9/11, The Unfinished Battle | Toronto Book Launch | Terrorism in Canada Fireside Chat and National Security Panel Discussion
Toronto, October 22, 2026
The Albany Club
6:00 to 8:30 Opening Remarks 6:30
9/11 The Unfinished Battle
Phil Gurski | Sheryl Saperia | Ches Parsons | + Special Guest
Fireside Chat and Audience Q and A, featuring Phil Gurski and Sheryl Saperia on Terrorism in Canada, then and now.
Publisher, Dean Baxendale with be your MC and convenes the national security panel and audience Q and A
Guests are invited to an interactive evening featuring Phil Gurski a former Senior counterintelligence Analysts and intelligence practitioner along with our our distinguished panel members including Chess Parsons a former Assistant Commissioner with the RCM{P. We will have a special guest to be announced closer to the event and tickets are only $60.00 + tax for this exclusive event at Toronto’s Albany Club. Attendees will be also get a dedicated and autographed book for only $20.00. Purchase your ticket before October 8th and get $5.00 off
With the 25th anniversary of the deadly terror attack one to which the CBC thought to play word games with Phil Gurski sets us all straight and the existential threat from state backed terrorists Canada needs to do a much better job according to The relationship between national security and continental economic security?· Canada’s credibility with the United States, Five Eyes and other allies.· Practical steps Canada must take to become a more capable and dependable security partner. Phil will provide perspectives from his experience at both the CSE and CSIS. The event will use the legacy of 9/11 to launch a broader discussion about Canada’s national-security culture and our preparedness.
The central argument is that Canada has allowed institutional knowledge, operational capacity and threat awareness to deteriorate while terrorism, foreign interference, transnational repression, organized crime and economic subversion have continued to evolve.
A possible overarching question now worth considering as we take to the stage at the Albany club.
Is Canada still a meaningful contributor to the Five Eyes intelligence alliance—or is it at risk of being relegated to the sidelines?
Although Canada cannot formally be expelled from Five Eyes, participants warned that allies can restrict access to sensitive intelligence if Canada is viewed as a less reliable or largely non-contributing partner due to a lack of appetite to take on sensitive security issues that overlap diaspora politics and sympathies to terrorist, criminal or malign state statecraft within the Hybrid Warfare domain.
The gap between policy, planning and operational execution has become a serious topic of conversation by those in Ottawa circles. · The growth of foreign interference, transnational repression and economic subversion continue to grow but our political response has been weak, often influenced by our adversaries and some ideological bias. The Fireside chat followed by the panel will focus on the following
How does our federal, provincial and municipal governments understand national security and are we prepared to defend it?
What is national economic security and why must we now view our partners and allies through a economic security and defence lense.
Terrorism and threat terror financing linked to Organized crime and Proxies of malign state actors have been an issue since 9/11. What actions are the governments, banks and financial regulators taking to address the sophisticated organized crime syndicates linked to malign states.
Is it terrorism? Is it espionage? Is it Border, Arctic and or Economic Security including military industrial supply chain resilience that we need tp prepare for.
How do we develop policy and laws that clearly focus on the emerging threats to national security through our defence, policing, intelligence and economic realities of a geopolitical and geoeconomic lense.
Event format
Registration and Reception 6:-00 to 6:30 Charcuterie board, and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Opening Remarks 6:30 to 6:35
Fireside Discussion 6:35 to 7:05 Jihadi Terrorism today’s threat environment
Panel Discussion 7:05 to 7: 50 Does Canada’s national security culture need to change. 10 Minutes Q and A
Closing Remarks: 7:50 Mingle, Book Signing and engage with panelists.
Phil Gurski, PHd Author Phil Gurski, Former Senior CSIS analyst.
Sheryl Saperia, CEO Pearl Strategic Counsel, Lawyer and national security policy strategist.
Ches Parsons, COO Pearl Strategic Counsel
Dean Baxendale, MC CEO, Optimum Publishing International & China Democracy Fund and Policy advisor on economic security and China
Special Guest to be Confirmed
Please RSVP via the button above. Your information will not be shared with any third party.
