Forty Minute Forum » Fall 2008

October 19, 2008

Alan Broadbent Chair, Avana Capital Corporation; The Maytree Foundation, The Caledon Institute,  Ideas That Matter, Author

Why We Need to Give Power to the Cities to Make Canada Strong   

Canada has a political structure that is a century out of date, a political culture fifty years out of date, and citizens who feel government is increasingly irrelevant. Without change, we will sacrifice our national potential.  Now urbanization and immigration have changed the face of Canada forever. How can we fix this increasing disassociation of citizens from the way their country is being run?

October 26, 2008

The Hon. John Godfrey Professor, college president editor, member of parliament, cabinet minister

The Many Public Lives of John Godfrey

After successful careers in education, journalism and politics, the Hon. John Godfrey has changed course again, becoming head of the well-known Toronto French School. He will share with us his motivation for entering politics, why he left and what his visions for Canada are.    

November 2, 2008 

Mike Barnes Public speaker and author of six books of fiction and poetry. A seventh, his memoir The Lily Pond, was published in September.

Mental Health: A Personal and Literary Perspective

Mike Barnes speaks with personal authority and a writer's lucidity about living with bipolar disorder in what he calls a "journey of personal recovery". He will share with us his story, documented in his memoir, The Lily Pond: A Memoir of Madness, Memory, Myth and Metamorphosis, which will be available for purchase.
 

November 9, 2008

Uitsile Ndlovu International AIDS worker, graduate of the Health Promotion programme of the University of Toronto’s Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Soul Influence Singer, CBC “Global Diva”.

The Many Faces of the AIDS Pandemic

Drawing on her own experiences in several countries, Canadian-Zimbabwean Uitsile Ndlovu describes the ways in which the epidemic has impacted various communities and how different strategies have been used to deal with its devastating impact.

November 16, 2008

Edward Greenspon Editor-in-chief of The Globe and Mail; award-winning journalist and author

The American Election: A Discussion with Edward Greenspon

It has been described as the most important American election of our lifetime. John Geiger, Editorial Board Editor, will interview The Globe and Mail editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon about the election’s significance and the media’s coverage of it. Both journalists will take questions from the audience.

November 23, 2008

Raheel Raza Diversity/intercultural advocate, film maker, journalist, and author of Their Jihad....Not My Jihad.     

Sun, Sand and Muslim Women: Unravelling the Myths and Stereotypes

Having lived in a culture where women were “seen and not heard”, Raheel Raza is now an outspoken advocate for gender equality and an activist for women's rights in the Middle East.  As a Muslim woman living in Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Canada, Ms Raza is uniquely qualified to address the issue of women in Islam.