Photo by: CGAI Staff
by Brian Wu
November 2026
Table of Contents
- Opening Keynote
- Panel I: Strengthening Cybersecurity Cooperation
- Panel II: AI, Space, and Emerging Technologies
- Keynote
- Panel III: Partnerships for Maritime Security
- Panel IV: Growing Defence Industry Collaboration
- About the Author
- Canadian Global Affairs Institute
Opening Keynote
Lieutenant-General Derek Macaulay, Canada’s Senior Military Representative to the Indo-Pacific (SMR-IP)
Lieutenant-General Derek Macaulay began his keynote by explaining his role as primarily to engage and listen to Canada's partners in the Indo-Pacific while aligning the Chief of the Defence Staff priorities with those of the Government of Canada and its heads of mission. He argues that the Indo-Pacific matters because of the "connective tissue" of people-to-people ties between Canadians and a region that is home to three-fifths of the world's population. He emphasizes that Canada and its allies need to "think in 3-D beyond Canada's continental and Arctic homeland," recognizing that what happens in North America and Europe affects the Indo-Pacific, and vice versa.
LGen Macaulay acknowledges that Canada will "never be the largest and most active actor in the region," but argues that such a status is "not necessary to be strategically relevant." Canada's reputation for reliability is its key asset. By working to ensure that the CDS know their counterparts in Japan and South Korea, Canada is forging partnerships that provide it with options; and options are strategically valuable.
LGen Macaulay then discussed the most salient areas of Canada-Japan-South Korea cooperation. In maritime security, Canada's priority should be to develop usable interoperability. In defence industry, partners should work together to sustain and replenish armaments, maintain equipment, and adapt capabilities for the conflicts of tomorrow. He pointed out that Japan and South Korea have industrial scale and strength in areas where Canada is lacking. A key guiding principle should be whether cooperation solves an existing problem and not to pursue "activities for activities' sake."
Asked about whether the SMR-IP's interactions with the Trade Commissioner Service give him a sense of what Canada can offer the region, LGen Macaulay replied that one of the main challenges is the absence of a system that distinguishes between "partner" or "buy" countries, and what the Canadian defence industry can offer in each case. He pointed to ongoing efforts to fuse defence and trade engagement in the Indo-Pacific and spoke of the promising opportunities available to Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to respond to the region's needs.
LGen Macaulay concluded by summarizing the SMR-IP's engagement as governed by an overarching approach that "asks not what new structures we should create, but where Canada can add value and where our interests with partners align."
Panel I: Strengthening Cybersecurity Cooperation
Moderator: Vina Nadjibulla, Founder and CEO, Centre for Strategic Statecraft
• Dr. Jeehye Kim, Senior Program Manager, Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada
• MGen Dave Yarker, Commander, Canadian Cyber Command
As of March 2026, Canada has in place Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with both Japan and South Korea, opening a new chapter of engagement with the North Pacific. The panelists were first asked to assess the changing threat environment in the cyber domain.
MGen Dave Yarker responded that "the threat of AI has our absolute attention in terms of new technology." However, he made clear that adversaries' goals have remained unchanged, even if the technological environment has evolved. In his assessment, AI is a double-edged sword that provides "long-term hope for the defender" at the cost of short-term pain as organizations scramble to adapt to new forms of cyberattacks. MGen Yarker described the consensus among his peers in the cybersecurity space as the need to "double down on the good practices we've been doing for two decades and to continue to do them well." When asked about threats specific to the North Pacific, his assessment is that they do not differ meaningfully from those in other regions.
Turning to cybersecurity in the North Pacific, Dr. Jeehye Kim explained that while Japan perceives threats from both China and Russia, South Korea's overriding focus is the threat from North Korea, owing the latter’s long track record of targeting South Korean public institutions, financial networks, and IT services in ways that can sever vital societal functions.
Turning to Canada's cybersecurity engagement in the region, MGen Yarker said the CAF's current activities consist of multilateral military exercises with cyber components in which South Korea and Japan are important participants. One example is the Allied Power Exercise (APEX) 2025, co-hosted by South Korea's National Cyber Security Center and NATO's Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. On what Canada brings to the table, he highlighted that the deep integration of the CAF Cyber Command (CAFCYBERCOM) with the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) allows Canada to serve as an example of effective intra-governmental cooperation.
Echoing this, Dr. Kim described Canada as a norm-setter with cross-cutting engagement. With South Korea, collaboration has occurred mostly through multilateral frameworks, whereas there have been more bilateral exercises with Japan, such as MASAKARI 25 in 2025. MGen Yarker expanded on MASAKARI 25, describing it as one of the "deepest joint exercises CAFCYBERCOM has conducted with any partner." He saw the most meaningful takeaway as the strengthening of people-to-people ties at the tactical level, which exposed both sides to greater diversity of thought and approach to cyber defence. He noted that the language barrier did not pose a significant challenge at the operational level because, put colloquially, "we all speak geek first."
The panel concluded with both panelists agreeing that there is no immediate need for institutional investment in any trilateral frameworks. Instead, Canada's focus should be to continue building human capital depth in cyber defence and engage with industry in ways that ensure innovation is integrated at the right stage and plugs in with existing systems.
Panel II: AI, Space, and Emerging Technologies
Moderator: Dr. Alex Wilner, Professor, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University
- Dr. Alex Salt, Senior Researcher, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
- Giovanni D’Aliesio, Senior Director Business Development, MDA Space
- Ray Townsend, Canadian Public Sector Lead, Cohere
Giovanni D'Aliesio, Senior Director of Business Development at MDA Space, began by responding to a question on the conversations that the panelists were hearing in the region. He states that in the current geopolitical climate, every country seeks to develop its own space assets because of uncertainty over whether it can rely on being granted access to another country's assets. However, he noted that very few countries have the time, budget, and resources to build the desired strategic capabilities. This is where MDA adds value: through co-development with local partners and leveraging the strengths of each side. When prompted on which key innovations MDA Space was bringing to partners, he cited MDA Space’s synthetic aperture radar, space robotics, and world-leading fully digital satellites.
Ray Townsend, Canadian Public Sector Lead at Cohere, responded to a question on what Canada can offer North Pacific partners in the domain of AI. He reflected on the ongoing "maturing process" that the Canadian economy and technology stack is undergoing in response to a changing relationship with the United States. He agreed with Giovanni D'Aliesio that, as with space assets, countries are identifying sovereign AI capability as a national security imperative. He highlighted a special role for Cohere as one of only two companies outside the US and China able to provide large language models at scale, offering a high-quality product at a competitive cost.
Dr. Alex Salt, Senior Researcher at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, agreed with the other two panelists, noting a strong desire among countries in the region to work with Canada in emerging technologies. These countries see Canada as a high-potential market to sell to, but also as a partner for co-development. For Canada, seizing the moment means learning from its exclusion from the AUKUS, where it suffered a setback because it had nothing to bring to the table and assumed it would always have a seat.
The panelists concluded that Canada's engagement with the North Pacific in AI, space, and emerging technologies should focus on home-grown companies able to offer international partners sovereign solutions. Firms need to be agile and adaptable, ensuring that their solutions can be deployed to match client-specific hardware and needs.
Keynote
- Hideaki Ishii, Chargé d’affaires, Embassy of Japan to Canada
Chargé d'affaires Hideaki Ishii began his keynote by remarking that "strategic is a word we hear often and is probably overly used, but it is nevertheless fitting to describe Canada-Japan relations." In particular, the announcement of the Canada-Japan Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in March 2026 marked a major milestone in bilateral relations.
As Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated in her speech at the United Nations General Assembly on September 22, the free and open international order based on the rule of law is facing serious challenges on all fronts, and the pace of change is formidable. Chargé d’affaires Ishii layed out the global challenges facing both Canada and Japan: Russia's war against Ukraine, the continuing volatility of the Middle East, and the increasing military activities of China and North Korea, which feed into efforts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas.
Chargé d'affaires Ishii said that Japan lives in a dangerous neighbourhood and that its current security strategy rests on three main pillars. First, Japan is committed to revising its "three security documents" (the National Security Strategy, the National Defense Strategy, and the Defense Buildup Program) by the end of the year. Second, it will strengthen the US-Japan alliance, which is the cornerstone of its security and that of the broader region. Third, it seeks to deepen partnerships with like-minded countries around the world, such as Canada.
Chargé d'affaires Ishii then gave an overview of the most prominent examples of Canada-Japan cooperation. In cybersecurity, he reiterated the importance of the bilateral cyber defence exercise MASAKARI 25 in laying the foundation for future cooperation. In defence industry, he highlighted the June 2026 announcement that Mitsubishi Electric had selected MDA Space as a subcontractor for next-generation defence communications satellites ordered by Japan's Ministry of Defense. In energy security, he pointed to the announcement, only the day before, of LNG Canada Phase 2, in which Mitsubishi Corporation is a joint venture partner with a 15% stake. He noted that with this project, Canada is poised to become a top energy supplier to Japan via a chokepoint-free Pacific route. Lastly, in advanced technology and AI, he pointed out that Fujitsu, one of the world's largest IT services firms, uses large language models (LLMs) made by Cohere in its products.
Chargé d’affaires Ishii closed by expressing confidence in the strong momentum of the Canada-Japan relationship and said he looks forward to working with Canadians to deepen cooperation in these areas.
Panel III: Partnerships for Maritime Security
Moderator: Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, Vice President Ottawa Operations, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
- Clare Helene McKendry, PhD Candidate, University of Waterloo
- Joffre Leblanc, Deputy Director (Indo-Pacific, Middle East and Africa), Security and Defence Relations Division, Global Affairs Canada
- Cpt (N) Robert Watt, Director Naval Strategy, Royal Canadian Navy
The panel began with a question about how the panelists viewed Canada's position in the Indo-Pacific. Clare Helene McKendry, a PhD candidate at the University of Waterloo, responded that Canada's engagement in the region is "seasonal and irregular," reflecting an ingrained Euro-Atlantic security infrastructure.
Cpt (N) Robert Watt, Director of Naval Strategy at the Royal Canadian Navy, agreed that Canada is fighting a "reputation for a sinusoidal presence in the region because we have limited resources." He elaborated that Canada needs a targeted approach that narrowly identifies where its partners' needs are most salient and should not simply deploy assets to the region to bolster presence for presence's sake. He identified information sharing and maritime domain awareness as the two most salient areas of cooperation between Canada and the North Pacific.
Joffre Leblanc, Deputy Director (Indo-Pacific, Middle East and Africa) in the Security and Defence Relations Division at Global Affairs Canada, added that the Indo-Pacific is becoming increasingly important to Canada's overall security because of a new global threat environment marked by vulnerable undersea infrastructure, low-cost autonomous drones, and the interconnectedness of conflicts in different regions of the world. For example, the military innovations and strategies being employed on the battlefields of Ukraine are already shaping the contours of any future conflict in the Indo-Pacific.
The panelists were next asked how Canada can leverage multilateral frameworks to enhance maritime security in the region. Clare McKendry emphasized the importance of Canada's consistent participation in multilateral exercises such as RIMPAC, Talisman Sabre, and Operation NEON. Moreover, with new commercial shipping routes opening in the Canadian Arctic in the decades ahead, Canada should leverage the clear interest of South Korea and Japan in collaborating on cold-water capability and participating in joint Arctic exercises.
Rounding out the discussion, Deputy Director Leblanc agreed that Canada's interests and limited resources are best served by sustaining its current engagement in multilateral initiatives. It should focus on establishing a brand as a reliable partner for capacity-building and leveraging Canadian strengths in key areas such as cold-water operations and dark vessel detection.
Panel IV: Growing Defence Industry Collaboration
Moderator: Dr. David Perry, President and CEO, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
- Dr. Julie Kim, Korea Post-Doctoral Fellow, Canadian Global Affairs Institute
- Daniel Lauzon, Head of Global Public Policy, CAE
The panel began with a discussion of the opportunities for market entry and partnership that exist for Canadian defence firms in South Korea and Japan. Dr. Julie Kim, Korea Postdoctoral Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, explained that the two countries' defence industrial landscapes differ in key ways. Japan is more of an emerging player, with defence spending on a strong upward trajectory toward 2% of GDP and only recently lifting a longstanding ban on lethal weapons exports that had been in place since 1976. South Korea, by contrast, is already a well-developed arms exporter whose largest customers are countries in the Middle East and Europe. For Canada, complementary areas with Japan include robotics and dual-use space assets, whereas South Korean strengths in shipbuilding, semiconductors, and AI offer the most salient opportunities.
From a private sector perspective, Daniel Lauzon stated that Canadian companies currently face barriers to entering both the South Korean and Japanese markets. Echoing Dr. Kim, he highlighted the difficulties foreign companies face in Japan because of longstanding constitutional constraints against arms development. On the other hand, South Korea's de jure state of war with the North means that priority is accorded to homegrown sovereign capabilities, with exceptions made largely only for American equipment. However, Lauzon believed the region is experiencing a "sea change" in line with what he has observed in other parts of the globe, citing an upsurge in interest in CAE's products and services. Looking ahead, he argued that Canada has the opportunity to open up the Indo-Pacific defence market once it establishes footholds in key initial markets such as Japan and South Korea.
Dr. Kim expanded on other barriers facing Canadian companies in the region, including the large geographic distance from Canadian production bases and the related difficulties of sustaining maintenance services and supply chains. She cited market unfamiliarity and language barriers as another key factor. Although Export Development Canada (EDC) has offices in the region and both Japan and South Korea are important trade partners, Canadian SMEs have limited knowledge of South Korean and Japanese procurement systems and regulations.
Responding to a question on whether Canada's recent choice of Germany’s TKMS as the preferred supplier for the Canadian Patrol Submarine Project (CPSP) signals a lack of interest in buying non-NATO equipment, Dr. Kim offered a contrasting view. She argued that if Hanwha's status as a non-NATO supplier had been a disqualifying factor, it would not have made the final shortlist in the first place.
The discussion then turned to what the Government of Canada is getting right so far. Daniel Lauzon answered that a "monumental" step in the right direction has been the Government's move to "bring the EDC, DND, CAF, and relevant government departments all under one roof that industry can speak to." He urged the Government to redouble its efforts to promote Canadian domestic champions through its missions abroad. Dr. Kim agreed, saying that the most effective step the Government can take is to "put the right people and businesses in the same room" to facilitate more business connections and partnerships.
The panel concluded with a call for Canada's Defence Attachés to take a more proactive role in promoting Canadian defence exports. It was noted that Canadian Defence Attachés generally do not see themselves as part of the defence trade team. This stands in contrast to their counterparts from other countries, who see it as a key part of their portfolio. The overall takeaway was that while opportunities for defence-industrial cooperation between Canada and the North Pacific are emergent and promising, greater two-way understanding of the other side’s market and institutional conditions is needed to boost company- and project-level partnerships.
About the Author
Brian Wu is an MA candidate in international affairs at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University. His work has been published by the Strategic Analysis Network, Policy Magazine, The Diplomat, and the On Track journal from the CDA Institute. His policy proposal, Pacific Supply Lines: A Canada-Japan Strategy for Resource Resilience, was selected as one of the winners of Global Affairs Canada’s 2026 International Policy Ideas Challenge.
Canadian Global Affairs Institute
The Canadian Global Affairs Institute focuses on the entire range of Canada’s international relations in all its forms including trade investment and international capacity building. Successor to the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute (CDFAI, which was established in 2001), the Institute works to inform Canadians about the importance of having a respected and influential voice in those parts of the globe where Canada has significant interests due to trade and investment, origins of Canada’s population, geographic security (and especially security of North America in conjunction with the United States), social development, or the peace and freedom of allied nations. The Institute aims to demonstrate to Canadians the importance of comprehensive foreign, defence and trade policies which both express our values and represent our interests.
The Institute was created to bridge the gap between what Canadians need to know about Canadian international activities and what they do know. Historically Canadians have tended to look abroad out of a search for markets because Canada depends heavily on foreign trade. In the modern post-Cold War world, however, global security and stability have become the bedrocks of global commerce and the free movement of people, goods and ideas across international boundaries. Canada has striven to open the world since the 1930s and was a driving factor behind the adoption of the main structures which underpin globalization such as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and emerging free trade networks connecting dozens of international economies. The Canadian Global Affairs Institute recognizes Canada’s contribution to a globalized world and aims to inform Canadians about Canada’s role in that process and the connection between globalization and security.
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