Former Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin drew a full house to Barrick Auditorium at Mulroney Hall on Oct. 27th, headlining the 2026 Right Honourable Brian Mulroney Speaker Series at StFX with a candid conversation about leading through uncertain times.
The annual fall event, hosted by the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, brings distinguished global affairs and public policy figures to campus. Speakers, from leaders to laureates, are meant to challenge assumptions, broaden perspectives, inform and entertain.
Ms. Marin was appointed prime minister of Finland in 2019 at age 34, making her the world’s youngest sitting prime minister at the time. She went on to become Finland’s longest-serving female prime minister and led a coalition government in which all five parties were headed by women. She guided her country through the COVID-19 pandemic and Finland’s entry into NATO, experiences she recounts in her memoir, Hope in Action: A Memoir About the Courage to Lead.
Dr. Rebecca Wallace, Mila Mulroney Research Chair in Women & Politics, emceed the afternoon event. Indigenous Student Advisor Cynthia Sewell opened with the Mi’kmaq Honour Song, and Dr. Amanda Cockshutt, Academic Vice-President and Provost, welcomed Ms. Marin on behalf of the university, noting the importance of women’s voices in politics globally.
Dr. Lynda Harling Stalker, Director of the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, then led a wide-ranging conversation with the former prime minister.
Ms. Marin spoke about her book, which blends her personal story with Finland’s, and about what it takes to make decisions in times of uncertainty. The conversation moved from her experiences in office to her thoughts on the world today, including the war in Ukraine and her belief that the war will not end soon. She was prime minister in 2022, when Russia, Finland’s neighbour, invaded Ukraine.
She offered thoughts on strengthened partnerships between nations; the importance of action on climate change; and the importance of repairs to relationships with Finland’s Indigenous people.
The conversation touched on many subjects and even took a lighter turn with some friendly talk of the Finland-Canada hockey rivalry.
Asked for advice for young women considering a life in politics, Ms. Marin reflected on her own start. She entered politics at age 20, two decades ago, before social media platforms were as pervasive as they are today. She recounted how she met people face to face, and how people behave differently when they do.
Today the environment is often hostile on social media with so many orchestrated attacks towards women, that will scare people. It will drive them away, and that is the sole reason for the attacks, she said, so that people can be pushed away from our democracy. We have to figure out a way to safeguard so that all people have the possibility to enter politics, she noted.
Answering another question, she stressed the value of having people from different backgrounds involved in politics so that democracy “looks like all of us.”
Ms. Marin said she finds hope in the world today and pointed to recent elections in Brazil and Serbia. Reflecting on a speech by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in Davos, she said in many ways he was right in what he said, and people should not despair and “never give up the fight,” even when familiar things crumble.
She closed with her view of what good leadership requires: a firm grasp of core values of democracy, rule of law, and the international rule of order, combined with a vision for where to go based of those values, and a realistic understanding of the options available. The world, she said, is facing hard times, and leaders who can help guide humanity through this hard time are needed.
