Some of Our Past Speakers
Noam Chomsky, Public Intellectual
Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and Joan Phillip, First Nations Leaders
Margaret MacMillan, Historian
Elizabeth Renzetti, Globe & Mail Columnist
Geoff Dembicki, Climate Journalist
Judith Sayers, Champion for Sustainable Development in First Nations Communities
Jamie Biggar, Leadnow.ca Co-founder
Madeleine Thien, Giller Prize-winning Author
Jennifer Welsh, 2016 CBC Massey Lecturer
Gregor Robertson, Canadian Minister of Housing
Jane Philpott, Former Minister of Health
Conrad Black, Former Newspaper Publisher
Jennifer Gardy, Scientist and CBC Nature of Things Co-host
Aaron Devor, World’s Only Research Chair in Transgender Studies, University of Victoria
Adrienne Clarkson, Former Governor General
Andrew Coyne, Globe and Mail Columnist
Daniel Pauly, Fisheries Scientist
Gilles Duceppe, Former Bloc Québécois Leader
Sheila Watt-Cloutier, Former Nobel Peace Prize Nominee
Julio Montaner, Director of the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS
Louise Arbour, UN Special Representative for International Migration
David Suzuki, Educator, Scientist & Activist
Joel Solomon, Clean Money Investor
Naomi Klein, Journalist & Bestselling Author
John Ralston Saul, Philosopher & Writer
Stephan Lewandowsky, Cognitive Scientist
Amy Goodman, DemocracyNow! Co-founder & Host
Olivia Chow, Mayor of Toronto
Maude Barlow, Political Activist & Policy Critic
Tzeporah Berman, Environmental Campaigner
Lawrence Cannon, Former Canadian Ambassador to France & Cabinet Minister
Stephen Lewis, Humanitarian & Former UN Special Envoy for HIV/AIDS in Africa
Chantal Hébert, Journalist & Political Commentator
Monia Mazigh, Author & Activist
Amir Attaran, Professor of Medicine & Law, University of Ottawa
Charlie Demers, Comedian & Playwright
Reuben George, Manager of The Sacred Trust, an organization of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation
Payam Akhavan, 2017 Massey Lecturer & Former UN War Crimes Prosecutor
Ginger Gosnell-Myers, First Indigenous Fellow, SFU
Serena Auñón-Chancellor, NASA Astronaut, Physician & Engineer
Richard Fadden, Former Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS)
Ed Struzik, journalist, author, environmentalist
Angus Reid, Chair of Angus Reid Institute
Kirsten Zickfeld, climate scientist
Philip Steenkamp, President & Vice-Chancellor Royal Roads University
Bill Rees, human ecologist / ecological economist
Kevin Patterson M.D.
Bill McKibben, environmentalist
Beverley McLachlin, Former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
Douglas Roche, Former Canadian Senator
Suzanne Simard. UBC professor of Forestry, and author.
Kathryn Harrison, UBC Professor of Political Science
Sean Holman, Investigative journalist.
Dr. John Cassidy, NRC . Earthquake seismologist.
Dr. Jan Chodas. NASA Jet Propulsion Lab.
Kent Rathwell, Entrepreneur and Green Business Leader
Lisa Young. Professor of Political Science, University of Calgary.
Rashid Sumaila. Tyler prize winner 2023. Professor,UBC Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries.
Lauren Shea, transatlantic rower and UBC masters student.
Christopher Pollon, author and investigative journalist.
Max Wyman, author and arts reporter.
Jon Allen, Former Ambassador to Israel.
Rachel Notley, Former Alberta Premier.
Philip J Currie, Paleontologist and Dinosaur Expert.
Dr. Ellen Wiebe, UBC Clinical Professor and MAiD Provider.
Peter Klein, Professor, Journalist and Documentary Film-maker.
Ron Deibert, Director of The Citizen Lab, Author, Professor.
Richard Colvin, Diplomat in Kandahar and Kabul during Canadian Mission in Afghanistan.
Lawrence Martin, Globe & Mail Columnist & Author
Dr. Bryan Kolb, Neuroscientist
Kenneth Roth, Former Executive Director Human Rights Watch
Kathy Fox, Chair of the Transportation Safety Board of Canada
Mary McBride, Scientist with BC Cancer
Kathryn Sikkink, Human Rights Professor, Harvard University
Moriba Jah, Professor at the University of Texas at Austin and Expert on Space Debris
Josie Osborne, BC Minister of Health
Tanya Talaga, 2018 CBC Massey Lecturer
Nancy Turner, ethnobotanist
Nancy MacLean, Professor of History and Public Policy, Duke University
Ken Wu, Endangered Ecosystems Alliance
Alex Neve, human rights activist
Angela Marie MacDougall, Executive Director of Battered Women Support Services
Jim Stanford, Canadian economist and Director of The Centre for Future Work
Professor Roland Paris advisor to the Prime Minister on International Relations.
Jeremy Kinsman, Former Ambassador to Russia and the European Union.
Marsha Lederman Author and Journalist.
John Doyle.The Globe and Mail Arts Critic.
Dr. Tanya Harrison, Geologist and Mars expert.
Jon Kimura Parker. Concert pianist and educator.
Erin O’Toole. Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
Antonios Tzankopoulos. Professor of Public Law. University of Oxford.
Alison Smith, Associate Professor, University of Toronto.
Kim Bolan, Vancouver Sun crime reporter.
Marc Garneau, astronaut, Canadian cabinet minister.
Paul Bramadat, professor and Director of the Centre for studies in Religion and Society at University of Victoria.
George Black, author of ‘The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace and Redemption in Vietnam.’
Rear Admiral Christopher Robinson, Commander of Maritime Forces Pacific.
Taylor Owen, Beaverbrook Chair in Media, Ethics and Communications at McGill University.
Nick Coghlan, Canadian Ambassador to South Sudan.
Stephen Maher, Author and Journalist.
Alice Te Punga Somerville, Maori Poet, Author, Scholar and Irredentist.
Carol Off, Journalist, Author, CBC Radio Host.
Joe Clark, Canadian Prime Minister.