Cardus Exchange 2026

CARDUS EXCHANGE 2026

Cardus is pleased to invite you to join us for three days of rich debate and dialogue at our annual Cardus Exchange in Ottawa, happening May 6 to 8 and coinciding with the Canada Strong and Free Conference, hosted by our friends at the Canada Strong and Free Network (CSFN).

Our conversations will centre on the theme: What is government for? In Canada and the U.S., debates about the role of government in our society are taking a new shape. Even within the conservative movement, with its historical focus on small and limited government, we have seen the emergence of a post-liberal strain of thought that envisions a larger role for the state. Together, we will debate and explore some of the most critical public questions of our times: What is the proper role of the state in addressing social problems? What constrains state action? When is intervention from different branches of government justified?

Session I: Wednesday evening (May 6) – 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM

Panel Topic: Discerning the Limits of the State: A Primer & Welcome Reception

Speakers: Brian Dijkema (President – Canada, Cardus)

What is government for? What does Christian social thought say about the state, its role and its legitimacy? How do conservatives understand the role of government? How can these perspectives help to audience discern the appropriate role of the state in various policies?

Session II: Thursday afternoon (May 7) – 12 PM to 1 PM – Bilingual

Panel Topic: Can the state preserve national identity? Culture, Religion, and Quebec

Moderator: Jean-Christophe Jasmin

Speakers:

Guillaume Rousseau

What is the legitimate use of state authority to preserve a national identity in a culturally-diverse society? Is there an essential relationship between religion and culture?

Session III: Thursday evening (May 7) – 6:30 PM to 9:00 PM

Keynote Address: Culture and the Constitution of Canada

Speaker: Howard Anglin

Interviewer: Ray Pennings

Some claim that the constitution of Canada – that is, the people, institutions, and cultures that make up the country – are increasingly in irreconcilable tension. They point to a social fracturing caused by linguistic, regional, ethnic, and political differences. Are these social and cultural challenges really new in Canadian history? Do our contemporary problems differ from the past, and what do they mean for legal and political arrangements today? Does national identity require a single, unifying vision of Canada? And is the common good still possible given the complexity of the country? Drawing on ideas of subsidiarity, federalism, and charity this keynote will explore how understanding the cultural constitution of Canada is essential for preserving peace, order, and good government.

Session IV: Friday afternoon (May 8) – 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM

Panel Topic: Should the government make your lunch? Parents, Children, and the State

Moderator: Andreae Sennyah

Panelists: Joanna VanHof, Peter Jon Mitchell, Karen Restoule

How do parents conceive of their responsibilities and what do they expect from the government? What is the role of the state when families are unable to live up to their responsibilities? This panel will discuss the policy approaches of: government-run public schools, universal childcare, the national school food program. What are the strongest arguments made by proponents of these programs? What are the strongest refutations of their arguments? Going beyond the strict dichotomy of big-government vs. small-government solutions, what does the Canadian experience teach us about the relationship between parents, children, communities, and the state?

CARDUS IN CONVERSATION

Join us for informal conversations in the lounge on Cardus’s 7th floor. We will provide 10 minutes of opening comments and then open the floor to discussion with attendees. Our goal is to offer a space where people can engage in substantial, but informal, conversations about Cardus programs.

Conversation I: Thursday, May 7 @ 10:30 AM (TBC)

Health and the State – Palliative Care

Hosted by Dr. Rebecca Vachon (Health Program Director, Cardus)

Conversation II: Thursday, May 7 @ 3:30 PM (TBC)

Civil Society and the State – Subsidiarity and Refugees

Hosted by Renze Nauta (Work & Economics Program Director, Cardus)

Info: What is government for? What does Christian social thought say about the state, its role and its legitimacy? How do conservatives understand the role of government? How can these perspectives help to audience discern the appropriate role of the state in various policies?

Info: What is the legitimate use of state authority to preserve a national identity in a culturally-diverse society? Is there an essential relationship between religion and culture?

Info: Some claim that the constitution of Canada – that is, the people, institutions, and cultures that make up the country – are increasingly in irreconcilable tension. They point to a social fracturing caused by linguistic, regional, ethnic, and political differences. Are these social and cultural challenges really new in Canadian history? Do our contemporary problems differ from the past, and what do they mean for legal and political arrangements today? Does national identity require a single, unifying vision of Canada? And is the common good still possible given the complexity of the country? Drawing on ideas of subsidiarity, federalism, and charity this keynote will explore how understanding the cultural constitution of Canada is essential for preserving peace, order, and good government.

Info: How do parents conceive of their responsibilities and what do they expect from the government? What is the role of the state when families are unable to live up to their responsibilities? This panel will discuss the policy approaches of: government-run public schools, universal childcare, the national school food program. What are the strongest arguments made by proponents of these programs? What are the strongest refutations of their arguments? Going beyond the strict dichotomy of big-government vs. small-government solutions, what does the Canadian experience teach us about the relationship between parents, children, communities, and the state?

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