Montreal International Security Summit 2026

About the Montreal International Security Summit

The Montreal International Security Summit is a high-level international convening co-hosted by the Montreal Institute for Global Security (MIGS) and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada. The Summit brings together senior leaders from government, diplomacy, defence, academia, civil society, technology, and industry to examine how artificial intelligence is reshaping security, democratic resilience, defence cooperation, and geopolitical competition.

The 2026 Summit, Security and Defence in the Age of AI: Risks, Rivalries, and Resilience, will take place on October 26-27, 2026, in Montreal, Canada. Across plenary conversations, expert panels, fireside chats, and a dedicated war game and simulation exercise, participants will explore how democratic societies and allied partners can respond to the strategic risks and opportunities created by emerging technologies.

The program will examine AI’s impact on defence innovation, foreign interference, cognitive warfare, critical infrastructure protection, alliance politics, and the future of transatlantic and Indo-Pacific security cooperation.

Agenda

Programme subject to final confirmation of speakers

Monday, 26 October 2026

8:30am – 6:30pm

Doors Open and Registration

Opening Remarks

• Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, MIGS
• Bernd Althusmann, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada
• Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Mayor of Montreal

Keynote and Panel: Delivering Deterrence Amid Disruptive Geopolitical and Technological Shift

• General Sir James Everard, KCB, CBE, former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe
• Benjamin Tallis, Head of Policy & Analysis, Helsing
• Senior Canadian Military Official (TBD)

Moderator: Mercedes Stephenson, journalist, The Globe and Mail

Security in a Fragmenting World

• Raymond Chrétien, former Canadian Ambassador to the United States
• Lloyd Axworthy, former Canadian Foreign Minister

Moderator: Laura-Julie Perrault, La Presse

Building a Defence Industrial Base (Fireside chat)

• Glen Lynch, CEO, Volatus Aerospace
• Harjit Sajjan, former Minister of National Defence of Canada and Executive Chairman, Juno Industries

Moderator: Matthew Lombardi, co-founder of the Icebreaker and Director at ONE9

The New Transatlantic Security Alliance: Canada and Europe (Plenary panel)

• Thomas Röwekamp, Chairman of the Bundestag Defence Committee
• Stéphane Dion, former Canadian Foreign Minister and Ambassador to Germany

Moderator: Bernd Althusmann, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada

Canada and Australia: Strategic Cousins (Fireside chat)

• Kate Logan, Australian High Commissioner to Canada

Moderator: Vina Nadjibullah, CEO, Centre for Statecraft

AI, Middle Powers, and Geopolitical Uncertainty (Lightning talk)

• Balkan Devlen, MIGS Senior Fellow
• Duncan Cass-Beggs, Executive Director, Global AI Risks Initiative, CIGI
• Kathrin Gardhouse, Senior Associate, AI Governance, The Future Society
• Edouard Harris, CTO & Co-Founder of Gladstone AI

Moderator: Sandra Aubé, MIGS Fellow

AI Risks and Challenges (Armchair discussion)

• Adam Hadley, CEO, Tech Against Terrorism
• Francesca Bosco, Deputy Head of the Security and Technology Programme, UNIDIR

Moderator: Terence McNamee, Senior Fellow, MIGS

Digital Hybrid Threats and Cognitive Warfare (ISD plenary panel)

• Rafal Rohozinski, CEO, SecDev, and Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
• David Salvo, Managing Director for Transatlantic Policy and Programming, ISD-US
• Nad’a Kovalčíková, Senior Fellow, MIGS, and Vice President, Women in International Security (WIIS) Brussels

Moderator: Chris Beall, MIGS Senior Fellow

Closing Keynote and Remarks

• Harjit Sajjan, former Minister of National Defence of Canada and Executive Chairman, Juno Industries – Closing Keynote
• Kyle Matthews, Executive Director, MIGS – Closing Remarks

VIP Networking Reception

Day 2 War Game and Simulation Exercise

On October 27, the Summit will feature a dedicated war game and simulation exercise led by Volatus Aerospace, a Canadian drone company. The session will run from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM and will include two scenario-based exercises:

• Protecting a G7 meeting and adjacent critical infrastructure from drone-related threats
• Examining lessons from drone warfare in Ukraine for allied defence planning, resilience, and counter-drone policy

The exercise is designed for senior participants from government, defence, industry, research, and civil society, with a focus on policy, preparedness, coordination, and strategic decision-making.

Registration Process

The Montreal International Security Summit is by invitation only. Individuals interested in participating may submit an expression of interest by sending an email to info@migsinstitute.org.

Due to limited capacity, only selected participants will be contacted.

About the Co-Hosts

Montreal Institute for Global Security

The Montreal Institute for Global Security convenes experts, policymakers, and practitioners to address urgent global security challenges, with a focus on democratic resilience, emerging technologies, and international cooperation.

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada

Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Canada is the international cooperation partner and co-host of the Montreal International Security Summit. KAS Canada supports dialogue on democracy, international security, transatlantic relations, rule of law, and responsible governance in an era of geopolitical change.

Helsing is the international industry partner

Volatus Aerospace is the main domestic industry partner