The Empire Club of Canada is a Canadian speakers' forum. Established in 1903, the Empire Club has provided a forum for over 3,500 speakers.
Through a variety of presentation formats, the Empire Club invites local, national and international leaders and other change-agents to address the topical issues of the day.
The club is based in Toronto and holds most of its breakfast or luncheon discussions on Thursdays.
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Some highly notable speakers who have addressed the Empire Club podium have included:
Many early members of the Empire Club and previously been affiliated with the Canadian Club of Toronto, a similar organization. The catalyst for the formation of the Empire Club of Canada was the Alaska Boundary Dispute which was resolved by an ad hoc International Boundaries Tribunal in October 1903. The tribunal, consisting of three U.S., one British and two Canadian members, voted 4 to 2 in favour of awarding a large strip on the Pacific coast of Canada (later known as the Alaska Panhandle) to the United States.
While, in some circles at that time, there were strong proponents for greater independence of Canada, a prominent group of local leaders felt there was a need for a new organization that would support the British Empire, as it was felt it would be beneficial to Canada to keep strong political and economic ties with the Empire.
A group of men gathered to draft the constitution for a new club to be named The Empire Club of Canada. 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".
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, it 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 was appointed the Chair of the Empire Club Foundation.
As of 2010, the President of the Empire Club is Tim Reid. Others have included:
| Year | President | Year | President |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1903–1905 | Brig. Gen. The Hon. James Mason | 1905–1906 | Rt. Rev. William Clark |
| 1906–1907 | J.P. Murray | 1907–1908 | J.F.M. Stewart |
| 1908–1909 | D.J. Coggin | 1909–1910 | Elias Clouse |
| 1910–1911 | J. Castell Hopkins | 1911–1912 | F.B. Featherstonhaugh |
| 1912–1913 | Rt. Rev. James F. Sweeny | 1913–1914 | The Hon. Mr. Justice James Craig |
| 1914–1915 | Lt. Col. R.J. Stuart | 1915–1916 | Albert Ham |
| 1916–1917 | James Black Perry | 1917–1918 | Norman Sommerville |
| 1918–1919 | F.J. Coombs | 1919–1920 | R.A. Stapells |
| 1920–1921 | Arthur Hewitt | 1921–1922 | Brig. Gen. C.H. Mitchell |
| 1922–1923 | Sir William Hearst | 1923–1924 | Elias H. Wilkinson |
| 1924–1925 | William Brooks | 1925–1926 | Rev. N.R. Burns |
| 1926–1927 | Col. A.E. Kirkpatrick | 1927–1928 | Col. Alexander Fraser |
| 1928–1929 | Robert H. Fennell | 1929–1930 | Hugh S. Eayrs |
| 1930–1931 | John D.M. Spence | 1931–1932 | H.G. Stapells |
| 1932–1933 | Col. The Hon. George A. Drew | ||
| 1933–1934 | Major James Baxter | 1934–1935 | The Hon. Mr. Justice Dana H. Porter |
| 1935–1936 | J.H. Brace | 1936–1937 | Major G.B. Balfour |
| 1937–1938 | Major R.M. Harcourt | 1938–1939 | J.P. Pratt |
| 1939–1940 | F.A. Gaby | 1940–1941 | The Hon. G. Howard Ferguson |
| 1941–1942 | C.R. Sanderson | 1942–1943 | John C.M. MacBeth |
| 1943–1944 | W. Eason Humphreys | 1944–1945 | Charles R. Conquergood |
| 1945–1946 | Eric F. Thompson | 1946–1947 | Major F.L. Clouse |
| 1947–1948 | Tracey E. Lloyd | 1948–1949 | T.H. Howse |
| 1949–1950 | H.C. Colebrook | 1950–1951 | Sydney Hermant |
| 1951–1952 | D.H. Gibson | 1952–1953 | John W.F. Griffin |
| 1953–1954 | Arthur E.M. Inwood | 1954–1955 | James H. Joyce |
| 1955–1956 | C.C. Goldring | 1956–1957 | Donald H. Jupp |
| 1957–1958 | LCol. W.H. Montague | 1958–1959 | MGen. B.J. Legge |
| 1959–1960 | Harold R. Lawson | 1960–1961 | Hon. Alexander Stark |
| 1961–1962 | Dr. Z.S. Phimister | 1962–1963 | Dr. J. Palmer Kent |
| 1963–1964 | Major Arthur J. Langley | 1964–1965 | Col. Robert H. Hilborn |
| 1965–1966 | Col. E.A. Royce | 1966–1967 | R. Bredin Stapells |
| 1967–1968 | B. Graham M. Gore | 1968–1969 | Edward B. Jolliffe |
| 1969–1970 | H. Ian Macdonald | 1970–1971 | H.V. Cranfield |
| 1971–1972 | The Hon. Henry N.R. Jackman | 1972–1973 | Maj. The Hon. Mr. Joseph H. Potts |
| 1973–1974 | Robert L. Armstrong | 1974–1975 | Sir Arthur R.T. Chetwynd |
| 1975–1976 | H. Allan Leal | 1976–1977 | William M. Karn |
| 1977–1978 | Peter Hermant | 1978–1979 | MGen. Reginald W. Lewis |
| 1979–1980 | John A. MacNaughton | 1980–1981 | Reginald Stackhouse |
| 1981–1982 | BGen. S.F. Andrunyk | 1982–1983 | Henry J. Stalder |
| 1983–1984 | Douglas L. Derry | 1984–1985 | Catherine R. Charlton |
| 1985–1986 | Harry T. Seymour | 1986–1987 | Nona Macdonald |
| 1987–1988 | Ronald Goodall | 1988–1989 | A.A.(Tony) van Straubenzee |
| 1989–1990 | Sarah A. Band | 1990–1991 | Maj. The Rev. Canon Harold F. Roberts |
| 1992–1993 | Robert L. Brooks | 1993–1994 | Col. Frederic L.R. Jackman |
| 1994–1995 | John A. Campion | 1995–1996 | David A. Edmison |
| 1996–1997 | Julie K. Hannaford | 1997–1998 | Gareth S. Seltzer |
| 1998–1999 | George L. Cooke | 1999–2000 | Robert J. Dechert |
| 2000–2001 | Catherine Steele | 2001–2002 | Bill Laidlaw |
| 2002–2003 | Ann Curran | 2003–2004 | John Koopman |
| 2004–2005 | Bart J. Mindszenthy | 2005–2006 | William G. Whittaker |
| 2006–2007 | Capt. The Rev. Dr. John S. Niles MSM | 2007–2008 | Catherine S. Swift |
| 2008–2009 | Jo-Ann McArthur | 2009–2010 | Alfred Apps |