Annual Symposium

The Symposium each spring invites all Senior College members and members of the public to a full day of talks and discussion on large topics of current interest and concern. Now in its 21st year, this event is held in person at the Faculty Club and is also made available for online participation. Speakers bring both academic expertise and professional experience, providing a range of perspectives on huge themes such as Life and Death, What Have We Learned from the Pandemic, and Adapting to Climate Change. The Q&A sessions after each presentation are always lively and engaging.

21st Annual Senior College Symposium, April 15, 2026

All day (9am-4pm) at U of T Faculty Club, 41 Willcocks or by Zoom

Canada at the Crossroads

Canada is facing challenges to its economy, governance, and sense of identity. We need to make urgent choices of direction to survive as a country in which we can take pride. While the most obvious threats are external, we also need to recognize strengths and weaknesses inherent in institutions we think of as distinctly Canadian. Our eminent speakers will help us explore and discuss where we are now and where we can go in the future.

TO JOIN SPEAKERS AND COLLEAGUES IN-PERSON AT THE FACULTY CLUB, 

PLEASE NOTE THAT IN-PERSON REGISTRATION IS CLOSED AND ONLY ZOOM
REGISTRATION IS NOW AVAILABLE

TO PARTICIPATE BY ZOOM,

REGISTER AT https://uoft.me/zoom-2025-symp-25

Registration $25 until noon on Mon. April 13.

SPEAKERS

Bob Rae, Distinguished Fellow, Munk School; Visitor, Massey College; Former Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations. “Some Thoughts on a World Turned Upside Down”

Dimitry Anastakis, U of T Wilson-Currie Chair in Canadian Business History, Department of History and Rotman School of Management. “What Now?  The Auto Sector as a Nexus of Canada-US Relations—Past, Present, Future.” 

Dan Breznitz, University Professor, Munk School Chair of Innovation Studies; Political Science. “Innovation and Prosperity for Canadians in a Troubled Global World.”

Danyaal Raza, St. Michael’s Hospital and U of T Faculty of Medicine. “The Elephant in the Room: Funding, Taxes and Better Medicare.”

Tony Keller, Globe and Mail columnist and author of Borderline Chaos. “How Canada Got Immigration Right and Then Wrong, and How to Get It Right Again.”

David Milne, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, UPEI and University of Malta. Rapporteur and Commentator on the Symposium.

THE PROGRAM

program 21st Senior College Symposium 15April2026Download

Previous Symposia

Click on the links below to see detailed programs for the last few Symposia: