APF Canada’s Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholars program supports eminent thought leaders from Asia to travel to Canada to share their insights and expertise on the Indo-Pacific region’s security, technological, and economic challenges and opportunities.
This program, supported by the Government of Canada, injects authoritative Asian perspectives directly into Canada’s public discourse and policy process while simultaneously exposing influential regional voices from the Indo-Pacific to Canadian priorities and capabilities. By inviting three high-profile analysts to Canada each year for a curated, multi-city tour, the program serves a dual purpose:
1. Informing Canadians – policy-makers, business leaders, think-tank experts, media, and the wider public – about emerging strategic, economic, and technological trends in Asia; and
2. Equipping the scholars to weave Canadian insights into their ongoing work once they return home, thereby amplifying Canada’s visibility in regional debates over the long term.
Scholars participate in a mix of public and private events, fostering the direct exchange of ideas on the forces shaping the Indo-Pacific and their implications for Canada’s engagement in the region. This program aims to build enduring relationships, enhance policy-relevant knowledge, and strengthen Canada’s ties with leading voices across the Indo-Pacific.
Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholars
Richard Heydarian (September 2025) | Philippines
APF Canada's second Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholar is Richard Heydarian, a Philippine political scientist, author, media personality, and public intellectual, who will visit Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Vancouver from September 8 to 15, 2025, to engage with Canadian policymakers, academics, business leaders, and the public on pressing regional and global issues.
Mr. Heydarian is widely recognized as a leading voice on Philippine politics, ASEAN, Asian geopolitics, and populism. He has written for The New York Times, Foreign Affairs, and The Guardian, and is a frequent commentator for Al Jazeera, BBC, Bloomberg, CNN International, and CNBC. His thought leadership has shaped global conversations on Southeast Asia’s future.
His visit comes at a pivotal moment for Canada-Philippines relations as the two countries pursue a free trade agreement and explore deeper co-operation in security, technology, and people-to-people ties. With the Philippines set to chair ASEAN in 2026, Heydarian’s insights will help illuminate opportunities for collaboration in advancing shared democratic and regional priorities.
Schedule of Events:
Program highlights include:
- Participate in policy dialogues with Canadian federal and provincial officials.
- Deliver public lectures on the Philippines’ foreign policy, ASEAN’s role in regional stability, and Canada’s Indo-Pacific engagement.
- Engage with Canadian media, academic institutions, and civil society to foster greater understanding of Southeast Asia’s evolving role in the global order.
- Media availability in Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Vancouver.
- An APF Canada Asia Pacific Conversations podcast episode alongside APF Canada's Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla.
Raja Mohan (March 2025) | India
Inaugural Indo-Pacific Visiting Scholar is Dr. C. Raja Mohan, one of India’s foremost strategic thinkers. His week-long tour of Canada in March 2025 covered Montréal, Toronto, Waterloo, and Ottawa, and featured seven engagements tailored to federal officials, provincial agencies, industry executives, academics, students, and the general public.
The inaugural tour provided value to Canadian stakeholders seeking guidance on Canada-India relations, while giving Dr. Mohan first-hand exposure to Canadian perspectives that now inform his writing and advisory work in India.
Program highlights included:
- Event with CERIUM, Université de Montréal: Canada and India in a Shifting Global Order
- Event with Investissement Québec: India's Economic Future: Navigating Geopolitical Risks and Investment Opportunities
- Event with McGill University: The Indo-Pacific: Canadian and Indian Perspectives
- Luncheon Roundtable with business community in Toronto
- Roundtable with Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) & Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA): Canada’s AI and Emerging Tech Strategy
- Luncheon Roundtable at Bluesky Strategy Group Inc: India’s rising influence as a geopolitical and economic power
- Meeting with Global Affairs Canada
- Media interview with La Presse
- An APF Canada Asia Pacific Conversations podcast episode with Dr. Mohan
For information on this program email info@asiapacific.ca.
