The LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium invites Canadians to join the national conversation on the public good. Founded in 2000 by ICC Co-Chair John Ralston Saul, the LaFontaine Baldwin Symposium features lectures on democracy, civic engagement, and citizenship with an opportunity for participants to engage through roundtable discussions and online. Past speakers at the LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium include His Highness the Aga Khan, Siila Watt-Cloutier, Adrienne Clarkson, George Elliott Clarke, Louise Arbour, David Malouf, Beverley McLachlin, Georges Erasmus Alain Dubuc and the inaugural lecture by John Ralston Saul.

The following people serve on the LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium Advisory Board, lending their time and expertise to this influential event: Alain Dubuc (advisor and 2001 lecturer); Dr. Margaret Conrad; Dr. Gerald Friesen; Dr. Anne Golden; Le Prof. Jocelyn Létourneau; Michael Levine; Émile Martel; and, John Ralston Saul (Advisory Board Chair, ICC Co-Chair and former lecturer).

Who were LaFontaine and Baldwin?

Louis-Hippolyte LaFontaine and Robert Baldwin are best known in Canadian history as the architects of responsible government. From Montreal and Toronto respectively, they were both influential in early Canadian politics as lawyers and as members of their respective Assemblies. In the wake of the chaotic Rebellions of 1837-1838, LaFontaine and Baldwin came together to oppose the British administration's attempts to assimilate French Canadians and maintain power in the hands of the colonial elite. Their victory in the elections of 1848 brought responsible government to the United Province of Canada. They also had a revolutionary effect on Canada's public administration, the legal system, the creation of municipalities, and the education system.

Past Speeches

2010
His Highness the Aga Khan

2009
Siila Watt-Cloutier

2007
The Right Honourable
Adrienne Clarkson

2006
George Elliott Clarke

2005
The Honourable
Madam Louise Arbour

2004
David Malouf

2003
The Right Honourable
Madam Beverley McLachlin