IIGR hosts fireside chat between former Ontario Premier David Peterson and Jeffrey Simpson
On October 1, 2025, the Queen鈥檚 Institute of Intergovernmental Relations held its annual Kenneth MacGregor Lecture at the Donald Gordon Conference Centre in Kingston. This year鈥檚 Lecture took the form of a fireside chat between former Ontario David Peterson and former Globe and Mail national affairs columnist Jeffrey Simpson. The conversation covered a range of topics, including the legacy of the Meech Lake Accord, Ontario鈥檚 role in the federation, free trade, and Canada鈥檚 increasingly challenging relationship with the United States.
The Kenneth MacGregor Lectureship was established in 1982 in honour of Kenneth R. MacGregor. The purpose of the Lectureship is to bring prominent public figures or scholars to campus in order to broaden the public's understanding of federalism, and intergovernmental relations. Past Lecturers include Peter Lougheed, Robert Stanfield, Alan Blakeney, Albert Breton, Thomas J. Courchene, Jos茅 A. G贸mez-Ib谩帽ez, Alain Cairns, Richard Simeon, Roger Gibbins, Daniel Elazar, and Gordon Robertson.