The Hon. William C. Graham
The Hon. William C. Graham is the Chancellor of Trinity College at the University of Toronto, Chair of the Atlantic Council of Canada, and Co-vice Chair of the Canadian International Council. Graham obtained his B.A. at Trinity College, and studied law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. He finished his formal education at the University of Paris, where he received his Doctorate in Law. In 1993 he was elected to the House of Commons as an MP for the riding of Toronto Centre, one of Canada’s most diverse ridings. Graham was subsequently re-elected for four consecutive terms. In January of 2002 he was appointed to Jean Chretien’s Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs. In 2004, Graham became the Minister of Defence, a position he held until Prime Minister Paul Martin resigned in March of 2006. Thereafter, Graham served as the Liberal Party leader and Leader of the Opposition until the Liberal National Convention in December of 2006, when Stéphane Dion was elected Martin’s permanent successor. On June 19th, 2007, Graham announced his resignation of his seat, declaring that his constituents should “be represented by a future voice rather than somebody from the past”. It is a distinct honour and privelege to host such a distinguished Canadian.
Peter MacLeod
Peter MacLeod is currently the principal and co-founder of Mass LBP, a Toronto based company that works towards engaging and consulting citizens in complex policy decisions. Mr. MacLeod is a graduate of both the University of Toronto and Queens University. Over the past ten years he has worked with a number of leading North American and European organizations including Fast Company magazine, Vancouver’s Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Britain’s Demos think tank as well as the Kaospilots, a Danish school for business design and social innovation. In 2001 he created The Planning Desk, a pioneering studio for public systems design to help characterize and shape the citizen-state relationship. Now a fellow at the Centre for the Study of Democracy at Queen’s University Mr. MacLeod regularly writes and speaks about the importance of public imagination and the key role it plays in the future of responsible governance. In 2008 he was also the recipient of the prestigious Public Policy Forum’s Emerging Leaders Award.
Stephen LeDrew
Stephen Ralph LeDrew is a Toronto-based lawyer and Political Analyst. His former years as a lawyer involved dealing with public policy issues and inter-governmental affairs, in addition to advising the private sector. Mr. LeDrew has served as the Executive Assistant to the Solicitor General of Canada, Government Affairs Counsel for Manulife, and Director of Operations in the Prime Minister’s Office. He is also past president of the National Club in Toronto. Mr. LeDrew was elected President of the Liberal Party of Canada twice. He served for nearly six years from March 1998 to November 2003, and witnessed the transfer of leadership from Prime Minister JeanChrétien to Prime Minister Paul Martin. While he is noted for his eccentric bow ties, Mr. LeDrew is also known for his opinionated commentary and analysis of issues at Toronto’s City Hall, on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and at Queen’s Park. From 2007 to March 2009, Mr. LeDrew co-hosted a radio talk show with Michael Coren on Toronto’s CFRB 1010 entitled “Two Bald Guys With Strong Opinions.” Mr. LeDrew is also a reappearing panelist on CBC Newsworld’s political program, “CBC News: Politics.” This past year he began co-hosting a weekday television news program with Ann Rohmer on CP24 called “Live at Noon.”
Deborah Deller
Deborah Deller is currently Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, with over 25 years of service with the Office of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. She is also Secretary of the Board of Internal Economy and Chair of the Management Advisory Committee. In addition to her responsibilities at the Ontario Legislative Assembly, Ms. Deller has been actively involved in several international advisory projects and missions. In 1999, she accepted a request from the British Overseas Office to facilitate a workshop on Parliamentary Committee Procedure in the Republic of South Africa. More recently, in 2006, Ms. Deller was asked by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to be part of a team conducting a post election seminar in Tanzania. In 2007, she was the Team Leader for a CPA initiative for the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS). Her Professional Memberships and activities include: Association of Clerks at the Table in Canada (President 1998/99); Society of Clerks-at-the-Table in Commonwealth Parliaments; Editorial Board of the Canadian Parliamentary Review; Attachment Clerk at the Parliament of Canada.
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Inaugural Session
Our Friends
