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Speaker Events
Col Fred Mannix speaking at the RCMI

The Institute provides members and their guests the opportunity to attend regular Speaker Events, typically organized by the Institute's Special Events Committee. These events feature a unique and truly dynamic series of special speakers, ranging from senior military and business leaders to journalists, authors, historians and academics. These talks provide critical information and expert analysis on a whole host of contemporary and historical military and strategic issues.

Speaker events are held regularly, except during the summer months. There are two types (general timings shown): Luncheons at 11:30 hours for 12:30 hours sit down; and Dinners at 18:30 hours for 19:30 hours sit down.

In 2004, the Institute was involved in supporting and/or organizing a number of Special Events, including:

Speaker Dinner: "Another Place, Another Time"
November 2004

This Speaker's Dinner featured Mr. Werner Hirschmann, a former U-Boat First Engineer, as the guest of honour. Mr. Hirschmann, a longtime member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute and an active member of the Naval Officers Association, gave a presentation on his new book, titled Another Place, Another Time, which gives readers an unusual and authentic insider's view of wartime service in U-boats.

Speaker Dinner: “Another Place, Another Time”
November 2004

This Speaker’s Dinner featured Mr. Werner Hirschmann, a former U-Boat First Engineer, as the guest of honour. Mr. Hirschmann, a longtime member of the Royal Canadian Military Institute and an active member of the Naval Officers Association, gave a presentation on his new book, titled Another Place, Another Time, which gives readers an unusual and authentic insider’s view of wartime service in U-boats.
Speaker’s Dinner: “Iraq from a Canadian perspective”
October 2004

In this Speaker’s Dinner, Col Stephen Appleton discussed operational issues, insights and observations of the Campaign in Iraq, based on his experience as a former strategic planner in Iraq with Multinational Force HQ in Baghdad. Col Appleton was employed as Chief of the Commander’s Initiatives Group (CIG) for Lieutenant-General Ricardo Sanchez and, in this capacity, was responsible for planning the Transition of Sovereignty in Iraq and assisted in the revision of the Iraqi Campaign Plan.
Speaker’s Dinner: “Generally Speaking: The Memoirs of Major-General Richard Rohmer”
December 2004

Major-General Richard Rohmer. arguably Canada’s most decorated citizen, was the guest of honour at this dinner. A commander of the Order of Military Merit and an Officer of the Order of Canada, his career began in World War II where he earned the reputation as one of Canada’s top Mustang reconnaissance pilots, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross. More recently, he chaired the 60th Anniversary of the D-Day Advisory Committee to the Minister of Veteran Affairs. MGen Rohmer discussed his most recent book, Generally Speaking: The Memoirs of Major-General Richard Rohmer.
Speaker’s Dinner: “Juno Beach: Canadians at D-Day, June 6th 1944”
September 2004

Mr. Ted Barris, author of the critically acclaimed book JUNO: Canadians at D-Day , June 6th, 1944, was the guest of honour at this dinner. During this event, he discussed the little known Canadian stories behind the success of the Allies’ D-Day. Stories included: Canadian influence on the timing of that operation; how Canadians made some of the invasion’s secret weapons work; the role of Canada in keeping the operation secret.
Speaker’s Dinner: “The Italian Campaign”
July 2004

Mr. Mark Zuehlke, a famous writer who has written several definitive books on the Liri Valley and Ortona campaigns of World War Two, was the guest of honour at this dinner. Mr. Zuehlke provided an overview of his upcoming book about Juno beach.
Speaker’s Luncheon: “D-Day: The Greatest Invasion”
May, 2004

Past correspondent to the UK Times and the Guardian, Mr. Dan Van Der Vat was the guest of honour during this luncheon. He is the author of the recent bestseller, “Pearl Harbor,” and will present an overview of his new book D-Day: The Greatest Invasion – a People’s History. This new book on the invasion recreates every key moment of that historic event, offering an authoritative new account of that unforgettable “longest day.”
Speaker’s Dinner: “New Political and Business Opportunities for Canada”
May 2004

In conjunction with the Atlantic Council of Canada and the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland, the Institute co-sponsored a Speaker’s Dinner with Consul General of Poland, Jacek Junoscza Kisielewski. This reception and dinner was organized as a means of recognizing Poland’s May 2004 Accession to the European Union.
Member and Daughter Dinner: “Peacemaking Then and Now: Lessons of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919”
May 2004

This event featured as its guest speaker Dr. Margaret MacMillan, Provost of Trinity College and adjunct Professor with the University of Toronto’s History Department. Her most recent publication, Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World, won the Samuel Johnson Prize, the PEN Hessell Tiltman Prize and the Duff Cooper Prize. Dr. MacMillan discussed the topic of peacemaking, with particular reference to the controversial peace-making initiative that took place in the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.
Speaker's Dinner: "A Business Man's Opinion of the Canadian Forces"
April 2004

In this Speaker's Dinner, Col Fred Mannix provided a detailed overview of the Canadian Forces, with comments focusing on Strategy 2025. Col Mannix, one of the most successful Canadian businessmen, is also completely committed to the Reserve Force and has devoted considerable energy in not only promoting key reserve activities, but also in participating in many high-level discussions on defence resources. He is famous for his "6-packs" concept, which focuses on compact, specialized, well-equipped and well-trained forces that are readily deployable.
Speaker’s Dinner: “The Roman Army in Britain”
February 2004
Mr. Eric Morse, member of the RCMI Defence Studies Committee and an expert in Roman military history, provided an outstanding overview of the Roman Army in Britain during this Speaker’s Dinner.
Speaker’s Dinner, with Rear Admiral Jim Carey
January 2004

This event featured as its guest of honour Rear Admiral Jim Carey, Chairman of the US Military Foundation.
Speaker’s Dinner: “Canadian View of Kabul”
January 2004

The guest of honour at this dinner was Mr. Chris Wattie, a well-respected defence reporter with the National Post. Having recently returned from Afghanistan, where he was part of the Canadian Forces’ experiment with embedded reporters, Mr. Wattie offered his thoughts on the Canadian role in the country.
In 2003, the Institute was involved in supporting and/or organizing a number of Special events, including:

Speaker’s Dinner: “Critical Events in History”
October 2003

The guest of honour at this dinner was LCol Tom Christianson, who gave an overview of his recent military history trip to various battlefields in Europe, and his plans to visit Waterloo, Bastogne (Battle of the Bulge), Verdun and the Meuse-Argonne in December.
Speaker’s Luncheon: Ukrainian Delegation Round Table
November 2003

In conjunction with the Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Resource Centre and the Atlantic Council of Canada, the RCMI hosted a private luncheon with The Honourable Borys Tarasyuk, Ukraine’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Founder of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation and Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on European Integration. The Hon. Boris Tarasyuk discussed NATO expansion, the controversy over the proposals to create a Unified Economic Zone with Russia, and the pivotal presidential elections in 2004.
Speaker’s Dinner: “The Fall of the Roman Empire”
June 2003

The guest of honour during this dinner was Mr. Eric Morse, who has provided key Roman Military tours in Europe and Britain as well as lecturing at key university seminars and discussions. Mr. Morse provided a military analysis of the Roman Empire, and its impact on the fall of this imperium.
Speaker’s Luncheon: “The Reconstruction of Iraq”
May 2003

The Institute was fortunate to have Dr. Jawad Hashim, former Minister of Finance and Planning for Iraq, as its guest of honour during this speaker’s luncheon. Dr. Hashim spoke on the opportunities and costs associated with any reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq.
Presentations given during Speaker events
Speaker’s Dinner: “The Future Security Environment and the Transformation of the Canadian Forces”
May 2003

The guest of honour during this dinner was Major-General Douglas Dempster, Director of National Strategic Planning at the Department of National Defence. MGen Dempster outlined the increasing threats facing the Canadian military, specifically noting that the number of “failed states” would continue to rise, and argued on the value of ‘transformation’ as a means for the CF to deal with these challenges.
Speaker’s Dinner: "National Security: A Need for a New Policy"
March 2003

The guest of honour at this speaker’s luncheon was Lieutenant-General (Retd) L.W.F. Cuppens, National Chairman of the Federation of Military and United Services Institutes of Canada (FMUSIC). During his presentation, LGen Cuppens argued that Canada had to develop a coherent National Security Policy, which would take into account our national interests and values, and would integrate these into a policy which involved much more than simply defence planning.
Speaker’s Dinner: “The Other Faces of Iraq”
January 2003

This speaker’s dinner featured Olivia Ward, Toronto Star correspondent who had recently returned from Iraq, along with the Bishari film company, where they had collaborated on a film based on Ward’s Iraq dispatches, titled “A Generation of Hate.” Ms. Ward spoke on the subject of the film – the increasing alienation of Iraqis from the West.
All content © 2006. The Royal Canadian Military Institute.
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