PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Former Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau will deliver Brown University’s 106th Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture on International Affairs on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
In an open-to-the-public talk titled “Leadership, Democracy and the Evolving Global Landscape,” Trudeau will reflect on his time in office and discuss the forces shaping democracies, international alliances and public life. Drawing on his experience leading Canada through a period of global change, he will share insights on Canada-U.S. relations, the evolving world order, institutional trust and civic engagement. Trudeau will also speak about the challenges and opportunities facing democratic societies in an increasingly interconnected world.
Trudeau served for a decade as Canada’s 23rd prime minister after leading the Liberal Party of Canada to a historic majority government in 2015. During his time in office, he set about delivering an ambitious agenda that included appointing Canada’s first gender-balanced cabinet, launching a national $10-a-day childcare program, lifting over 2 million Canadians out of poverty, advancing Indigenous reconciliation, and taking action to fight climate change, including through policies that attracted investment in clean economic growth and jobs.
Confronted with a series of global economic and security shocks, including the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Trudeau worked to address international and domestic issues while continuing to deliver on a progressive vision for Canada. During his talk at Brown, he plans to share insights into societal resilience, high-stakes international diplomacy, shared economic growth and meaningful, lasting change.
Before entering public service, Trudeau studied literature at McGill University in Montreal, completed the University of British Columbia’s education program and taught in Vancouver. He was chair of Katimavik, a national youth empowerment and development charity, served on the board of the Canadian Avalanche Foundation, and was an advocate for youth and the environment, taking part in events around the country.
Trudeau has received numerous international awards including the Atlantic Council’s Global Citizen Award, National Geographic’s Planetary Leadership Award, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Global Leadership Award, Rotary International’s Polio Eradication Champion Award, and Women Moving Millions’ Gender Equality Champion Award.
Ticket Information and News Media Access
Trudeau’s talk at Brown will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at 5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required. Tickets for members of the public are available via the Ogden Lecture website, and location information will be provided to registrants before the event.
Members of the news media may request credentials to conduct reporting and/or capture still photography, video and audio. Media credentials will be reserved exclusively for journalists working on assignment for credentialed professional news organizations. Space is limited and the University may limit the total number of credentials awarded.
Journalists who wish to cover the event must request credentials from Brown’s Office of University Communications no later than noon Eastern Time on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Please send requests to [email protected] with the professional news organization’s name along with the journalist’s name, telephone number and email address. For requests that are granted, credentials will be made available for pickup on the Brown campus in advance of the event.
The Stephen A. Ogden Jr. ’60 Memorial Lecture
Since 1965, the Ogden Lectureship has presented the University and its neighboring communities with authoritative and timely addresses about international affairs. The lectureship was established in memory of Stephen A. Ogden Jr., a member of the Brown Class of 1960, who died in 1963 from injuries he suffered in a car accident during his junior year. His family created the series as a tribute to Ogden’s interest in advancing international peace and understanding.
Dozens of heads of state, diplomats and observers of the international scene have participated in the series, including former secretaries of state Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice; former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney; former British prime ministers Theresa May and David Cameron; Queen Noor of Jordan; former President of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev; former Canadian Prime Minister Kim Campbell; media innovator Ted Turner; astronaut Sen. John Glenn; economist Paul Volcker; former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo; Bolivian President Evo Morales; former Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi; His Holiness the Dalai Lama; World Bank President Jim Yong Kim; former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon; and His Highness the Aga Khan.