Bob Rae

The Canada Lecture on Citizenship presents The Honourable Bob Rae

Canada's 25th Ambassador to the United Nations, Bob Rae, presents the 2026 Canada Lecture on Citizenship.

Presented in partnership with Our World Festival.

Kitchener Public Library is pleased to welcome Bob Rae for the 2026 Canada Lecture on Citizenship.

With more than five decades of leadership in international diplomacy, public policy, and national politics, Bob Rae served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations from 2020 to 2025 and is a Companion of the Order of Canada. His distinguished career also includes serving as Premier of Ontario and interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada.

Mr. Rae will offer a rare insight into navigating complex global challenges, building consensus across divides, and leading through transformation: an outstanding record of citizenship. He will draw on firsthand experience with humanitarian crises, negotiations with world leaders, and other critical issues, delivered with the wisdom of a statesman and the accessibility of a natural storyteller.

He is the author of several books, including What's Happened to Politics and Exporting Democracy: The Risks and Rewards of Pursuing a Good Idea. He is also the editor of Reclaiming Canadian Sovereignty in a Ruptured World, a timely new collection examining Canada’s place in an increasingly uncertain global landscape, to be published on September 9, 2026.

Tickets for this free event will be going on sale Oct 22, 2026, 12:00 PM. CLICK HERE for details