Canadian International Council

• 1. Foundations And Early History

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  Former Prime Minister Robert Borden founded the Canadian Institute of International Affairs in 1928. This organization emerged during a time when Canada was redefining its place on the global stage after World War I. Escott Reid joined as the first full-time national secretary in 1932 and began organizing annual study conferences. These gatherings featured round-table discussions where members from branch study groups participated alongside international delegates. The first Commonwealth Relations Conference took place at Hart House at the University of Toronto. Arnold Toynbee served as recorder while Borden chaired the event attended by 77 international delegates. Future leaders like Vincent Massey and Walter Nash walked these halls alongside Zafrullah Khan. Under insurance executive Edgar Tarr who led from 1938 to 1950, the institute shifted beyond neutral research. It actively promoted Canadian national autonomy and challenged British imperialism. CIIA leaders worked with officials to encourage nationalist forces in India, China, and Southeast Asia to reject colonial rule.

• 2. Evolution Into Modern Council

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  Jim Balsillie initiated the creation of the Canadian International Council in October 2007. He partnered the existing CIIA with the Centre for International Governance Innovation based in Waterloo, Ontario. Balsillie wrote that this new council would be a research-based non-partisan vehicle applying expert fact-based research to complex issues. Members of the CIIA voted to become the Canadian International Council in November 2007. By May 2008, the Canadian Institute of Strategic Studies folded its operations into the CIC as the Strategic Studies Working Group. The Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs merged into the CIC in 2019 and continues as an annual event hosted by the organization. Online publication OpenCanada returned to the CIC in 2020 after being managed separately since 2015. This restructuring created a unified research base similar to the American Council on Foreign Relations or the United Kingdom's Royal Institute of International Affairs.

• 3. Organizational Structure And Reach

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  The Canadian International Council maintains nineteen branches across Canada from Calgary to Winnipeg. These locations include Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Nipissing, Prince George, Quebec, Regina, Saskatoon, Simcoe County, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Waterloo, Whitehorse, Yukon, and Winnipeg. Each branch organizes speaker programs study groups conferences and seminars for local members. A pan-Canadian Young Professionals Network extends the reach among younger citizens. Funding comes from private sponsorship membership fees donations and events rather than government grants alone. From 2018 to 2022 Ben Rowswell served as president and research director having previously been ambassador to Venezuela. The board of directors is chaired by Nicolas Rouleau and John English overseeing all operations. As a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency it operates under non-profit status while maintaining independence.

• 4. Strategic Research Initiatives

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  In 2021 the CIC began a multi-year research project called Renewing Our Democratic Alliance with support from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation Canada. This initiative aimed at articulating a new form of mutual democracy promotion between Canada and Germany. At a 2022 conference on democratic backsliding held at McGill University the organization announced the creation of a Network for Democratic Solidarity. This group of nations aims to help each other strengthen democracy facing challenges to citizens' rights. The Network became an independent organization in May 2023 after operating under the CIC umbrella. Foreign Policy by Canadians represented another joint initiative involving CanWaCH and Global Canada. James S. Fishkin's Stanford Center for Deliberative Democracy ran a deliberative democracy exercise selecting a sample of the Canadian population. These participants were briefed on issues facing Canada then deliberated policy proposals to be presented directly to the government.

• 5. Publications And Media Output

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  The International Journal established in 1946 serves as the CIC's scholarly publication and journal of global policy analysis. It combines history political science economics anthropology and other social sciences into cross-disciplinary work. In 2013 the CIC partnered with the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History and SAGE Publications to share publishing responsibilities. Behind the Headlines first appeared in 1940 as a pamphlet series focused on contemporary Canadian foreign policy. That series evolved into a quarterly current affairs magazine before becoming its current form as a policy paper series. The organization received recognition at the Canadian Online Publishing Awards for its work with OpenCanada. In 2013 the site won Content of the Year award plus two gold medals for best overall online-only publication and article or series in academic nonprofit media categories.