Branches

Vancouver

Letter from the President

On behalf of the Vancouver Branch executive committee, it is my pleasure to write these few words about our branch. May I, at the outset, express our gratitude for the support of our membership and to those non-members who so often attend our events.

The Vancouver branch continues to be a vibrant and active branch, offering excellent programming while expanding its membership, network and profile in Vancouver as the go-to place in the foreign policy arena. Our branch social media networks have grown to include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Email and we are pleased to announce our upcoming online Foreign Affairs Bookclub. A few of the topics covered throughout this year have been: Iran’s Nuclear Gamble, Canada and Obama’s Second Term with John Mundy, Canada’s last Ambassador to Iran; a gathering of experts at a roundtable with the UN World Food Programme led by Ramiro Lopes da Silva, Assistant Executive Director of WFP; our AGM and members’ reception; and The Fourth Stage of the Arab-Israeli Conflict with Dr. Alan Dowty, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, University of Notre Dame.

The branch continues to foster strong student ties in the city. We are delighted to have hosted the 6th Annual Inter-University Debate on International Relations between SFU and UBC and have been an active supporter of the third Diplomacy 101: Learning Diplomacy From the Experts event, hosted by UBC’s International Relations Student Association (IRSA). These annual student events are very well received and are of considerable benefit to international relations and political science students.

We welcome your ideas and input and encourage you to contact us at vancouver@opencanada.org with any suggestions you might have.

My very best,

Valerie Shapiro
President, CIC,Vancouver Branch

About

The Vancouver Branch has a long and proud history of drawing together the academic, diplomatic and downtown Vancouver business communities. The Branch is well placed to address Asia Pacific issues and to benefit from experts resident in the area. Links with organizations such as the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, university groups, corporations, government, and NGOs ensure a wide spectrum of speakers, subject matter, and breadth of audience. Our current membership is broad-based and includes academics, lawyers, business people, students, journalists, members of the consular corps, former senior diplomats and other experts, and those interested in international affairs.