The CIC has embarked on a major initiative this year to design a new Canadian approach to international affairs in the context of changing global circumstances. The intent of the project is to generate and disseminate fresh perspectives and ideas both in the immediate term, as Canada prepares to host the G-8 and the G-20 next summer, and, more fundamentally, for the years beyond. Canadians are engaged in the world; the panel will suggest how the country can have greater impact in pursuing our national interests and projecting our values.

CIC has assembled a panel of a dozen Canadians to help with this effort. They are not the usual suspects in that they are all in the ascendancy of their careers. The panel is drawn largely from the generation that came to age in the post-Cold War era of global horizons and digital connectedness. The objective of the exercise is to produce a report that provides policy-makers and the public with an original and pragmatic pathway to a more meaningful role for Canada in the world. Along the way, the CIC will be looking for contributions from its branches and the public at large.

Key topics to be considered include (but are not limited to):

• The rise of Asia
• The need to reconcile energy demand trends and concerns over carbon emissions
• Deepening access to the United States
• The role of Latin America
• The implications of a warmer Arctic
• Security and defence post-Afghanistan
• The successes and failures of development assistance
• Canada's role in the global economy

The panel is chaired by Edward Greenspon, former Editor-in-Chief of the Globe and Mail, who will also serve as project co-director with CIC president Jennifer Jeffs. The panel will be supported by a small advisory committee drawn from the CIC Board of Directors.

The GPS Project will hold sessions with experts across the country in its quest to put fresh options on the table as Canada grapples with its unique value propositions in a world in flux. CIC members from 15 branches across the country will participate by generating briefing papers and through continuous engagement on the CIC web site.

Panelists

	André Beaulieu Vice-President, Value Creation and Procurement, Bell Canada		Cathy Beehan Founding CEO, Action Canada
	Gerald Butts President and Chief Executive Officer, World Wildlife Fund Canada		Mark Cameron Director, Corporate Affairs with Ontario Power Generation
	John Hancock Counsellor, Trade and Finance Division, WTO Secretariat		Jonathan Hausman Vice-President, Alternative Investments and Emerging Markets Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan
	Farah Mohamed President, Belinda Stronach Foundation		Roland Paris* Associate Professor, University of Ottawa
	George Roter Co-CEO and Co-Founder, Engineers Without Borders Canada		Stéphane Roussel Professor, Université du Québec à Montréal
	Mercedes Stephenson Host and Producer, Mercedes Stephenson Investigates and Vice-President, Breakout Educational Network		Kristina Tomaz-Young Founder and Producer, Venture Capital TV and President and Practice Leader, Smart Initiatives, Inc.
	Yuen Pau Woo President and CEO, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

For  more information, contact info@canadianinternationalcouncil.org

* As circumstances made it impossible for Roland Paris to join the GPS meetings, his role has been that of External Advisor to the panel.