The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada hosted prominent Filipino political scientist, author, and commentator Richard Heydarian for a week-long tour of Canada from September 8-15, 2025. As part of APF Canada’s Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholar Program, Heydarian brought to Canadian audiences a Southeast Asian perspective on the changing regional order, the future of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the growing importance of Canada–Philippines relations.
Richard Heydarian is widely recognized as one of Southeast Asia’s most influential voices on geopolitics and foreign policy. His expertise spans Philippine foreign relations, the South China Sea, and broader Indo-Pacific security dynamics. His visit marked the first time APF Canada’s program has featured a Southeast Asian scholar, following the inaugural Canada tour in March 2025 by India’s foremost expert on geopolitics and foreign policy, Dr. C. Raja Mohan.
Over the course of the week, Heydarian engaged policymakers, academics, journalists, and diaspora communities in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ottawa. Through a series of public lectures, roundtables, and private dialogues, he offered nuanced insights into the Philippines’ trajectory, ASEAN’s evolving role, and the opportunities for Canada to elevate its engagement with Southeast Asia.
Overview of Events and Engagement
- Heydarian’s Canadian tour began in Winnipeg, where he delivered a public lecture at the University of Manitoba, co-hosted by APF Canada and the university’s Vice-President Research and International Office. In his talk, “The Canada–Philippines Partnership in a Changing World,” Heydarian argued that both Canada and the Philippines are “overlooked middle powers” navigating the pressures of great-power competition. He called for moving the bilateral relationship “from affinity to strategy,” suggesting that ties rooted in diaspora and cultural connections should evolve into robust co-operation in security, trade, and innovation, and highlighted the Philippines’ economic dynamism, youthful demographics, and expanding defence co-operation.
- Heydarian also met with officials from Manitoba’s Department of Business, Mining, Trade and Job Creation. The conversation focused on the potential for greater bilateral co-operation in critical minerals, trade diversification, agriculture, and workforce mobility. The meeting underscored how provincial governments such as Manitoba can play a direct role in shaping Canada’s Indo-Pacific engagement.
- In Ottawa, Heydarian engaged with Canada’s diplomatic and security communities. At a Global Affairs Canada roundtable, he stressed that ASEAN remains vital for advancing democratic resilience and maritime governance, urging Canada to engage the Philippines as a strategic partner. He welcomed Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy as a meaningful step toward deeper regional engagement and emphasized the importance of ensuring that its commitments are sustained. In particular, he pointed to the forthcoming ASEAN-Canada Action Plan as a critical opportunity to strengthen ties not only with the Philippines but also with ASEAN as a whole, positioning Canada as a more credible and consistent partner in Southeast Asia.
- At a Department of National Defence roundtable, he underscored the Philippines’ growing defence partnerships and its role in multilateral exercises such as Balikatan, reflecting the shared middle-power agency of Canada and the Philippines in safeguarding a rules-based order. He highlighted the importance of advancing a Canada–Philippines Visiting Forces Agreement to provide a stronger framework for bilateral defence co-operation. Against the backdrop of evolving security dynamics in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, he stressed that closer collaboration is needed to enhance maritime domain awareness and operational interoperability. Such efforts, he argued, would not only bolster the Philippines’ capacity to defend its maritime rights but also create new avenues for Canada to demonstrate its Indo-Pacific security commitment.
- At Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Heydarian spoke with students about Southeast Asia’s strategic posture, arguing that traditional hedging strategies are increasingly unsustainable as the U.S.-China rivalry intensifies. Drawing on the Philippines’ legal battle over the Scarborough Shoal, he underscored how smaller states can leverage international law — or “lawfare” — to assert agency when confronted with aggressive behaviour from larger powers. He emphasized that the Philippines and Canada should not view themselves as “small” or peripheral, but rather as capable actors able to shape the regional order through strategic partnerships and multilateral co-operation. At the same time, he acknowledged the challenges facing ASEAN, noting that while critics often dismiss it as paralyzed, the organization has historically exercised significant agency and must be revitalized. He suggested that ASEAN could explore more flexible arrangements — such as “ASEAN minus one” or other variable configurations — when consensus proves elusive, drawing on lessons from the European Union’s experience in managing diversity while maintaining cohesion.
- In Vancouver, Heydarian joined Dr. Tricia Yeoh (University of Nottingham Malaysia; APF Canada Senior Fellow) and Dr. Kai Ostwald (University of British Columbia; APF Canada Senior Fellow) for an APF Canada-hosted event on “Canada–ASEAN Co-operation at a Turning Point,” moderated by APF Canada’s Vina Nadjibulla, focused on Canada’s role in ASEAN amid trade tensions and U.S.-China rivalry. Heydarian emphasized the Philippines’ 2026 agenda, especially maritime security and the South China Sea Code of Conduct. He cautioned that Canada must avoid perceptions of “double standards” in applying international law to be seen as a credible partner. He also stressed that credibility, consistency, and trust will be the true test of Canada’s role as ASEAN looks for stable and principled partners in a turbulent Indo-Pacific.
- At a roundtable discussion at the Centre for Southeast Asia Research, UBC, which drew a largely student and Filipino-Canadian audience, Heydarian cautioned against the tendency to “catastrophize” about the Philippines, noting that while corruption and democratic setbacks are real, the country is not performing dramatically worse than other democracies at comparable levels of development. Also important, he argued, is how the Philippines responds to corruption — citing examples from around the world where governments have used corruption allegations not to promote accountability, but to consolidate executive power and sideline political rivals. Heydarian also drew comparisons with the Viet kieu (Vietnamese diaspora), who have become active investors in Vietnam’s development. He suggested this as a possible model for Filipino Canadians: to see themselves not only as a bridge to Canada but also as active participants in the Philippines’ future.
- His tour concluded with a reception hosted by the University of the Philippines Alumni Association of BC. Here, Heydarian underscored the Filipino diaspora as a strategic asset, describing Filipino Canadians as a “living bridge” between the two countries with the potential to catalyze trade, innovation, and cultural diplomacy.
- In the course of his Canadian visit, Richard Heydarian sat down with APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla, for a special podcast episode of “Asia Pacific Conversations.” He also joined discussions hosted in partnership with the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and Omni News. Their conversations explored Southeast Asia’s perspective on the shifting regional order, ASEAN’s evolving role in the Indo-Pacific, and the opportunities for deepening Canada–Philippines relations at a time of rising geopolitical uncertainty.
Richard Heydarian’s Canada Tour 2025 deepened Canadians’ understanding of Southeast Asia at a time of growing geopolitical uncertainty. Through his public lectures, candid policy dialogues, media outreach, and podcasts, he provided a compelling case for why Canada should elevate its partnership with the Philippines as part of its Indo-Pacific strategy.
As APF Canada’s first Southeast Asian Visiting Scholar, Heydarian’s tour demonstrated the value of bringing authentic regional voices into Canadian debates. The Philippines’ trajectory, as a rising middle power, a frontline state in the South China Sea, and an upcoming ASEAN chair, makes it an indispensable partner for Canada in building a more secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
• Edited by Vina Najibulla, Vice-President Research & Strategy, and Ted Fraser, Senior Editor, APF Canada
