The work of their researchers, fellows and advisors sparks impassioned nation-wide discussions and debates that are designed to help Canadians better understand their role on the world stage.
The Institute is governed by a board of experienced corporate directors, while a team of staff split between Calgary and Ottawa manages the day-to-day operations.
[10] Each year, CGAI hosts several dozen roundtable speaker events based on specific topics of importance to Canadian defence, security, and foreign affairs.
The roundtables are held in Calgary, Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa, and bring together businesspeople, academics, and practitioners to listen to some of Canada's most important and influential thinkers.
Former speakers include Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence; Michael Bell, former diplomat; and Yuen Pau Woo, president and CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, among others.
Policy papers are longer, more in-depth bodies of work that afford the authors a chance to thoroughly examine a topic, analyzing research and providing a recommended course of action.
They are produced by CGAI fellows, staff and other subject matter experts and cover a wide range of topics, reflective of the Institute’s breadth of expertise.
[15] CGAI Primers are special ad-hoc publications that offer exhaustive overviews and insight towards specific topics or upcoming international events.
[16] Source:[17] Triple Helix is a network composed of the CGAI, the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs (NPSIA) at Carleton University, and industry that will explore how a range of emerging technologies intersect with defence.
Directed by Dr. David Perry (CGAI), Dr. Alex Wilner (NPSIA), and Michael Petric, Triple Helix is a hub that: The objective of Triple Helix is to provide an empirically driven and practically oriented guide on the interplay between technology, innovation, security, defence, and policy useful to Canadian policymakers and private sector actors alike, as well as to identify paths to and foster greater cooperation between government, academia, think tanks and industry in the areas of emerging technologies and innovation.
The research outputs of Triple Helix look to respond to three central defence policy challenges: “Emerging Technologies and Military Application,” “Cyber, Space and Information as Operational Domains,” and “Securing North America and Enhancing Continental Defence.” Diversity, equity and inclusion, the principles of Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), as well as building the next generation of defence professionals, guide Triple Helix's operations, activities, and outputs.
It was awarded annually to recognize one Canadian journalist who made a significant and outstanding contribution to the general public's understanding of Canada's defence and security issues.
The course was run in partnership with the Centre for Military and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary and included a combination of media-military theory in a classroom setting, coupled with field visits to Armed Forces regular and reserve units.
In 2007, the program introduced its first Francophone Military Journalism course held at the Université de Montréal and Canadian Forces Base Valcartier, near Québec City.
[27][28][29] In an article from July 2016, The Globe and Mail examined the Institute's support of Canada's $15-billion combat-vehicle sale to Saudi Arabia at a time of a humanitarian crisis in Yemen, and the think tank's acceptance of donations from defense contractor General Dynamics - the parent of the arms maker in the export contract.