Fascinating Canadian Speaker Series

Luncheon with a Fascinating Canadian Halifax

Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
Time: 11:30am – 1:30pm
Location: The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, Kenneth C. Rowe Hall
Cost: Tables $2,500 / tickets $250 / sponsorship available
In support of the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.

For event information, sponsorships or ticket sales, contact:
Daphne Carter, Development Manager or visit our Canadahelps event page.

Be Inspired! Join 300 business and community leaders at the Luncheon with a Fascinating Canadian at Pier 21 on January 14, 2026, to hear from retired Supreme Court Justice the Honorable Rosalie Silberman Abella.

Presented by the Province of Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, the Museum’s annual signature event raises critical funds for our public and educational programming and exhibitions. Our keynote speaker shares their personal connection to the immigration journey, as well as their thoughts on the importance it holds for us all.

Hearing first-hand stories of the immigration experience helps us to consider our own immigrant past or better understand that of someone we know. Our speaker’s thoughtful words will be sure to inspire open conversations at your table – providing a unique and memorable client and employee engagement opportunity focused on our shared values of inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.

The Honourable Rosalie Silberman Abella continues to make a immense contributions to the legal profession in Canada and beyond. Called to the bar in 1972, she went on to accept an appointment to the Ontario Family Court in 1976. She was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeals in 1992 and the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004, retiring from the bench in 2021. She continues to be active in the legal community with her current work as the Samuel and Judith Pisar Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard; the Senior Research Scholar at Yale Law School; and the Distinguished Visiting Jurist at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. And in 2022, she was also the William Hughes Mulligan Distinguished Visiting Professor in International Studies at Fordham Law School.

This synopsis is but a brief glimpse into the amazing life and work of Justice Abella. Please join us to learn more about the inspiring story of a four-year-old Jewish refugee, Rosalie Silberman, who began her “joyful Canadian journey” when she took her first steps in Canada at Pier 21 in May 1950.

Levels of Support:

• Supporting Sponsor: $10,000
• Patron Sponsor: $7,500
• Table of 10: $2,500
• Tickets: $250 each

Fascinating Canadian Speaker Series

Taking place annually in Toronto and in Halifax, Fascinating Canadian events are the Museum’s signature fundraisers. Leaders and experts speak about their relationship to immigration and the important contribution it makes to our economy, culture, and way of life. Funds raised support exhibitions, educational programs, family history research, and our vast story collection.

Past Fascinating Canadian Speakers