Distinguished Speaker Event BGen Mark Parsons, Comd 5 Cdn Div

RUSI NS invites you to its third presentation of the year. This presentation will be in hybrid format with the in-person event being held at Cambridge Military Library and a virtual event by MS Teams at 1400 hrs to 1530 hrs ATLANTIC TIME on Wednesday, 19 March 2025

The topic will be 5 Canadian Division, also known since the Second World War as the Mighty Maroon Machine based on the maroon coloured, rectangular patch identifying the division. During the War it participated in the Italian campaign as part of 1^st Canadian Corps and consisting of the 4^th Canadian Armour Brigade and 11^th Infantry brigade as its manoeuvre formations.

It was reestablished in 2013 and was formerly known as Land Force Atlantic Area. Its main components are 6 Canadian Combat Support Brigade in Kingston Ontario consisting of units previously considered divisional troops, now brought together for administrative purposes. It is a force generation organization. It also contains two reserve brigades 36, 37 brigades and 5^th Canadian Division Support Base Gagetown, all in the Atlantic Provinces plus other organizations.

It is one of a kind as a formation and as a key force generator of occupations that are found in no other formations. It therefore seldom misses an overseas deployment.

BGen Mark Parsons will also discuss his time as the senior Canadian to Op PROTEUS in the Middle east as well as his career to date and the division and how it operates to meet operational requirements. Lastly, observations on the current situation. His biography is attached.

Registration is required at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. not later than 1800 hrs 15 March 2025 and the MS Teams instruction will be provided on 17 March 2025 (Happy Saint Patrick’s Day). The registration should be addressed to Distinguished speaker 19 March 2025.There is a possibility that a Canadian election will be called around the same time. If this occurs, the presentation will be postponed until after the election. The weather is still a major factor especially for the in-person event. If the weather deteriorates, the presentation will continue as a virtual event only. In either case, a separate email will be sent out to conform the way ahead. I look forward to hearing from you.

RMCSD: Breaking Point

Canada stands at a crossroads. Are we prepared to defend our national interests, or are we a nation drifting without direction? LCol David Redman (Ret’d), former head of Emergency Management Alberta and a veteran with extensive operational command experience, presents a critical analysis of Canada’s security posture. Drawing on decades of military and government expertise, Redman will examine the challenges facing the Canadian Armed Forces, the erosion of national resilience, and the urgent need to redefine our national interests in an increasingly unstable world.

Following a 20-minute presentation, the audience is encouraged to engage in respectful discourse through relevant questions and constructive challenges. These non-partisan discussions aim to foster thought-provoking exchanges that promote understanding, encourage diverse perspectives, and ensure all parties leave better informed on security and defence.

This is a must-attend presentation for security professionals, military personnel, policy-makers, and engaged citizens concerned about the future of Canada’s defence and sovereignty.

Breaking Point
National Security and the Canadian Armed Forces

Lieutenant-Colonel David Redman (Retired)

Thursday, 20 March 2025
1900 hrs (MT) via Zoom

All are welcome. Registration required.

Register Now

About the Presenter

David Redman has worked with all orders of government and extensively with the private sector to develop emergency management in Alberta, Canada and North America.

Prior to work in EMA, he had a twenty-seven career as an officer in the Canadian Armed Forces. His military experience was predominately in command appointments in operational field positions, including three tours as a Commanding Officer, responsible for massive strategic, operational and tactical international logistical operations. These operations included but were not limited to the withdraw of all Canadian personnel and resources from Canadian Forces Europe in Lahr following the end of the Cold War; the withdraw of all Canadian United Nations personnel and resources from the Former Republic of Yugoslavia during the 1995 War; and the deployment of Canadian NATO Forces into Bosnia). During his military career, he served in nineteen geographic locations, including three NATO postings to Germany, a posting to California, and postings or employment in most Provinces and Territories in Canada. He also was deployed on operational tours in support of the United Nations and NATO; in Egypt in 1978, Croatia in 1995 and Bosnia in 1996.

David Redman joined the Government of Alberta in 2000. His first appointment was in Emergency Management Alberta in November 2000, first serving a year as the Director of Community Programs. In that capacity he was responsible for support to municipal government’s preparation, response and recovery to major emergencies and disasters throughout the province.

Following September 11, 2001, he was appointed as Director of Crisis Management Programs. In this capacity he was responsible for leading the development of the Alberta Counter-Terrorism Crisis Management Plan (ACTCMP). Once developed, he was appointed to lead the plan’s implementation and daily coordination across all orders of government and the private sector in Alberta. The plan fully integrated both the public sector and the private sector response to threats. At the request of the American Ambassador to Canada, he briefed the ACTCMP to members of the US Congress & Senate, and new heads of DHS in Washington DC.

In January 2004, he became the Executive Director of EMA, responsible for leading all emergency management activities for the Government of Alberta, in response to Natural and Human Induced Hazards. In this capacity he has worked and briefed extensively to federal, provincial, municipal agencies and widely across all industry sectors. He has worked in depth with the federal and state government of the USA in the areas of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Management. He was responsible for the direction of Provincial Emergency Management of the devastating floods that hit Alberta in June 2005. In 2005, at the request of the Deputy Minister of Health, he led the update of the Alberta Pandemic influenza Plan. He held the Executive Director appointment until he retired from Public Service in December 2005.

For the next eight years he worked as a respected consultant in emergency management, working with both the public sector and private sector. During this period, he was frequently called upon by the Auditor General of Canada, as an Emergency Management Expert in the drafting of, conduct of and final report drafting of detailed federal audits. He retired fully in December 2013.

He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada, and a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. He is a graduate of both the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, in Kingston, Ontario and the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, in Toronto, Ontario.