On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with John Parisella and Bruce Stokes to talk about Canada-US relations as we commence formal negotiations over the renewal, revision or repudiation of the North American trade agreement – CUSMA, USMCA or T-MEC. 

//

Participants' bios:

- John Parisella served as Chief of Staff to Quebec Premiers Robert Bourassa and Jean Charest and then as Quebec Delegate General in New York City.

- Bruce Stokes is Visiting Senior Fellow at the German Marshall Fund and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

//

Host bio:

Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

//

Reading Recommendations:

- "The Spanish Civil War" by Hugh Thomas

- "Team of Rivals" by Doris Goodwin

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

//

Release date:

June 04, 2026

In the third episode of our series with the 1 Canada Air Division on Defence Deconstructed, David Perry sits down with the Commander, Major-General Chris McKenna, and the Chief Warrant Officer, Dipen Mistry. We talk about their roles in the division, current operational focus, and perspectives on RCAF modernization.

//

Guest bios:

- Major-General Chris McKenna is the Commander of the 1 Canadian Air Division

- Chief Warrant Officer Dipen Mistry is the Chief of the 1 Canadian Air Division

//

Host bio:

David Perry, President & CEO, Canadian Global Affairs Institute

//

Recommended Readings

- "Never Split the Difference" by Chris Voss

- "Origins of Victory" by Andrew F. Krepinevich

//

Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding.

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

Release date:

4 June 2026

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Joe Calnan talks with Kelly Ogle to discuss the latest updates on oil prices and some of the major news stories unfolding in Canada and around the world

//

Guest:

- Kelly Ogle is Chairman of Era and Board Member at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute

//

Reading recommendation:

- "The Alice Network" by Kate Quinn

- "The Concept of the Political" by Carl Schmitt

//

Interview recording Date: May 29, 2026

//

Energy Security Cubed is part of the CGAI Podcast Network. Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on LinkedIn. Head over to our website at www.cgai.ca for more commentary.

//

Music credits to Drew Phillips.

On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Gordon Venner and Jon Allen to discuss what is happening in the Middle East – Iran, Israel, Palestine - and its implications for Canada.

//

Participants' bios:

- Gordon Venner is former Ambassador to Iran and Associate Deputy Minister of Defence.

- Jon Allen is former Ambassador to Israel and Spain, and a Senior Fellow at the Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History at the University of Toronto.

//

Host bio:

Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

//

Reading Recommendations:

- "Barack Obama Considers His Role in the Age of Trump" by Peter Slevin

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

//

Release date:

June 01, 2026

In this episode of Defence Deconstructed, David Perry sits down with Dirk Lesko, Jean-Francois Seguin, Lee Fromson, Travis Farrell, Francis Fontaine, Peter Dyck to discuss the growth of the wider industrial capacity that’s been created through the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

//

Guest bios:

- Dirk Lesko is the President of Irving Shipbuilding

- Jean-François Seguin is the Vice President, Communications and Governments at Irving Shipbuilding

- Lee Fromson is Vice President - Supply-Chain, Commercial, Procurement & Quality

- Travis Farrell is the President of Unifor Marine Workers Local 1

- Francis Fontaine is the CEO at Bronswerk Group

-Peter Dyck is the Vice-President of Sales – Naval Handling at Rolls-Royce

//

Host bio:

David Perry, President & CEO, Canadian Global Affairs Institute

//

Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding.

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

Release date:

29 May 2026

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Joe Calnan talks with Bahman Radnejad about the Government of Canada's latest paper, "Getting Major Projects Built in Canada" and whether or not these changes will bring about a shift change for investment in Canada.

---

Guest:

- Bahman Radnejad is a CGAI Fellow and Chair and Associate Professor of Innovation and Marketing at Mount Royal University

---

Reading recommendation:

- "Developing Leadership Character" by Mary Crossan, Gerard Seijts and Jeffrey Gandz

- "Choosing Courage" by Jim Detert

---

Interview recording Date: May 27, 2026

//

Energy Security Cubed is part of the CGAI Podcast Network. Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on LinkedIn. Head over to our website at www.cgai.ca for more commentary.

//

Music credits to Drew Phillips.

On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Gordon Holden, Howard Balloch and Stewart Beck to the discuss the Xi-Trump Summit.

//

Participants' bios:

Gordon Houlden is Director Emeritus of the China Institute, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of the Alberta School of Business at the University of Alberta..

Howard Balloch served as the Canadian Ambassador to China and then in the private sector in Beijing and Hong Kong.

Stewart Beck served as the Canadian Consul General in Shanghai and San Francisco and High Commissioner to India before heading the Asia-Pacific Foundation.

//

Host bio:

Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

//

Reading Recommendations:

- "Apple in China" by Patrick Mcgee

- "Coming Up Short" by Robert Reich

-"Party of One: The Rise of Xi Jinping and China's Superpower Future" by Chun Han Wong

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

//

Release date:

May 25, 2026

In this two-part episode of Defence Deconstructed, David Perry sits down with Dr. Alexander Salt and Dr. Craig Stone to discuss their most recent publications, “Driving Canadian Defence Innovation Through the Minor Capital Portfolio” and “Canada Finally Has a Defence Industrial Strategy: But Does It Say the Right Things?” respectively. We look at previous procurement strategies put forward, the importance of procurement vs. investment, and accelerating capabilities.

//

Guest bios:

Dr. Alexander Salt is the Senior Researcher and Managing Editor at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute

Dr. Craig Stone is an Emeritus Associate Professor of Defence Studies, Department of Defence Studies, at the Canadian Forces College (CFC)

//

Host bio:

David Perry, President & CEO, Canadian Global Affairs Institute

//

Recommended Readings:

- "Canada Finally Has a Defence Industrial Strategy: But Does It Say the Right Things?" by Dr. Craig Stone

- "Driving Canadian Defence Innovation Through the Minor Capital Portfolio" by Dr. Alexander Salt

- A New Blueprint for Government by James Mitchell and Kevin Lynch

- AI, Automation, and War by Anthony King

//

Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding.

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

Release date:

22 May 2026

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Joe Calnan talks with Ian Wereley about the British imperial precedent for energy security issues, and takeaways for our current moment.

---

Guest:

- Ian Wereley is an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University's Department of History

- Joe Calnan is VP Energy and Calgary Operations at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

---

Reading recommendation:

- "Carbon Democracy: Political Power in the Age of Oil", by Timothy Mitchell: https://www.amazon.ca/Carbon-Democracy-Political-Power-Age/dp/1781681163

- "Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands", by Kate Beaton: https://www.amazon.ca/Ducks-Two-Years-Oil-Sands/dp/1770462899

- "Oil Culture", by Ross Barrett and Daniel Worden: https://www.amazon.ca/Oil-Culture-Ross-Barrett/dp/0816689741

---

Interview recording Date: May 19, 2026

//

Energy Security Cubed is part of the CGAI Podcast Network. Follow the Canadian Global Affairs Institute on Facebook, Twitter (@CAGlobalAffairs), or on LinkedIn. Head over to our website at www.cgai.ca for more commentary.

//

Produced by Joe Calnan. Music credits to Drew Phillips.

On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Michael Ignatieff to discuss diplomacy and developments in Europe in aftermath of the Hungarian election.

//

Participants' bios:

Michael Ignatieff is Rector Emeritus and Professor of History at Central European University.

//

Host bio:

Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

//

Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll

//

Release date:

May 15, 2026