Minister McGuinty opens the Canadian Club of Ottawa’s 2026–2027 Season

 The Canadian Club of Ottawa launched its 2026–2027 season on September 22 with a keynote address by the Honourable David McGuinty, Minister of National Defence.

A full room gathered at the Fairmont Château Laurier for a thoughtful and substantive address on Canada’s defence priorities, the country’s industrial capacity, and the important role Canadian companies and innovators can play in strengthening Canada’s defence capabilities.

The Minister was joined at the head table by:

• Christyn Cianfarani, President and CEO, Canadian Association of Defence and Security Industries)
• Chris Pogue, President, Defence and Space, Calian
• Brian Campbell, Executive Vice-President, Business Development, Evertz
• Muhammad Ali, President, Canadian Club of Ottawa and and Partner, Crestview Strategy
• Alastair Mullin, Vice-President, Programming, Canadian Club of Ottawa and Chief of Staff and Director, Government Relations, Carleton University.
• Heather Meek, Vice-President, Sponsorship, Canadian Club of Ottawa and Partner, Consulting, PwC Canada

Thank you to our event sponsors, Calian and Evertz, for helping make this important conversation possible. We are also grateful to our 2026–2027 season sponsors, Deloitte, PwC Canada, Welch LLP and RBC, for their continued support.

The event also marked the beginning of our partnership with iSiLIVE, the Canadian Club of Ottawa’s new official broadcast and audiovisual partner.

View the event photos (Photography by Fred Chartrand).