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On Thursday, November 14th, over 300 people joined us for our fourth annual In Defence of Democracy live event which returned to Toronto’s majestic Winter Garden Theatre. We were honoured to have Connie Walker, Pulitzer Prize and Peabody Award winning investigative journalist as this year’s featured speaker. Ms. Walker is a member of the Okanese First Nation in Saskatchewan and her work, including the acclaimed podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s, has exposed the crisis of violence in Indigenous communities and the devastating impacts of intergenerational trauma stemming from Indian Residential Schools. Leading this important conversation about ways to further reconciliation and evolve our democratic institutions for generations to come was Nahlah Ayed, the host of CBC Radio’s IDEAS.
The program was praised by Her Excellency, the Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada who extended a warm welcome to all of this year’s attendees via written greetings. Our event garnered notable media coverage including an appearance on the CTV talk show, The Social and an interview on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning
“I commend you for taking part in this discussion on reconciliation, justice and democratic renewal. Your commitment is inspiring and gives us hope that, by learning from our past, we can build a promising future for all.”
- The Right Honourable Mary Simon, Governor General and Commander-In-Chief of Canada
Read the CBC’s feature story about In Defence of Democracy ↗
Watch Sabreena Delhon and Connie Walker on CTV’s The Social ↗
Read our Q&A with Connie Walker
Sponsor In Defence of Democracy 2025 ↗
Samara Centre for Democracy Board Member, Lisa LaFlamme served as the host for the evening, providing a land acknowledgment and speaker introductions. Sabreena Delhon, CEO of the Samara Centre provided welcoming remarks and highlighted the year’s major publication, Engagement and Abuse on Toronto’s Digital Campaign Trail: The 2023 Toronto Mayoral By-election Report. A key finding from this report is that a small number of people are exerting an outsized and incendiary effect on online political conversations. Sabreena noted that making sense of our democracy requires better engagement with the vital acts of civic engagement that happen everyday. Sabreena concluded by announcing that the Samara Centre would be releasing a new podcast in early 2025 called Group Chat which aims to create space for meaningful conversations about Canada’s democracy.
“What is truly threatening our democracy is the dominant story that we are disengaged and disconnected. That as a public we are just angry or apathetic. And that’s a shame because our country is filled with active citizens and there’s no shortage of powerful local stories to tell about how we are supporting, enriching and protecting our communities.”
- Sabreena Delhon, CEO, Samara Centre for Democracy
The evening's discussion between Connie Walker and Nahlah Ayed centered on the power of storytelling to foster reconciliation and strengthen democracy. Connie spoke about her journey as an active citizen from Okanese First Nation and how her journalism has been shaped by her family history and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This culminated in the making of her acclaimed podcast Stolen: Surviving St. Michael’s.
Photos by: Alyssa Faoro
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Since 2019, In Defence of Democracy has convened a diverse audience that extends across sectors, disciplines, professions and generations to consider a pressing question of our era: How do we inspire renewed civic purpose in Canada?
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