Event Archive

Co-organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Council for Strategic and Defense Research, this event will feature keynote addresses and a panel discussion on Building Economic Resilience Through Technology and Innovation: India–Canada Pathways Forward. 

Following the October 2025 Canada-India joint statement, the two countries have charted an ambitious roadmap that integrates trade diversification, investment, energy co-operation, and technology partnerships. This momentum can be harnessed to support joint innovations in artificial intelligence, clean technologies, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and sustainable infrastructure.

Amid global disruptions such as supply chain vulnerabilities, geopolitical tensions, and climate challenges, this event will explore how both nations can leverage their complementary strengths and collaborative frameworks to accelerate innovation, strengthen economic ties, and foster inclusive growth.

Event Program

Canada and India are well-positioned to advance defence-industrial and security co-operation, in line with the joint statement issued by the two countries in October 2025, which prioritizes public safety and enhanced strategic alignment. Discussions during Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand’s recent visit to India highlighted synergies in cybersecurity and counterterrorism.

Organized by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in partnership with the Council for Strategic and Defense Research and the Canadian High Commission in India, this Track 1.5 dialogue aims to initiate a process of exploring the potential for bilateral security and defence collaboration, as well as synergies in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the maritime domain. It will also identify opportunities for defence-industrial co-operation within the broader context of enhancing economic engagement between the two countries. Furthermore, the dialogue will emphasize the importance of building mutual trust and addressing ongoing challenges to fully harness the true potential of bilateral co-operation.

Event Program

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, in partnership with the Ananta Aspen Centre and the High Commission of Canada in India, will convene a high-level Track 1.5 Dialogue bringing together a curated group of policymakers, industry leaders, experts, and thought leaders from both countries to deepen collaboration on critical minerals and supply chain resilience.

This dialogue comes at a pivotal moment in Canada-India relations. Building on the outcomes of the G7 meeting in June 2025 between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the dialogue will explore tangible avenues for co-operation in critical minerals while also taking stock of the broader bilateral relationship. It will serve to strengthen trust and sustain engagement between Canadian and Indian stakeholders — not only at the federal level but also across provinces and states.

Read the Background Note

Read the Policy Brief 

See the Program here

The Indo-Canadian Business Chamber’s Annual National Convention is the flagship business summit organized each year to promote business and trade initiatives across sectors between Canada and India. 

As in previous years, the event will welcome visiting federal and provincial leaders from Canada, as well as central and state-level ministers from India, alongside industry experts, policy leaders, and thought influencers from both countries.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is a co-sponsor of this summit, and Vice-President, Research and Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, will be speaking at this event.

For more information, please visit the ICBC webpage: https://icbc.org.in/events/annual-national-convention-2025/

Canada-in-Asia: Momentum is a milestone engagement series across cities in the Indo-Pacific region. It will introduce senior executives, investors, policymakers, and researchers in Asia looking to develop new partnerships to the annual Canada-in-Asia Conference (CIAC) held this year from February 10-11 in Singapore. Momentum events will kickstart discussions on the critical pillars of CIAC2026: food security, energy security, and infrastructure. 

Momentum Manila, hosted by APF Canada's Asia Regional Office in partnership with the Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines and the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines, will spotlight food security, agricultural innovation, trade facilitation, and Canada–Philippines business collaboration opportunities.

Special Guests:

His Excellency David Hartman, Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines

The Honourable Francisco Tiu-Laurel, Secretary, Philippines Department of Agriculture

Diedrah Kelly, Executive Director, Canada's Indo-Pacific Agriculture and Agri-Food Office (Manila) 

Antonio Lambino, President and Trustee, Ayala Foundation 

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. 

The Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea, scheduled for November 5-7, 2025, will gather some of the most influential foreign policy experts, thought leaders, and academics from throughout Southeast Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific. It is envisioned to be an annual Track 1.5 process focusing on promoting adherence to international law and identifying sound, pragmatic, and actionable policy prescriptions for littoral states surrounding the South China Sea, as well as other interested state and non-state actors.

Delegates will debate issues, pitch innovative ideas, and offer recommendations to ensure that the rule of law, not coercion and the use of force, prevails in resolving disputes, thus, safeguarding regional peace and stability.

APF Canada is co-sponsoring this Dialogue, and our Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla will be chairing a discussion on "Securing Freedom of Navigation and the Rule of Law through Cross-Regional Defense Co-operation."

APF Canada participants include: Senior Fellow Dr. Tricia Yeoh, Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s School of Politics and International Relations; Distinguished Fellow Elina Noor, Senior Fellow, Asia Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; and Senior Research Program Manager, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (Singapore), Irene Chan.

This is an invitation-only event. 

For more details, please visit: https://scsdialogue.org/agenda/ 

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.

Organized by the Canada-ASEAN Initiatives at York University and the ASEAN Committee in Ottawa, and co-sponsored by the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, this symposium aims to broaden the conversation on the future of Canada’s economic relationships with ASEAN. It will explore strategies to intensify Canada-ASEAN trade amid tariff disruptions and examine ASEAN perspectives on deepening economic ties with Canada under these conditions.

Vina Nadjibulla, Vice-President of Research & Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, will participate in a Fireside Conversation with Goldy Hyder, CEO of Business Council of Canada, on Canada-ASEAN trade in the face of tariff challenges.

For more information, please contact Dr. Julie Nguyen at j.nguyen@canada-asean.org. 

This conference explores the many dimensions of Thailand’s soft power within its international environment. Through diplomatic, economic, cultural, and geopolitical lenses, the sessions examine Canada-Thailand relations, foreign policy, and Thailand's soft power influence, particularly through martial arts, Buddhism, and tourism. The companion livestream will be accompanied by subtitles in both English and French.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is a co-sponsor of this event, along with the Graduate School of International Studies (Université Laval), Ministry of International Relations and La Francophonie (Government of Québec), and Canada-ASEAN Business Council.

Alexandre Veilleux, APF Canada's Advisor, Research & Communications, will be speaking on the panel Canada-Thailand Relations in the Sino-American Rivalry Space.

Please register for the event here: Select tickets – Thaïlande et soft power - La Thaïlande dans son environnement international – Pavillon Gene-H. Kruger, Salle Gilbert Tardif (GHK2320-2330).

With the goal of addressing some of the most pressing geopolitical challenges of our time, the annual Montreal International Security Summit convenes Canadian and international experts to engage in constructive dialogue and identify strategies to navigate a rapidly changing global order. 

The conference brings together leading practitioners, policymakers, and thought leaders from around the world to Canada, all of whom share a common dedication to understanding and resolving contemporary and emerging challenges to human rights and security.

APF Canada's Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla will be speaking at this year's conference.

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada will officially open its Asia Regional Office in Singapore on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, with a ceremony officiated by The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada.

This marks Minister Anand’s first official engagement in Singapore in 2025, underscoring the Government of Canada’s commitment to advancing its priorities in the Indo-Pacific region – including trade diversification, innovation partnerships, and sustainable economic co-operation.

APF Canada's new Asia Regional Office, supported by the Government of Canada through its Indo-Pacific Strategy, supports various APF Canada programs in the region, provides a convening space for use by Canadian partners, and serves as a platform to strengthen collaboration between Canada, Singapore, and the wider Indo-Pacific.

Program

2:45 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.

• Guests and Media Arrive
   

3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

• Special Keynote Address by The Hon. Anita Anand
• Remarks by APF Canada President & CEO Jeff Nankivell on APF Canada's role in the Indo-Pacific region.
   

4:00 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.

• Lion Dance Performance & Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony
   

4:15 p.m. – 4:25 p.m.

• Formal Photos
   

4:25 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. & Onwards

• Networking Reception

Join us for a thought‑provoking conversation about Canada’s evolving security footprint in the Indo‑Pacific. The panel will feature two APF Canada Indo-Pacific Research Fellows:

• Dr. Kumari Mansi will examine the shifting relationships among India, Taiwan and Canada, highlighting how these ties shape regional strategy.
• Farlina Said will discuss cybersecurity challenges and emerging technologies while assessing ASEAN’s position in the intensifying competition between China and the United States.

Together, these experts will attempt to unpack the complex challenges shaping the region, and Canada’s place within it. A reception will follow the event.

Please registert for the event here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/between-giants-canadas-security-strategy-amid-cyber-threats-tickets-1735895974589?aff=oddtdtcreator

What are the non-conventional sources of democratic resilience in a post-autocratizing regime? 

Using the literature on performative politics and governance, this presentation investigates the unusual sources of democratic recovery in the philippines after the Duterte administration (2016-2022). This lecture argues the renewed external linkages with the West, combined with performativity of contingent pro-democratic elites and patronage networks, opened opportunities to hold Filipino politicians accountable.

This lecture will be delivered by Professor of Political Science at the University of the Philippines-Diliman and APF Canada Indo-Pacific Research Fellow, Aries Arugay, with Erik Kuhonta, previous APF Canada John H. McArthur Research Fellow. 

The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and the Carleton (NPSIA)-CGAI-SPP (U Calgary) Expert Group on Canada-U.S. Relations are hosting a luncheon discussion on Canada-China Relations and key recommendations contained in the Group’s recent report, Between the Eagle and the Dragon: Managing Canada-China Relations in a Shifting Geopolitical Reality.

The purpose of this event is to create an opportunity for informed dialogue on how Canada might best navigate its complex and evolving relationship with China, particularly against the backdrop of shifting geopolitical realities and U.S. President Donald Trump's policies. 

Vina Nadjibulla, APF Canada’s Vice-President, Research and Strategy, will co-chair the discussion.

This is an invitation-only event.

For questions, please reach out to Ms. Cheryl Eadie at cheryl.eadie@intercounsel.ca.