Front row, left to right: Raymond B. Blake (CSN, University of Regina); Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink (GKS, Universität des Saarlandes); Anna Branach-Kallas (ICCS President); Anne Wagner-Mitchell (Consul General for Germany in Toronto); Cahal Sweeny (Vice Consul General Consulate General of Ireland, Toronto)
The Annual General Meeting of the International Council for Canadian Studies was held on 25 June 2026 at York University in Toronto, Canada. Several delegates attended in person and many were present online. After the initial introductions and the adoption of last year’s minutes, President Anna Branach-Kallas shared her report with the delegates. Past President Jane Koustas then discussed the necessity to revise the ICCS constitution and updated the delegates about the efforts in this respect undertaken by the ICCS Board of Directors. This was followed by a detailed report of our Treasurer, John Maher, and the introduction of the proposed 2027 budget. The Farewell Address of Past President Koustas was moving and inspiring. The ICCS is grateful for her dedication to Canadian Studies and her mentorship. We wish Jane all the best with her research on Québécois theatre.
President Branach-Kallas then introduced the candidate for President Elect, Dr. Charles Batson, who is Professor of French and Francophone Studies at the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, Union College, Schenectady, New York, United States. The appointment of the Incoming President received the delegates’ full support. We are happy to announce that Professor Batson was elected Incoming President of the International Council for Canadian Studies. He will serve as President Elect for a year and will assume his responsibilities as President on 01 July 2027.
After the break, the delegates briefly discussed the most important activities of their associations. The editors of the International Journal for Canadian Studies, Professor Françoise Le Jeune (Nantes Université) and Jean Michel Montsion (York University) then presented their report. The ICCS is grateful to Professor Le Jeune as outgoing Editor for her dedication to the journal and wish all the best to Professor Montsion as Editor.
This was followed by the report from the Emerging Scholars’ Initiative. The ICCS thanks the leader of the Initiative, Markus Schwarz, for his dedication to the cause. Finally, Dr. Jason Russell, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Canadian Studies, introduced the journal to the delegates. The Annual General Meeting closed with a discussion of the ICCS’ future.
In the afternoon, we welcomed 11 of the 16 ICCC award recipients in person at the 2026 Awards Ceremony, which was also held at York University. Consul General Anne Wagner-Mitchell from the Consulate General of Germany in Toronto and Vice-Consul General Cahal Sweeney from the Consulate General of Ireland graciously accepted our invitation to attend. We were also honoured by the presence of Professor Jeff Keshen, President of the University of Regina.
The ceremony began with the Graduate Student Scholarships, the 2026 recipients of which were Lucia Altmannová (Central European Association for Canadian Studies), Philip Karl Oppenländer (Canadian Studies in German-Speaking Countries), and Marianna Pavlou Paoli (French Association for Canadian Studies). We are delighted by their success and wish them all the best with their research projects.
Next, President Branach-Kallas presented the awards for the best PhD dissertations. The recipient of the Best Doctoral Thesis in International Canadian Studies was Dr. Miriam Neuhausen (Association for Canadian Studies in German-Speaking Countries). The author of the Brian Long Best Doctoral Thesis in Canadian Studies, in turn. was Dr. Michelle Sraha-Yeboah (Canadian Studies Network). We wish them both a beautiful career in Canadian Studies!
The recipients of this year’s ICCS Certificates of Merit were particularly numerous: Professor Eva Darias-Beautell from the University of La Laguna in Spain; Dr. Lucia Grauzlová from Comenius University in Slovakia; Professor Smaro Kamboureli from the University of Toronto; Professor Françoise Le Jeune from Nantes Université in France; Professor John Maher from South East Technological University in Ireland; Professor Tony McCulloch from University College London; and Professor Jean Michel Montsion from Glendon College, York University. We are delighted that so many brilliant academics were commended for their contribution to the international Canadian Studies community.
The ICCS then presented the winners of the Pierre Savard Award. The winner for the best book in French is Professor Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink (Association for Canadian Studies in German-Speaking Countries). Professor Crystal Gail Fraser (Canadian Studies Network) is the recipient of the Pierre Savard Award for best book in English. Professor Licia Soarez de Souza, who represents the Brazilian Association for Canadian Studies, received the Pierre Savard Award for best book written in a language other than English and French. They all briefly introduced their fascinating and innovative research. We congratulate them once again for their excellent monographs expanding the boundaries of Canadian Studies!
Last but not least, the winner of the 2026 Governor General Award is Professor Raymond Benjamin Blake from the University of Regina, who was nominated by the Irish Association for Canadian Studies. Professor Blake attended the ceremony in person and delivered a beautiful speech, emphasizing the importance of Canadian Studies in today’s world, and the significant contribution of the global Canadianist community to the study of Canada. Once again, the ICCS commends Professor Blake on his outstanding achievements and wishes him further success!
Congratulations to all our award winners!
The Awards Ceremony was followed by a reception and the Robarts Keynote at the ICCC by Professor Eve Haque from York University, entitled “Governing Language and Erasing Inuit Sovereignty: The White Settler Limits of Canada’s Indigenous Languages Act.” Professor Haque discussed very complex issues with exceptional insight and clarity.
A Felipe photographs