Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada

Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada is an independent, not-for-profit public institution providing high-quality, relevant, and timely information and analysis on Canada-Asia relations and clear, specific, and actionable policy advice to business and government.

APF Canada's work includes field and desk research, big data and statistical analysis, surveys and polling, events and networking, timely media commentary, and a regular Asia Watch newsletter – all publicly accessible on the Foundation's website.

This is the community page of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) highlighting news and events of interest to our friends and partners in Canada and the Asia Pacific region.

Our mission is to be Canada's catalyst for engagement with Asia and Asia's bridge to Canada. We do this by partnering with both the private and public sector. A leader in research and analysis on Canada-Asia

relations for over 40 years, APF Canada has developed strong ties with policy-makers, business leaders, academics, and opinion makers in Canada and throughout the Asia Pacific region. Our current themes are:
• Business Asia
• Southeast Asia
• South Asia
• North Asia
• Education
• Emerging Issues
• Education

We are funded primarily by the proceeds of an endowment from the Government of Canada and by corporate and individual donors. The affairs of APF Canada are governed by a Board of Directors.

On May 6, 2026, APF convened its inaugural John H. McArthur Research Fellows Symposium for a focused discussion on the r...
06/12/2026

On May 6, 2026, APF convened its inaugural John H. McArthur Research Fellows Symposium for a focused discussion on the risks and opportunities shaping the future of trade and investment between Canada and the Indo-Pacific.

The discussion highlighted the expertise from our 2025-2026 John H. McArthur Research Fellows, Danielle Goldfarb, Kati Suominen, Ari Van Assche, and Pascale Massot, along with leading policy experts.

APF Canada's Director of Research, Charles Labrecque, distils some of the critical takeaways from the symposium:
🔹 The world has entered a fundamentally different era
🔹 China is reshaping globalization around itself, not retreating from it
🔹 AI is restructuring trade as profoundly as it is restructuring everything else
🔹 Canada has consistently underperformed during technological transitions
🔹 Industrial policy is no longer optional, but must be undertaken strategically
🔹 Economic security requires strategic prioritization, not blanket protection

🔗 Read the on our website: https://www.asiapacific.ca/publication/summary-report-economic-security-future-canadian-trade-and-investment-with-asia

To mark the International Day for Women in Diplomacy on June 10, APF Canada's VP Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, j...
06/12/2026

To mark the International Day for Women in Diplomacy on June 10, APF Canada's VP Research & Strategy, Vina Nadjibulla, joined the Women Heads of Diplomatic Missions in Ottawa (WHDMO) and Gowling WLG for a forum on women's leadership in international diplomacy.

Under the banner of “Leadership Equality, Advancement and the pursuit of Peace,” the forum explored the broader impact of women’s leadership in diplomacy, highlighting their role in advancing equality, shaping global conversations, and promoting peace.

Vina moderated the opening roundtable discussion on the role of women in shaping international economic policy with panellists Yasir Naqvi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Trade and Senator Amina Gerba.

Canada’s interest in the is not fleeting, but will Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy be renewed for a phase 2.0 in 2027?A...
06/12/2026

Canada’s interest in the is not fleeting, but will Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy be renewed for a phase 2.0 in 2027?

A new from APF Canada's Distinguished Fellow, Julia G. Bentley, traces the critical conversations and themes from the third annual Canada-ASEAN Security Alignment Symposium.

Held in Ottawa on May 26, the symposium brought together leading academics and policy experts to assess Canada's security role in the region ahead of the Indo-Pacific Strategy's five-year review. The report explores how "economic resilience and regional security are intrinsically linked" in the region and Canada's ongoing commitment to partners.

The symposium was co-organized by the Canada-ASEAN Initiatives based at York Centre for Asian Research (YCAR) and the ASEAN Committee in Ottawa, with support from the APF Canada and the Telfer School of Management / École de gestion Telfer - uOttawa, as well as the Canadian International Council | Conseil international du Canada - Ottawa.

Read the full report now 👇
https://www.asiapacific.ca/publication/summary-report-canada-asean-security-alignment-symposium-may-2026

Congratulations to Suromitra Sanatani (LL.B.) for being awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of Vi...
06/12/2026

Congratulations to Suromitra Sanatani (LL.B.) for being awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of Victoria.

Suromitra is a nationally recognized business leader and was appointed to APF Canada’s Board of Directors in 2023. This honorary degree recognizes her extensive work strengthening the people, institutions, and infrastructure that support Canada’s communities.

Surmoitra began her career in litigation before transitioning to senior corporate positions in the non-profit, public, and private sectors. She currently serves as Director of the Vancouver Airport Authority. Previously, she served on various boards, including as Chair of Canada Post, Director of Purolator Holdings, and as Chair of the Royal Bank GAM Independent Review Committee. Her subsequent consultancy included leading Indigenous consultations across British Columbia and providing strategic advice to senior executives in the financial, utilities, and transportation sectors.

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Félicitations à Suromitra Sanatani (LL.B.) pour avoir reçu le diplôme de docteur honoraire de droit (LL.D.) de l'Université de Victoria.

Suromitra est reconnue à l'échelle nationale pour son leadership en affaires. En 2023, elle a été nommée l'une des administratrices du conseil d'administration de la FAP Canada. Son diplôme honoraire rend hommage à ses travaux de renforcement des capacités, des institutions et des infrastructures soutenant les communautés canadiennes.

Elle a débuté sa carrière dans les litiges avant d'occuper des postes supérieurs dans les secteurs sans but lucratif, public et privé. Elle est présentement directrice à l'aéroport de Vancouver. Elle a auparavant siégé à divers conseils, notamment à titre de présidente de Postes Canada, administratrice de Purolator Holdings et présidente du comité d'examen indépendant GAM de la Banque Royale. Sa consultation subséquente incluait la direction de consultations avec les Premières Nations en Colombie-Britannique et des conseils stratégiques à des dirigeants supérieurs des secteurs financier, des services publics et des transports.

https://www.uvic.ca/convocation/honorary-degree-recipients/index.php

06/11/2026

Explore the key takeaways from the Plenary discussions!

The 6 sessions Plenary sessions at this year's Canada-in-Asia Conference contextualized the Conference's 2026 pillars and their impact on - engagement: food security, energy security, and infrastructure.

This year's plenary speakers highlighted the importance of:
- Act decisively in a fragmented global economy
- Diversifying trade partnerships
- Understanding China’s long-term strategic capacity
- Focusing on a demand-led commercial strategy for Canada in Asia
- And more!

🔗 Download the summary report now: https://www.asiapacific.ca/publication/ciac2026-plenaries-summary-report

06/11/2026

Insights and conversations on building Canada-Asia partnerships right at your fingertips!

Watch all the discussions from on our YouTube channel now - from highlights on Canada's agri-food value chains to Asian tech advances. And while you're there, explore other video content from our previous conferences:

🎥 : https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1JLLrjVUAUmPPPHPO4eNdHjsmQ-asxzy

06/11/2026

APF Canada is heartbroken by the destruction caused by the 7.8-magnitude earthquake in southern Philippines on Monday, which killed 53 people. We are thinking of the victims, their friends, and their families. The Canadian Red Cross has a longstanding partnership with the Philippine Red Cross. 🇨🇦 🇵🇭

06/11/2026

APF Canada's APEC-Canada Growing Business Partnership (ACGBP) Project is helping small businesses excel throughpolicy leadership in the !

Through inclusive policy dialogues, the Project is working to empower cultural to adopt gender-responsive policy & program innovation. Under the "Policy Leadership Workshop Series," developed in collaboration with the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN), MSME entrepreneurs learned how to validate national policy proposals and institute action plans for policy recommendations to better support MSME development.

Wilmar Co, Vice-President for Operations, CDO Champion Corporation, shares his takeaways and insights from this workshop series.

Learn more about the Project here: https://apfcanada-msme.ca/

This week, looks at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to North Korea and Canada–Taiwan relations. Cette semaine, s...
06/11/2026

This week, looks at Chinese President Xi Jinping’s trip to North Korea and Canada–Taiwan relations.

Cette semaine, se penche sur le voyage du président chinois Xi Jinping en Corée du Nord et sur les relations entre le Canada et Taïwan.

🔗 https://www.asiapacific.ca/asia-watch

This week, APF Canada Distinguished Fellow Yves Tiberghien and Indo-Pacific Research Fellow Dandy Rafitrandi, joined a C...
06/11/2026

This week, APF Canada Distinguished Fellow Yves Tiberghien and Indo-Pacific Research Fellow Dandy Rafitrandi, joined a Canadian delegation at the ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi, .

Under the thematic banner of "Shaping our Future Together: Peace, Prosperity, and People-Centred," the dialogue underscored the belief that ASEAN’s future must be shaped together across two days of engaging, expert-led conversations.

Learn more about the Forum here:https: https://www.asean-futureforum.com/

🎥 And learn more about the Canadian delegation's engagement at the dialogue: https://youtube.com/shorts/INGuD-uA0KM

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