Walrus Talks: Sovereign Canada

WALRUS TALKS 

Topic: Sovereign Canada: Exploring the past, present, and future of Canadian sovereignty in a changing world

Date: Tuesday. October 28, 2025

Location: Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W, Toronto, Ontario.

Hosted by:  Jennifer Hollett, Executive Director, The Walrus 

Welcome Remarks by: Colette Watson, President, Rogers Sports and Media

Featured Speakers:

Stephen Maher, Journalist and Novelist

Marisa Beck, Research Director, Clean Growth, Canadian Climate Institute

Jesse McCormick, Consultant, Indigenous Participation in Major Project Developments

Richard Sturberg, Former Media Executive, Assistant Deputy Minister for Culture and Broadcasting, and Head of English Services at CBC

Deanna Horton, Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School ofGlobal Affairs and Public Policy at

the University ofToronto and at the Asia Pacific Foundation ofCanada

The Hon. James Moore, Former Minister of Industry

Sean Speer, Co-founder and Editor at Large at The Hub

Personal Commentary: This session was explanatory as delivered by the above-named speakers. It provided a wide range of descriptive notions of Canada as experienced by a culturally diverse Canadian population. 

TED Membership Event: Chris Hadfield

On October 28, 2025 I listened to the virtual TED Membership Event: Chris Hadfield.

Brief Background: Chris Austin Hadfield (born August 29, 1959) is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot, musician, and writer.


As the first Canadian to perform extravehicular activity in outer space he has flown two Space Shuttle missions and also served as commander of the International Space Station (ISS).

Prior to his career as an astronaut, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces for 25 years as an Air Command fighter pilot.

Personal Commentary: It was superb listening to Chris Hadfield speak about his experiences as an Astronaut and specifically his experiences of being in space.

Book Launch: Against the Grain by Terry O'Reilly: Non-Fiction

Book Title: Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World

Speaker: Terry O'Reilly, Host, CBC's Under the Influence

Moderator: Brett Hendrie, Director, Strategic Events, Rotman School of Management

Book Synopsis:

In Terry’s bestselling book, My Best Mistake, he uncovers the surprising power of screwing up. Now, he turns his incredible eye to the mavericks who go “against the grain” in their work to see what makes them tick and to explore what lessons we can learn from them. People who chose to ignore conventional wisdom, found or invented a better way, questioned the status quo at great sacrifice and pushed for change against all odds.

Some were drummed out of their careers for it but in the end were proven right (Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis). Some were celebrated but had to fight every inch of the way (Norman Lear). Some re-invented their industry but preferred to stay an outsider (Tom Laughlin—aka Billy Jack). Some confounded their competitors with ingenious strategies (NHL coach Roger Neilson). One even saved millions of people around the world, but was humiliated, demoted, and dismissed for her entire career (Dr. Katalin Karikó—co-creator of the COVID vaccine). All persistent visionaries, each covered in battle scars.

Personal Commentary: On October 23, 2025 I attended the Q&A session held at the University of Toronto, Desautels Hall, 105 St. George St., Toronto. As I regularly listen to Terry O'Reilly on the CBC Radio it was wonderful to see and hear O'Reilly speak about his latest book entitled: Against the Grain: Defiant Giants Who Changed the World. This book outlines the importance of being persistent in pursuing one's ideas despite the odds and obstacles one may encounter. If you believe in your idea do everything possible to make your idea come to fruition.

Eternal: Historical Fiction by Lisa Scottoline

Eternal by Lisa Scottoline is a World War II historical fiction novel that takes place in Rome, the Eternal City. The prologue of the story begins in 1957, when the character Elisabetta decides it is time to reveal to her thirteen-year-old son who his father really is. She must also explain why she hid the truth from him until he was old enough. Elisabetta knows she must come to grips with the incidents that shaped her youth during the ventennio, which was the twenty years of Mussolini’s rule, and during World War II, before she can explain these things to her son.

Then the reader is taken back to Rome, 1937, when Elisabetta and her two best friends, Marco and Sandro, are carefree teenagers. Both boys have taken an interest in Elisabetta, and she, in turn, likes both of them. The boys agree to let the best one win her heart. As tensions grow in Italy, so does the relationship among the three friends. Elisabetta’s family disintegrates, and she must learn to take care of her alcoholic father and herself by waitressing. Sandro, who is a math genius, is forced out of school because he is Jewish. His father, a tax attorney, becomes active in the Jewish Ghetto community. Sandro’s mother, a beloved OB-GYN, is forced to give up her medical practice. Marco, who has a reading disability, drops out of school and begins working full-time for the Fascist government. Unbeknownst to him, his brother, Aldo, is working for an anti-fascist group.

The above description is taken from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40204619-eternal

Personal Commentary: This historical fiction illustrates the realities of post-war life in Rome, Italy.  It is described through the eyes of teenagers who cope and survive during this period of time. 

Presentation Topic: Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan

Date: Tuesday, September 30, 2025, at 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Location: Charbonnel Lounge, St. Michael’s College, 81 St. Mary Street, Toronto, Ontario.

The opening Salon featured Tom Cooper's presentation and Paul Levinson's response to Cooper’s new book entitled: Wisdom Weavers: The Lives and Thought of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan. 

The discussion was moderated by Paolo Granata.

Wisdom Weavers is the first comprehensive dual biography of two of Canada’s most influential thinkers. It follows the intertwined lives of Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan, their spirited exchanges, and their transformative ideas on media, communication, and culture—ideas that continue to shape our understanding of technology and society today.

Personal Commentary: This presentation was excellent. As part of the audience, I broadened my knowledge and viewpoints on the works of Innis and McLuhan. It was a fantastic session.

The Walrus Talks: The Power of Animals

On September 23, 2025, I attended the session entitled: The Walrus Talks: The Power of Animals. It was held at the Isabel Bader Theatre, 93 Charles St. W, Toronto, from 7p.m. to 9 p.m.

How animal welfare is key to a sustainable future for all.

When animals thrive, we all do. This discussion explored the ethical, environmental, and scientific impacts of animal welfare in Canada and worldwide.

At The Walrus Talks The Power of Animals, seven expert speakers discussed how a sustainable future is shaped by how we treat animals.

How does better overall farm animal treatment protect humans from the development of antimicrobial resistance?
What are the economic advantages of advancing animal welfare?
And how can sustainable farming practices serve as an essential strategy for environmental conservation, promoting ecological balance, and protecting animal habitats?

It was a discussion on how transforming Canada’s food system can create benefits for animals, humans, and the planet.

This session featured seven-minute talks by:

· Dr. Alison Blay-Palmer, UNESCO Chair on Food, Biodiversity, and Sustainability Studies

· Tricia Croasdell, Global CEO, World Animal Protection

· Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, MP, Beaches—East York

· Nital Jethalal, Executive Director, Institute for Future Food Systems

· Dr. Zahra Kassam, Staff Radiation Oncologist, Stronach Regional Cancer Centre; Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto

· Dr. Joseph LeBlanc, Associate VP, Equity and Inclusion and Assistant Professor, Indigenous Health at NOSM University; Vice-President, Social Accountability, Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada

· Dr. Scott Weese, Professor, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph

Personal Commentary: This session was informative. It provided insights on how animals impact and affect our human lifestyle. 

Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life by Agnes Callard

On Friday, September 19, 2025, I attended the talk by author Agnes Callard at the Toronto Reference Library, 789 Yonge St., Toronto. 

The following description is taken from: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213395473-open-socrates?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=UYWrM8DBzi&rank=1

We all know something about Socrates, though we often reduce him to a paragon of mere “critical thinking.” We think we understand his remark that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” But in Open Socrates, Agnes Callard—who has emerged as one of our most dazzling and provocative public intellectuals—shows that in fact we understand almost nothing about the Socratic project. Socrates’ radical aim was to force us to confront the assumptions that prop up our lives and our worldviews, and to ask whether those assumptions are correct—or whether they hold us back. Teasing out the profound insights of the father of modern philosophy, Callard reveals that what we usually think of as “thinking” is in fact anything but. True thinking can only happen in a dialogue with another person; only through conversation can we inquire into the fundamental questions of our lives. And only by following Socrates’ model, she demonstrates, can we truly understand politics, love, death, and everything else that matters.

Personal Commentary: Many years ago, when I became interested in Philosophy, I gravitated towards the works of Socrates--his thoughts on "persuade and be persuaded" captivated my imagination. Another aspect of his thoughts was to continue asking questions to enable clear meanings. My enlightenment continues...