ottawa where she is completing her LLM with a concentration in International Humanitarian and Security Law.