The Free and Open Indo-Pacific: Challenges and Prospects Ahead
2026/3/18
On March 18, our Embassy co-hosted a seminar on the Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP) with the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI). The seminar featured discussions on the current state and future prospects of the Indo-Pacific from both security and economic perspectives.
At the outset, opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director of MLI, and Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi. This was followed by a keynote address from Mr. Weldon Epp, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Indo-Pacific at Global Affairs Canada, who reviewed the past three years of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
The first panel, titled “The Current State of Security in the Indo-Pacific and Future Prospects,” was moderated by Mr. Balkan Devlen (Senior Fellow, MLI), with panelists Mr. Hideshi Tokuchi (President, Research Institute for Peace and Security; former Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs), Professor David A. Welch (University of Waterloo), and Mr. Scott Millar (Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of National Defence).
The second panel, with a new set of participants, addressed “The Importance of Strengthening and Upholding a Rules-Based Economic Order in the Indo-Pacific.” It was moderated by Professor Fen Hampson (Professor of International Affairs, Carleton University), with panelists Professor Elliot Tepper (Senior Fellow, Carleton University), Ambassador Jose Victor V. Chan-Gonzaga (Ambassador of the Philippines to Canada), and Ms. Cleo Paskal (Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies). Each panel discussion concluded with a lively Q&A session.
At the outset, opening remarks were delivered by Mr. Brian Lee Crowley, Managing Director of MLI, and Ambassador Kanji Yamanouchi. This was followed by a keynote address from Mr. Weldon Epp, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Indo-Pacific at Global Affairs Canada, who reviewed the past three years of Canada’s Indo-Pacific Strategy.
The first panel, titled “The Current State of Security in the Indo-Pacific and Future Prospects,” was moderated by Mr. Balkan Devlen (Senior Fellow, MLI), with panelists Mr. Hideshi Tokuchi (President, Research Institute for Peace and Security; former Vice-Minister of Defense for International Affairs), Professor David A. Welch (University of Waterloo), and Mr. Scott Millar (Assistant Deputy Minister, Department of National Defence).
The second panel, with a new set of participants, addressed “The Importance of Strengthening and Upholding a Rules-Based Economic Order in the Indo-Pacific.” It was moderated by Professor Fen Hampson (Professor of International Affairs, Carleton University), with panelists Professor Elliot Tepper (Senior Fellow, Carleton University), Ambassador Jose Victor V. Chan-Gonzaga (Ambassador of the Philippines to Canada), and Ms. Cleo Paskal (Senior Fellow, Foundation for Defense of Democracies). Each panel discussion concluded with a lively Q&A session.
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| Remarks by Dr. Crowley | Remarks by Ambassador Yamanouchi | Keynote Address by Mr. Epp |
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| Panel discussion 1 | Panel discussion 2 |