Time to Step Up: Why Corporate Canada Must Advocate for Higher Defence Spending
Roundtable Luncheon with General Rick Hillier and Jeffrey J. Kroeker
C.D. Howe Institute events and webinars are open to members and their guests.
Please follow this link or contact events@cdhowe.org to register.
General Rick Hillier, Former Chief of the Defence Staff, The Canadian Armed Forces
General (Ret.) Rick Hillier, OC, CM, was Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff from 2005 until his retirement in 2008. General Hillier commanded troops from platoon to multinational levels in Canada, Europe, Southwest Asia, and the United States, and has served as a staff officer at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.
Hillier first gained widespread public recognition in January 1998 when he took charge of Operation Recuperation commanding more than 15,000 military personnel assigned to help New Brunswick, Ontario, and Quebec recover from a devastating ice storm that destroyed infrastructure and killed 25 civilians. He served as the first-ever Canadian (on exchange) to become deputy commander of the U.S. Army’s III Corps in Fort Hood, Texas; commanded the NATO Stabilization Force’s Multinational Division (Southwest) in Bosnia and Herzegovina; became commander of the Canadian army in May 2003; and, in February 2004 led NATO’s International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. He was promoted to full general and assumed his duties as CDS in February 2005.
Since retirement from the Canadian Armed Forces, he has advised a number of Canada’s top companies on strategy and leadership. He has also served as Chancellor of Memorial University (2008-2012); led the Ontario’s Covid-19 Task Force in 2021; founded and chaired the Strategic Advisory Council by Ukrainian World Congress to advise Ukraine on getting what they need to win the war against Russia; and, among many other worthy causes, is Co-Founder of Project Hero, a scholarship program for children of CAF personnel killed while on active duty. He is an Officer of the Order of Canada and in November 2024, he received the Spirit of Hope Award from the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre for his courage in speaking out against antisemitism and standing up for Israel’s right to defend itself.
Jeffrey J. Kroeker, Law Partner & Strategic Advisor, Massey LLP
Jeffrey Kroeker is a law partner at Massey LLP and founding principal of Massey Advisory Ltd. Proud to not be a typical corporate lawyer, Jeffrey’s practice supports domestic and international clients on transactional matters, negotiations, international trade and global risk issues. Jeffrey’s practice also includes regulated exports, foreign military sales/financing and international traffic in arms compliance (ITARs), which sees him travelling extensively to world capitals and into active conflict zones. He is also a lawyer of record on several high-stakes national security and Canadian political/election matters.
Prior to law, Jeffrey served at senior levels within provincial and federal governments in Canada, including Director of Legislative Affairs at Queen’s Park, Senior Parliamentary Advisor to the Leader of the Government in Canada’s Senate; and as Director of Parliamentary Affairs and Communications to multiple foreign ministers.
As a principal with Massey Advisory Ltd., Jeffrey taps into his extensive international network to provide clients with strategic insight and counsel on government relations, political risk, international business diplomacy and on accessing markets. He helps business leaders navigate complex markets, understand a prospective partner or adversary’s motives, and analyzes political and economic risks of doing business, including supply chain and business practice vulnerabilities. In recent years, he has supported clients on the ground several times in Ukraine as well as throughout the Middle East, Africa, South America and Asia.
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