27.04.2026 : Jean Monnet Debate – Stéphane Dion

We are honoured to welcome Ambassador Stéphane Dion as the keynote speaker for the Jean Monnet Debate on April 27, 2026. This year’s Jean Monnet Debate, the flagship annual event of the Centre Jean Monnet de Montréal, takes on particular significance as we mark the 50th anniversary of Canada–EU relations and reflect on the future of this essential partnership.

The keynote address will take place from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. at McGill University, 680 Sherbrooke Street West, Room 1041.

Stéphane Dion is a Canadian diplomat, academic, and former federal politician whose career has spanned major roles in public service and international affairs. A graduate of Université Laval and the Institut d’études politiques de Paris, Dion taught political science at the Université de Montréal from 1984 to 1996. During his long tenure as Member of Parliament for the Montreal riding of Saint-Laurent, he served as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs (1996–2003), where he drafted the Clarity Act on Quebec’s secession; Minister of the Environment (2004–2006); Leader of the Liberal Party and Leader of the Opposition (2007–2008); and Minister of Foreign Affairs (2017). He later represented Canada abroad as Ambassador to Germany (2017–2022), Ambassador to France and Monaco, and Special Envoy of the Prime Minister to Europe until 2025. After nearly a decade in Europe, Dion returned to Montreal to join the Université de Montréal as its first-ever Diplomat in Residence, where he will share his expertise in foreign policy, political leadership, public administration, and environmental issues with students, faculty, and the broader university community.

The event is co-organized with the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada and the McGill School of Continuing Studies.

The Jean Monnet Awards and the George Ross Fieldwork Grants will also be awarded on the occasion of this event.