Standing Together: Building Resilient and Engaged Societies
Canada-EU Collaboration on Societal Responses to Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference
The Delegation of the European Union to Canada, Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Canada, and the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa are pleased host:
“Standing Together: Building Resilient and Engaged Societies – Canada-EU Collaboration on Societal Responses to Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference.”
The event will take place on 4 May 2026, in the Laurier Room at the Fairmont Château Laurier in Ottawa.
This half-day forum will bring together representatives from government, civil society, academia, and media to explore both policy and operational responses to foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI).
The programme will open with high-level remarks from senior European and Canadian leadership, including the ambassador of the European Union to Canada, H.E. Geneviève Tuts and Minister Karin Prien, the German Federal Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth. This will be followed by a fireside conversation with Olivier Bailly, Global Issues and Communication at the European External Action Service (EEAS), who oversees the EU’s external strategic communications and FIMI response.
The event will conclude with reflections on key policy takeaways, followed by a networking lunch.
Agenda
09:00-09:30 | Registration
09:30-10:00 | Welcome & Opening Remarks
- H.E. Genevieve Tuts, Ambassador of the European Union to Canada
- Minister Karin Prien, the German Federal Minister for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
- Prof. Roland Paris, Director, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa
10:00-10:30 | Session I: Framing Engaging Resilience
- Fireside chat with Olivier Bailly, Managing Director for Global Issues and Communication, European External Action Service
- Moderator: Jennifer Irish, Associate and Program Director (Telfer Executive Programs), University of Ottawa
10:30-10:45 | Questions from the Audience
10:45-11:00 | Coffee Break
11:00-12:00 | Session II: Case Studies in Societal Resilience (followed by Q&A)
- Samantha Reuch, Executive Director, Apathy Is Boring
- Alexander Dalziel, Senior Fellow, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
- Matthew Gray, Director of Public Policy and Media Partnerships, TorStar Corporation
- Mateusz Łabuz, Head of "International Cybersecurity" Project, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy, University of Hamburg (TBC)
- Moderator: Jennifer Irish, Associate and Program Director (Telfer Executive Programs), University of Ottawa
12:00-12:20 | Closing Remarks: Summary of Workshop Insights and Policy Takeaways
- Jennifer Irish, Associate and Program Director (Telfer Executive Programs), University of Ottawa
- Chris Beall, Chief Relationships Officer, DISARM Foundation
- Dr. Bernd Althusmann, Director, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada
12:30-13:30 | Lunch
