Enhancing Canada’s positive global impact.
Global Canada is a non-governmental organization committed to enhancing Canada’s positive global impact and identifying global best practices that assist Canada’s own challenges.
Foreign Policy by Canadians 2026About Global Canada
What Canadians think when Canadians think together.
In spring 2026, thousands of Canadians were surveyed on Canada’s place in the world — and a representative group spent a weekend deliberating on it, with Stanford’s Deliberative Democracy Lab. The report, the data, and what participants said, all in one place.
Explore the 2026 initiativeThe community that powers the Global Canada Initiative
Global Canadians are leaders, in Canada and abroad, who care about Canada’s positive role in the world. They come from academia, journalism, civil society, the private sector and government — participating in their private capacity, not as representatives of any organization.
Community Gatherings
Gatherings of the Global Canadian community help surface key global issues and frame Global Canada’s agenda. Events are generally run under Chatham House rules, typically with a public summary of proceedings.
Canadians Changing the World — Mobilizing for Global Impact
Bolstering Open Societies & Aligning Business with Global Norms
Seizing Opportunities, Shaping a Better World
Key initiatives and areas of focus
Global Canada initiatives are developed in close consultation with the community, advanced with a diverse set of experts, often in partnership with other organizations.
Reframing Canada’s Global Engagement
The need for a clear, coherent, comprehensive, contemporary global engagement strategy for Canada is a recurring theme — the last comprehensive review is over 15 years old. Global Canada has assembled several building blocks:
A Diagnostic of Key Trends and Sources of Influence — co-chaired with Jennifer Welsh (McGill), framing the key global trends facing Canada and our sources of influence.
Ten Strategic Choices for Decision-Makers — the key strategic choices facing Canadian decision-makers in the 21st century.
Foreign Policy by Canadians — foreign policy is often criticized as elitist. This innovative project turns that notion on its head: randomly selected Canadians discuss and prioritize Canada’s foreign policy, with the expert support of Stanford University. Renewed in 2026.
The Case for Caring
Why should Canada invest in a better world — and are we doing our fair share? Reports include Assessing Canada’s Global Engagement Gap, Revisiting Canada’s Global Engagement Gap, and Pearson’s Path to Development.
Future Planning Initiative
Proving in practice the potential for global impact: working with a coalition of Canadian civil society actors to advance Canada’s global leadership on family planning and reproductive health and rights (see 18millionwomen.ca), contributing to Canada’s historic 10-year, $700M-a-year commitment announced in 2019.
COVID Strategic Choices
An initiative to define optimal strategies to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Read the reports and meet the team →