The Future Lies West: How Alberta Will Lead Canada
Date: October 9, 2026
Time: 12:00pm - 2:00pm
Location: Calgary (Specific venue to be announced)
Alberta stands at the cultural edge of Canada. While national conversations often centre on economic or political power, the deeper story lies in cultural capital—in-migration, fertility, marriage rates, educational strength, and more—where the trend lines all point in the same direction: Alberta is poised to lead the federation.
Join Cardus CEO Michael Van Pelt on October 9, 2026, from noon to 2 PM in Calgary (location to be announced) as he lays out the case for why Alberta’s future is Canada’s future and what it means for the country’s next chapter. A panel discussion will follow, moderated by Cardus’s President, Canada, Brian Dijkema, featuring journalist and The Line co-founder Jen Gerson; Cardus Quebec director Jean-Christophe Jasmin; and former Alberta minister of finance, the Hon. Travis Toews, to discuss and respond to Van Pelt’s address.
Our Keynote Speaker
Michael Van Pelt, CEO of Cardus, is a thirty-year veteran of Canadian public life and a recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Since co-founding Cardus in 2000, he has helped build the organization into a leading public policy think tank and one of Canada’s most respected faith-based institutions. A graduate of McMaster University and the London School of Economics, Van Pelt has authored and co-authored numerous articles spanning religion, public life, economics, and government policy.
The Panel
Following Van Pelt’s address, a panel will discuss and respond, moderated by Cardus’s President, Canada, Brian Dijkema.
Brian Dijkema is the President, Canada at Cardus, and Senior Editor of Comment. He is a public policy analyst, public commentator, and writer. He regularly works with municipal, provincial, federal governments, and civil servants on a wide range of policy issues. He consults widely with industry, business, labour, and civil society institutions.
Jen Gerson is a Calgary-based journalist and co-founder of The Line, one of Canada’s most widely read independent political publications. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Economist, and Maclean’s, among others.
Jean-Christophe Jasmin is Cardus’s Quebec Director, where he draws on a background as a federal public servant and training in political philosophy and theology to foster collaboration between faith communities, policymakers, and the broader public.
The Hon. Travis Toews is a former Minister of Finance and President of the Treasury Board for the Province of Alberta, having served as MLA for Grande Prairie–Wapiti from 2019 to 2023. He is currently a Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute.