Empire Club of Canada

History

The Empire Club of Canada was established in 1903 as a result of a political discussion which created considerable unrest in Canada. Growing dissent against the British was influencing Toronto's political and social landscape. In an attempt to refrain from a hasty, myopic severing of ties with the British Empire, a group of men under the leadership of Brig.-Gen. James Mason, discussed the creation of an organization that would promote public discourse and discussion about key issues of the day, both at home and abroad.

With this mandate in mind, the group gathered to draft the constitution for a new club to be named The Empire Club of Canada. Canada's "Imperial bond" with Britain was the cornerstone of the Empire Club of Canada, as its founders believed it would be beneficial to Canada to maintain strong political and economic ties with the Empire. This organization, with a plan of weekly luncheons, which would be addressed by prominent individuals who spoke with authority on the issues of the day, and would also have the distinctive basis of the British connection in its work and policy. Membership was restricted to British subjects—there was no legal Canadian citizenship at the time—who would pay dues of one dollar a year, with a maximum membership of 500. Within a month, membership exceeded 300. A year or two later, the club had a waiting list of those wishing to join.

The first luncheon speaker on December 3, 1903 was a clergyman and professor, William Clark, who said: "I can quite understand that to many persons, the formation of a club of this kind will seem a very little thing, ... I have not the least doubt that this Club will become of great influence and power in this Dominion". Clark's address became the first of many, with the Empire Club's podium hosting countless great leaders of politics, business, social issues and arts & culture. Notable speakers include Winston Churchill, Stephen Leacock, Indira Gandhi, Billy Graham, Ronald Reagan, A.Y. Jackson, The Dalai Lama, Bill Gates, Audrey Hepburn, Mark Carney and nearly every Canadian Prime Minister since Robert Borden.

The Empire Club of Canada is now in its 110th season and continues to be recognized as one of Canada's oldest and most important speakers forums. Since its inaugural meeting in December 1903, the Empire Club of Canada has provided a forum to discuss ongoing issues of local, national and international importance. More than 3,500 addresses have been delivered from the Empire Club podium and every address is kept on record in the Empire Club of Canada's annual Red Book. Upcoming speakers for the 110th season can be found alongside the historic speeches at www.empireclub.org.

Notable speakers

Some highly notable speakers who have addressed the Empire Club podium have included:

The Empire Club Foundation

The Empire Club Foundation was incorporated in January 1969 and serves as a vehicle for the publication and wide-distribution of the annual compilation of speeches. Copies are sent to a large distribution of schools, libraries, consulates and embassies.

Registered as a charity, its objectives are to promote the interest in current and public affairs and to establish a historical database of all Empire Club speeches. All Empire Club speeches since 1903 are available via the Empire Club website. In 2010, John Koopman, Past President of the Empire Club of Canada, was appointed the Chair of the Empire Club Foundation.

Past Presidents

The current Empire Club of Canada President is Noble C. Chummar. The previous presidents of Empire Club of Canada are:

In popular culture

The Empire Club was featured in an episode of the long running historical crime drama series, Murdoch Mysteries, with guest star William Shatner. The episode first aired on October 12, 2015.