The Empire Club of Canada
In-Person Only
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
This is an Empire Nights event, proudly presented by the Empire Club of Canada.
The stakes could not be higher for Canadians as we choose our next government. With President Trump imposing tariffs to economically coerce Canada into becoming the 51st state, threats to our water and borders, and the shifting of global alliances away from post-WWII norms, Canadians have awakened to a profound sense of patriotism and resolve.
Against this backdrop, Canada’s governing party has chosen Mark Carney to lead them into the election against Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives and Jagmeet Singh’s NDP at the national level.
Most experts agree that the convergence of these two events has made the outcome of Canada’s 2025 election less predictable. Just a few months ago, every poll indicated that the Conservatives were heading towards a decisive victory. With a more competitive election on the horizon, the Empire Club of Canada has brought together a group of experts who will make sense of the rapidly changing political landscape.
Join Kory Teneycke, Co-founder and CEO, Rubicon Strategy; Hon. Seamus O’Regan, former Trudeau government cabinet minister; Kathleen Monk, Principal of Monk+Associates; and Laura Stone, Staff Reporter, Globe and Mail as moderator.
Kicking off this event will be renowned pollster David Coletto, Chair and CEO of Abacus Data to provide special remarks and a presentation outlining polling data on the mood of the Canadian electorate.
Mark your calendars for March 26, 2025! Join us for an unforgettable evening of passed canapés, drinks, and a vibrant atmosphere designed to inspire and connect.
Laura Stone joined the Globe and Mail in 2016, where she reports on provincial and federal politics based at Queen’s Park. Laura was the first recipient of the Michelle Lang award at the Calgary Herald, where she wrote a national series about women’s prisons. In 2015, she won the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s Greg Clark Award, which allowed her inside the RCMP’s Senate investigation. Most of all, Laura likes to profile politicians over lunch. She always picks up her own tab.
Named one of Canada’s top 100 most influential people in Canadian politics by The Hill Times, David Coletto is one of Canada’s most recognizable pollsters and commentators on politics, consumer behaviour, and the workplace.
He is Chair, CEO and founder of Abacus Data, a full-service market research and strategy firm based in Ottawa and Toronto. With almost two decades of experience in the industry, David and his partners founded Abacus 14 years ago and since then it has grown into one of Canada’s most respected market research firms.
He earned a PhD in Political Science from the University of Calgary in 2010 is an adjunct professor at Carleton University. He is the host and producer of inFocus with David Coletto a podcast that explores the intersection of public opinion, politics, public policy, and consumer behaviour. He is also the official pollster for the Toronto Star and The Logic.
Kathleen Monk is a veteran campaign strategist and an award-winning communicator. Kathleen served as director of communications for the late Jack Layton. Before entering her career in politics, Kathleen worked in newsrooms in Toronto, Ottawa, and Washington, D.C. She owns Monk + Associates.
Seamus O’Regan Jr joined Stewart McKelvey in March 2025 as a Senior Business Advisor following a distinguished career in politics and journalism.
He was first elected Member of Parliament for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl in 2015, and re-elected in 2019 and 2021.
He served as Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources, Minister of Indigenous Services, Minister of Labour, Minister for Seniors, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
He has served numerous roles in the Government over the years, including Member of the Prime Minister’s Agenda, Results and Communications Committee and the Canada-US, COVID, Reconciliation and Defence Procurement Cabinet Committees. He was a long-standing member of the Treasury Board, as well as Chair of the Ministerial Working Group on Regulatory Efficiency and Clean Growth.
Seamus was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland, and raised in Goose Bay, Labrador. He studied politics at St. Francis Xavier University and University College, Dublin, and marketing strategies at INSEAD, near Paris.
In 1999, he graduated Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge, with a focus on Indigenous participation in large-scale natural resource development.
He began his career in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, first as executive assistant to Minister of Justice & Attorney General Edward Roberts, then as policy director to Premier Brian Tobin.
Seamus went on to work as a journalist, notably for a decade as a host of CTV’s Canada AM, the country’s leading morning news programme.
Seamus is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and has served on the Boards of World Wildlife Fund Canada, Canada World Youth, Katimavik, The Company Theatre, and The Rooms. He is proud to have been an Ambassador for Bell Let’s Talk, removing stigma around mental illness.
Kory Teneycke has spent the past 30 years working on campaigns at the provincial and federal levels. He has also served in numerous political roles, including as former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Director of Communications and Premier Ford’s Campaign Manager for the 2018, 2022 and 2025 provincial elections. He is a regular political commentator on the Curse of Politics podcast and CTV’s Question Period. Kory is the co-founder and CEO of Rubicon Strategy – a leading public affairs consulting firm serving clients in both federal and provincial markets.
