International Issues Discussion (IID) series talk on Canadian relations with Ukraine

The International Issues Discussion (IID) series at Toronto Metropolitan University is proud to present its third talk of the Winter 2024 series: "Reflections on Peace from a Wartime (ex)Ambassador." 

Our guest will be Larisa Galadza, a senior executive at Global Affairs Canada with nearly three decades of experience in the defence and security domain, most recently as Canada's Ambassador to Ukraine. From November 2019 to August 2023, she played a key role in determining the shape of Canada's assistance to Ukraine both before and after Russia's full-scale invasion. During that time, she knit close relationships with President Zelenskyy and his administration, as well as with leaders in non-governmental organizations and academic institutions, in order to advance Canada's economic and political interests and to deepen people-to-people ties. As a G7 ambassador in Kyiv, she advocated for meaningful reforms that would keep Ukraine on the path of democratization and Euro-Atlantic integration as demanded by Ukrainians during the 2014 Revolution of Dignity. In Ottawa, Larisa specialized in decision making related to complex policy questions, and oversaw a $250M program aimed at stabilizing post-conflict communities in some 15 countries. She has managed the Government's Cabinet-level deliberations related to immigration, health, employment, and social development, and provided advice to ministers on major defence-related spending.