Canada Events

In Thailand’s 2023 legislative election, the Move Forward Party, a progressive and reformist political upstart, won more seats than any other party. However, a Thai court ordered the party’s dissolution in 2024 and banned its leader, the then 42-year-old Pita Limjaroenrat, from serving in politics for 10 years. 

In this discussion, hosted by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in partnership with the UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs and Capilano University’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Pita Limjaroenrat— currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School—will share his views on prospects for Thailand’s democratic renewal, its evolving role in ASEAN, and opportunities for Canada-Southeast Asia co-operation.

This session will be moderated by APF Canada’s Vice-President of Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla.

Guest Speaker: 

Pita Limjaroenrat formerly led the Move Forward Party (MFP) in Thailand's May 2023 general elections, where his social democratic platform won the most votes and seats in Parliament. 

Despite this mandate, his attempts to form a government were blocked by institutional mechanisms, and the Constitutional Court dissolved the MFP on August 7, 2024. Pita's policy focus centres on addressing grassroots issues, welfare improvements, and human rights, while advocating for the demilitarization of politics and economic demonopolization. 

Currently, Pita is Visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School. He holds a joint MPA-MBA from Harvard Kennedy School and MIT Sloan and has been named on the TIME 100 Next List. Today, Pita continues to champion transparent and equitable governance on a global scale.

• Due to limited seating availability, your attendance will not be confirmed until you receive a confirmation email. 

This event will engage Montréal's university students in exploring the experiences of the Asian diaspora and their role in preserving the cultural heritage of Montreal's Chinatown. The program includes a guided walking tour of Montreal’s Chinatown and a visit to the JIA Foundation’s exhibition, “Yep-Riopel House: A Layered History of Resistance and Belonging.” 

This event is part of APF Canada’s education programming, which aims to build Asia competencies among Canadians—particularly younger generations—by deepening their understanding of Asia and its diasporic communities. 

To register, please email Alexandre Veilleux at alexandre.veilleux@asiapacific.ca.  

More than four years after the Myanmar military overthrew the country’s democratically elected government, it has announced it will hold elections in late 2025. These elections will take place amid a civil war in which neither the junta nor the various resistance forces show any sign of defeat or surrender. 

In this panel discussion, co-hosted by the University of British Columbia (UBC) and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, researchers from the UBC Myanmar Initiative and the Knowledge for Democracy in Myanmar Initiative will share their perspectives on the recent conflict dynamics and possibilities for Myanmar’s post-conflict future. 

Speakers: 

• Nay Yan Oo, PhD Student, UBC; Fellow, UBC Myanmar Initiative
   
• Dr. Htet Thiha Zaw, Post-Doctoral Fellow, UBC; Fellow, UBC Myanmar Initiative
   
• Kai Ostwald (Moderator), HSBC Chair in Asian Research and an Associate Professor, UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs; APF Canada Senior Fellow 
   

Register here.