Empire Club of Canada

The Empire Club of Canada is a Canadian speakers' forum. Established in 1903, the Empire Club has provided a forum for over 3,500 different speakers.[1]

The Empire Club of Canada logo

Through a variety of presentation formats, the Empire Club invites local, national and international leaders and other change-agents to address the topical, relevant issues of the day. The club is based in Toronto, Ontario, with luncheon-style meetings held at the Royal York Hotel or another venue of similar calibre.

History

The Empire Club of Canada was established in 1903 as a result of a political discussion which created considerable unrest in Canada.[1] Growing dissent against the British was influencing Toronto's political and social landscape. In an attempt to refrain from a hasty, myopic severing of ties with the British Empire, a group of men under the leadership of Brig.-Gen. James Mason discussed the creation of an organization that would promote public discourse and discussion about key issues of the day, both at home and abroad.

With this mandate in mind, the group gathered to draft the constitution for a new club to be named The Empire Club of Canada. Canada's "Imperial bond" with Britain was the cornerstone of the Empire Club of Canada, as its founders believed it would be beneficial to Canada to maintain strong political and economic ties with the Empire. This organization, with a plan of weekly luncheons, which would be addressed by prominent individuals who spoke with authority on the issues of the day, would also have the distinctive basis of the British connection in its work and policy. Membership was restricted to British subjects—there was no legal Canadian citizenship at the time—who would pay dues of one dollar a year, with a maximum membership of 500. Within a month, membership exceeded 300. A year or two later, the club had a waiting list of those wishing to join.

The first luncheon speaker on December 3, 1903, was a clergyman and professor, William Clark, who said: "I can quite understand that to many persons, the formation of a club of this kind will seem a very little thing, ... I have not the least doubt that this Club will become of great influence and power in this Dominion". Clark's address became the first of many, with the Empire Club's podium hosting countless great leaders of politics, business, social issues and arts & culture. Notable speakers include Winston Churchill, Stephen Leacock, Indira Gandhi, Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, A.Y. Jackson, The Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, Audrey Hepburn, Mark Carney and nearly every Canadian Prime Minister since Robert Borden.

The Empire Club of Canada continues to be recognized as one of Canada's oldest and most important speakers forums. Since its inaugural meeting in December 1903, the Empire Club of Canada has provided a forum to discuss ongoing issues of local, national and international importance. More than 3,500 addresses have been delivered from the Empire Club podium, and every address is kept on record in the Empire Club of Canada's annual Red Book. Upcoming speakers can be found alongside the historic speeches at www.empireclub.org.

Notable speakers

Some highly notable speakers who have addressed the Empire Club podium have included:

The Empire Club Foundation

The Empire Club Foundation was incorporated in January 1969 and serves as a vehicle for the publication and wide-distribution of the annual compilation of speeches. Copies are sent to a large distribution of schools, libraries, consulates and embassies.

Registered as a charity, its objectives are to promote the interest in current and public affairs, and to establish a historical database of all Empire Club speeches. All of the Empire Club speeches since 1903 are available via the Empire Club's website. In 2010, John Koopman, Past President of the Empire Club of Canada, was appointed as the Chair of the Empire Club Foundation.

List of club presidents

The following people have served as president of the Empire Club:[2]

YearPresidentYearPresident
1903–1904The Rt. Hon. Lord Strathcona1904–1905The Rt. Rev. William Clark
1905–1906 Mr. William Briggs 1906-1907 Mr. J. P. Murray
1907–1908 Mr. J.F.M. Stewart1908–1909Mr. D.J. Coggin
1909–1910 Mr. Elias Clouse
1910–1911J. Castell Hopkins1911–1912F.B. Fetherstonhaugh
1912–1913The Rt. Rev. James F. Sweeny1913–1914The Hon. Mr. Justice James Craig
1914–1915Lt. Col. R.J. Stuart1915–1916Albert Ham
1916–1917James Black Perry1917–1918Norman Sommerville
1918–1919F.J. Coombs1919–1920R.A. Stapells
1920–1921Arthur Hewitt1921–1922Brig. Gen. C.H. Mitchell
1922–1923Sir William Hearst1923–1924Elias H. Wilkinson
1924–1925William Brooks1925–1926Rev. N.R. Burns
1926–1927Col. A.E. Kirkpatrick1927–1928Col. Alexander Fraser
1928–1929Robert H. Fennell1929–1930Hugh S. Eayrs
1930–1931John D.M. Spence1931–1932H.G. Stapells
1932–1933Col. The Hon. George A. Drew
1933–1934Major James Baxter1934–1935The Hon. Mr. Justice Dana H. Porter
1935–1936J.H. Brace1936–1937Major G.B. Balfour
1937–1938Major R.M. Harcourt1938–1939J.P. Pratt
1939–1940F.A. Gaby1940–1941The Hon. G. Howard Ferguson
1941–1942C.R. Sanderson1942–1943John C.M. MacBeth
1943–1944W. Eason Humphreys1944–1945Charles R. Conquergood
1945–1946Eric F. Thompson1946–1947Major F.L. Clouse
1947–1948Tracey E. Lloyd1948–1949T.H. Howse
1949–1950H.C. Colebrook1950–1951Sydney Hermant
1951–1952D.H. Gibson1952–1953John W.F. Griffin
1953–1954Arthur E.M. Inwood1954–1955James H. Joyce
1955–1956C.C. Goldring1956–1957Donald H. Jupp
1957–1958LCol. W.H. Montague1958–1959MGen. B.J. Legge
1959–1960Harold R. Lawson1960–1961Hon. Alexander Stark
1961–1962Dr. Z.S. Phimister1962–1963Dr. J. Palmer Kent
1963–1964Major Arthur J. Langley1964–1965Col. Robert H. Hilborn
1965–1966Col. E.A. Royce1966–1967R. Bredin Stapells
1967–1968B. Graham M. Gore1968–1969Edward B. Jolliffe
1969–1970H. Ian Macdonald1970–1971H.V. Cranfield
1971–1972The Hon. Henry N.R. Jackman1972–1973Maj. The Hon. Mr. Justice Joseph H. Potts
1973–1974Robert L. Armstrong1974–1975Sir Arthur R.T. Chetwynd
1975–1976H. Allan Leal1976–1977William M. Karn
1977–1978Peter Hermant1978–1979MGen. Reginald W. Lewis
1979–1980John A. MacNaughton1980–1981Reginald Stackhouse
1981–1982BGen. S.F. Andrunyk1982–1983Henry J. Stalder
1983–1984Douglas L. Derry1984–1985Catherine R. Charlton
1985–1986Harry T. Seymour1986–1987Nona Macdonald
1987–1988Ronald Goodall1988–1989A.A. (Tony) van Straubenzee
1989–1990Sarah A. Band1990–1991Maj. The Rev. Canon Harold F. Roberts
1992–1993Robert L. Brooks1993–1994Col. Frederic L.R. Jackman
1994–1995John A. Campion1995–1996David A. Edmison
1996–1997Julie K. Hannaford1997–1998Gareth S. Seltzer
1998–1999George L. Cooke1999–2000Robert J. Dechert
2000–2001Catherine Steele2001–2002Bill Laidlaw
2002–2003Ann Curran2003–2004John Koopman
2004–2005Bart J. Mindszenthy2005–2006William G. Whittaker
2006–2007Capt. The Rev. Dr. John S. Niles MSM2007–2008Catherine S. Swift
2008–2009Jo-Ann McArthur2009–2010Alfred Apps
2010–2011Tim Reid2011–2012Verity Sylvester
2012–2013Robin Sears2013–2014Noble Chummar
2014–2015Andrea Wood2015–2016Gordon McIvor
2016–2017Paul Fogolin2017–2018Barbara Jesson
2018–2019Kent Emerson2019–2020Mike Van Soelen
2020–2021Antoinette Tummillo2021–2022

Honorary patrons

The Empire Club was featured in an episode of the long running historical crime drama series, Murdoch Mysteries, with guest star William Shatner.[3] The episode first aired on October 12, 2015.[4]

References
  1. "About Us". Empire Club of Canada. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  2. "Past Presidents". Empire Club of Canada. Retrieved 2020-07-28.
  3. "First Look: William Shatner As Mark Twain In ‘Murdoch Mysteries’". TV Wise, By Patrick Munn | October 8, 2015
  4. "William Shatner travels back in time as American legend Mark Twain in CBC's Murdoch Mysteries on October 12". Yahoo Finance Canada. 7 Oct, 2015
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