In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, recorded in Vancouver, Canada, on August 26, 2025, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla reflects on the evolution of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS). 

She sits down with APF Canada’s Communications Director, Michael Roberts, to discuss the key themes when it comes to Canada’s engagement in the Indo-Pacific region, how Canada’s IPS has progressed under new federal leadership, and the impact of tariffs from both the U.S. and China on Canadian businesses. She also highlights the emerging opportunities for Canada to collaborate with Indo-Pacific economies through strategic dialogues and trade negotiations, and how APF Canada is working to educate Canadian stakeholders on the region, including through our new Indo-Pacific Initiative programming in the coming months.

Please enjoy this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations.

 In this episode of Kakehashi Conversations, Kakehashi Project Senior Program Manager Siân Jones and Research Scholar for International Trade & Investment Kana Bak, sit down with author Clara Kumagai.  

Clara’s debut novel, Catfishing Rolling, received critical acclaim, cementing her voice in the Young Adult genre. The themes of mythology and fluidity of time continue in her second novel released in Canada in August 2025, Songs for Ghosts, a YA reimagining of the Madame Butterfly motif.  

In this episode, Clara discusses the process of storytelling, the themes she finds herself consistently drawn to, and the challenges and opportunities of writing for a young adult audience. She also touches on her eye-opening Kakehashi experience and how it has continued to shape her writing and personal life.  

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Tamara Mawhinney, Ambassador of Canada to the Republic of South Korea, discusses the evolution of Canada’s longstanding bilateral relationship with South Korea with APF Canada Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla.

As her tenure as Canada’s top diplomat in South Korea draws to a close in the summer of 2025, Mawhinney discusses the history of Canada and South Korea’s bilateral engagement, the democratic resilience of South Korea following the declaration of martial law by former President Yoon in December 2024, the deepening of multilateral co-operation at the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, and emerging areas of future collaboration. Mawhinney also personally reflects on her time in South Korea and her takeaways for Canada’s future engagement in the broader Indo-Pacific region.  

In this episode of Kakehashi Conversations, Kakehashi Project Senior Program Manager Siân Jones and Research Scholar for International Trade & Investment Kana Bak, sit down with Adam Melnyk, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer at LFAnt Medical.  

A McGill Engineering graduate, Adam developed LFAnt with classmates to bring Canadian diagnostic technology to the global market and develop the most cost-effective measures for bioanalytical testing. Their work focuses on combining innovative technology with embedded lateral flow sensors to make diagnostic tests more accessible and streamlined.  

Adam discusses, among other things, what it was like to navigate his entrepreneur journey as an undergrad, the emerging opportunities for Canadian healthtech startups, the evolution of healthtech post-pandemic, and his advice for fellow entrepreneurs. The conversation also touches on his experiences with Kakehashi and its lasting impact on his global outlook.  

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla sits down once again with Vice Admiral Angus Topshee, Commander of the Royal Canadian Navy. Admiral Topshee first joined us in February 2025 for a discussion on Canada’s military future. Now, with a new federal government in play, a commitment by Canada to hit the NATO five per cent of GDP spending threshold, and an increasingly turbulent global arena, he is back with Asia Pacific Conversations to discuss the direction of Canada’s naval engagement and the international maritime security landscape.

Admiral Topshee discusses these new developments in relation to Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, the reshuffling of major military superpowers and alliances, and the continued importance of international order as a global collective endeavour. His candid conversation with Nadjibulla also considers the future landscape of the Canadian military, including progress on the procurement of 12 conventionally powered submarines to bolster Canada’s naval force and innovation in military infrastructure. More critically, he highlights the vital opportunities for Canadians to step up on the global stage to ensure economic security in the Indo-Pacific and regional security in the Arctic and beyond. 

Please enjoy this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, and if you haven’t already, catch our first episode with the Vice-Admiral: Charting Canada’s Maritime Future with Vice-Admiral Angus Topshee

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Canadian agriculture entrepreneur and CEO of Saskatchewan-based AGT Foods and Ingredients, Murad Al-Katib, joins Vina Nadjibulla, APF Canada Vice-President Research & Strategy, for a discussion on Canada’s agri-food industry and the challenges and importance of diversifying away from the U.S. into the Indo-Pacific market in the current moment.  

A startup in 2001, AGT Foods is now a billion-dollar international enterprise, one of the world’s largest suppliers of pulses, including lentils, peas, beans, and chickpeas, and a global leader in the plant-based protein sector. Murad discusses the importance of Canadian agriculture in global supply chains, why and how he diversified into the Indo-Pacific, and what it takes to maintain efficiency and prosperity in a market constantly challenged by geopolitics and climate change.  

We hope you enjoy this episode of the podcast!

In this episode of Kakehashi Conversations, Kakehashi Project Senior Program Manager Siân Jones and Research Scholar for International Trade & Investment Kana Bak sit down with Colette Trudeau, CEO of Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC). 

While her public image took off in the early 2000s as a member of LiveonRelease with the band’s hit song “I’m Afraid of Britney Spears,” Colette’s current career path focuses on advocating for her Métis nation. She discusses the work MNBC is doing to uplift Métis voices and community members, including what work remains to be done when it comes to honouring  Métis peoples under Canada’s Constitution.  

Honoured as one of BIV's Forty Under 40 in 2025, Colette emphasizes the importance of fostering strong relationships through collaboration and consensus-building and shares how her global mindset has been shaped by her experiences on the Kakehashi Project.  

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada’s Senior Program Manager Erin Williams chats with Pia Ranada, Journalist and Community Lead at Rappler, a Filipino news organization, and winner of the 2024 Marshall McLuhan Fellowship for Excellence in Journalism.  

Ranada has covered critical issues in climate change, security, international affairs, and natural disasters, but she is best known for her critical coverage of the Rodrigo Duterte administration. Her current position as Community Lead at Rappler focuses on building trust between journalists and the public and re-engaging communities with news media.  

On the Vancouver stop of her Canadian award tour, Ranada hosted a seminar on the Filipino news landscape for APF Canada friends and fellows. Her conversation in this episode touches on her remarkable career, the extreme challenges and pressures of covering the Duterte administration, and how Rappler is working to re-invent engagement with the news in an era in which many proclaim journalism is dead.  

In this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, APF Canada Vice-President Research & Strategy Vina Nadjibulla chats with Gabrielius Landsbergis, former Lithuanian Minister of Foreign Affairs.  

Nadjibulla and Landsbergis, who also served as a Member of the European Parliament, discuss transatlantic security in the context of the new Trump Administration and the influence of coercive state actors, like Russia and China, in the Indo-Pacific region. 

Linking the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic security spheres, Landsbergis also highlights the importance of continued support for Ukrainian sovereignty, the opportunities for Europe to take on a larger role in the Indo-Pacific and the transatlantic security agenda, and the imperative of consistently championing democratic norms amidst an everchanging world order. 

Please enjoy this episode of Asia Pacific Conversations.

In this special Asian Heritage Month episode of Asia Pacific Conversations, Vina Nadjibulla, APF Canada’s Vice-President Research & Strategy, sits down with Colonel Chung Wong, who currently serves as the Director of Aerospace Equipment Program Management (Tactical Aviation and Simulation) in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). 

With a background in aerospace engineering, Col. Wong has held several leadership roles in the aviation division of CAF across his 25-year career and participated in international missions in Afghanistan and with the United Nations in Haiti and Mali. 

In discussion with Nadjibulla, Col. Wong looks back at the beginning of his career, the importance of diversity in the Canadian military, and reflects on his own experiences as a Canadian of Chinese descent appointed to increasingly senior military leadership roles. He also highlights the opportunities for Asian Canadians in the CAF and the steps the organization is taking to expand recruitment, particularly in the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School, where Col. Wong served as the 25th Commandant after his first unit command.  

Please enjoy this special episode of Asia Pacific Conversations.