21 May, 2025
This May, RMCSD presents a new format featuring a dynamic panel discussion with three Canadian leaders who bring deep military experience and a shared commitment to understanding global security firsthand.
Captain (Navy) Cal Bricker, Major Quentin Innis (Retired), and Kevin Vuong toured sites of recent conflict earlier this year—including the Nova Music Festival grounds, Kibbutz Kfar Aza, and the tense borders near Lebanon and the Golan Heights. While there, they met with serving and retired members of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israeli government officials, and everyday citizens navigating the complex realities of life in a conflict zone.
Over the course of 20 minutes, each panelist will share their reflections on the visit, offering a grounded, multifaceted look at the situation in Israel through a uniquely Canadian military lens. A moderated Q&A will follow, inviting audience engagement with the panel’s insights and experiences.
Don’t miss this thought-provoking session that goes beyond headlines—sharing firsthand observations and strategic reflections from those who witnessed the realities on the ground.
Rockets and Resolve
Canadian Reflections from Israel
Captain (Navy) Cal Bricker, Major Quentin Innis (Retired), and Kevin Vuong
Wednesday, 21 May 2025
1900 hrs (MT) via Zoom
Watch the Video
In this gripping panel hosted by RAUSI, three Canadian experts—Capt(N) Cal Bricker, Lt(N) Kevin Vuong, and former Task Force Latvia Chief of Operations Quentin Innis—share firsthand insights from their recent trip to Israel. Through strategic, political, and human lenses, they tackle questions about Middle East complexity, Canadian implications, and the future of the two-state solution.
From military cohesion to diaspora politics, propaganda in education, and Canada's policy contradictions—no topic is off-limits in this forthright, thought-provoking dialogue.
Q&A Highlights
- What would a viable Palestinian state require under the Treaty of Montevideo?
- What are China’s interests in the region?
- Can education reform reverse generations of radicalization?
- How do conflicting religious and legal traditions affect shared land governance?
- Why does antisemitism persist in Canadian institutions and academia?
- What role should Canada play in safeguarding democratic values at home?
Key Timestamps
00:01 – Welcome and event intro
00:03 – Panel introduced: Bricker (strategic), Vuong (Canadian implications), Innis (ground-level complexity)
00:07 – Bricker: Iran, diaspora politics, and the two-state illusion
00:12 – Vuong: What October 7 means for Canada and UNRWA’s dark underbelly
00:21 – Innis: 5 borders, fractured factions, and why Hezbollah hesitated
00:30 – Q&A begins: Statehood, diaspora-driven policy, antisemitism in Canada
00:37 – Curriculum reform in Palestinian territories
00:46 – Can Western frameworks apply in the Middle East?
00:57 – On protests, radicalization, and how Canada is failing Jews
01:04 – K-12 indoctrination and academia’s role in antisemitism
01:09 – Legal blind spots and political cowardice in hate speech enforcement
About the Panelists
Cal Bricker
A decorated military officer, Cal serves as a Captain (Navy) in the Royal Canadian Navy Reserve and has completed three deployments to Afghanistan. He holds a PhD in International Relations and is a Senior Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs. He sits on the boards of the Royal Canadian Navy Benevolent Fund and other national organizations.
Cal Bricker is the President and CEO of Spirits Canada, representing Canada’s distilled spirits industry. With over 30 years of executive experience in regulated industries, he has led high-profile organizations such as the Ontario Cannabis Store and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
Quentin Innis
Quentin Innis is a retired Canadian Army officer with over three decades of service in Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI). His distinguished military career included deployments to Kosovo, Afghanistan (three tours), and Latvia, where he served as Chief of Operations for Task Force Latvia. He served in the Canadian Airborne Regiment, ran parachute testing programs for the Army and Special Operations Forces, and was trained as a Technical Staff Officer in the UK.
After retiring as a Major in 2020, he transitioned to leadership consulting and post-secondary instruction. He currently teaches at NorQuest College and supports Army training initiatives. Quentin also serves on the boards of three veteran organizations: the Patricia Fund; the Hamilton Gault Memorial Fund; and the Edmonton Chapter of Treble Victor.
Kevin Vuong
Kevin Vuong is a former parliamentarian, entrepreneur, and reserve officer. He is dedicated to building, defending, and serving Canada – both in and out of uniform – and for welcoming his parents and other refugees when countries were closing their borders to people fleeing the violence of the Vietnam War. Kevin was the youngest MP of Asian heritage elected to Canada’s 44th Parliament and the first independent elected to the executive committee of the Canadian Parliamentary Network to the World Bank and IMF. Prior to his election, he was co-founder and chief operating officer at Delphic Research Group, Canada's leading govtech firm.
Kevin was previously a lecturer at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine and Western University. His prior research has examined artificial intelligence and bias, the future of work, with a special report on the future of healthcare skills, and what it means for Canada and the nation’s prosperity in the age of disruption. For his service and impact, Kevin was appointed a NATO 2030 Young Leader for Canada in 2020 by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and a medallist of Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II as HM The Queen’s Young for Canada in 2017.
Poster background image: Israeli artillery attacks site of Lebanon rocket launch, April 2022. IDF Spokesperson's Unit