The Symons Report is known for defining Canada Studies as a quest for self-knowledge. Fifty years after the release of this report, the conditions from which the scholarship on Canada originally emerged have shifted away from a singular, unifying and exclusionary project. This event will be an opportunity to discuss how both conventional and less conventional scholarship associated with the study of Canada interact with the key lessons and observations of the Symons Report, while also highlighting possible new directions for the study of Canada. Established and emerging scholars will be invited to discuss their shared perspectives towards the development of a critical, decentered and collaborative field of Canadian Studies.
Date: 25 June 2026
Time: 10 AM to 3 PM ET
Location: 7th floor Kaneff Tower, 91ÑÇÉ«
Format: In-person symposium, free event
Please register before 4 June 2026
Symposium co-chairs: Eve Haque and Jean Michel Montsion, 91ÑÇÉ«
Program Schedule:
10 AM – Scholarship and teaching: What might we keep? What might we change? What might we toss?
Speakers:
- Dimitri Anastakis, University of Toronto
- Shreyashi Ganguly, 91ÑÇÉ«
- Jane Griffith, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Carolyn Podruchny, 91ÑÇÉ«
Chair: Lindsay Thistle, Vice-President, Canadian Studies Network – Réseau d’études canadiennes
11:45 AM – Lunch and book launch
Lunch will be provided to registered attendees. During lunch, we will hold a book launch of William Jenkins’ 2025 edited collection titled Canada and the Great Irish Famine: Studying the Impacts of Ireland’s Great Famine Immigration to Canada (McGill-Queen’s University Press).
1:15 PM – Canadianists Read: Books inspiring the study of Canada
Speakers:
- Raymond Blake, University of Regina
- Colin Coates, 91ÑÇÉ«
- Alana Duggan, 91ÑÇÉ«
- Michelle Sraha-Yeboah, University of Ottawa
Chair: Heather Nicol, Trent University
Sponsors: The Canadian Studies Network – Réseau d’études canadiennes, the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies at 91ÑÇÉ«, and the School for the Study of Canada at Trent University.
Following the Symposium, the International Council for Canadian Studies will be hosting its Awards Ceremony and the Robarts Keynote by Dr. Eve Haque. This is a separate event. More Information can be found here.
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