Canada-in-Asia Conference 2026 Advances Bold New Era of Canada-Asia Engagement

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Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s annual conference convened leaders in business, government, research, and innovation from Canada and across the Indo-Pacific over two days in Singapore February 10-11, 2026. 

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SINGAPORE, Feb. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) concluded a successful Canada-in-Asia Conference 2026 (CIAC2026) in Singapore on February 11, 2026. With 708 registered guests from across Canada and the Indo-Pacific region, CIAC2026 convened business leaders, policymakers, researchers, and innovators in an exchange of perspectives and ideas to drive collaboration, unlock partnerships, and shape the future of Canada-Asia engagement.

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Held against a backdrop of geopolitical turbulence and economic uncertainty, CIAC2026, APF Canada’s fourth CIAC event in Singapore, centred on three key pillars: food security, energy security, and infrastructure, and explored how Canada and Asia can develop resilient, future-ready partnerships through policy alignment, investment, and cross-border collaboration. CIAC2026 also explored the cross-cutting themes of geopolitics, investment, and technology, where global challenges and emerging opportunities were viewed through a collaborative Canada–Asia lens.

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Held at the Raffles City Convention Centre in central Singapore, CIAC2026 included 15 related partner events on the margins of the conference, and was attended by senior government representatives, including The Hon. Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of International Trade, The Hon. Gan Siow Huang, Singapore’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Industry, and The Hon. Victor Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, reflecting the strategic imperative of Canada-Asia engagement at both the bilateral and subnational levels.

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“Faced with a dramatically changing world and an increasingly uncertain future, the imperative to build diversified supply chains with collaborative and reliable partners is being felt as much in Asia as it is in Canada,” said Jeff Nankivell, President & CEO of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. “At this year’s CIAC, we heard clearly – and forcefully – that responding to this moment is not optional. We witnessed a collective determination to move boldly and quickly to build and strengthen relationships with partners who share ambitions, and interests on both sides of the Pacific. And we learned that there is a very real motivation across the Indo-Pacific to take a fresh look at what Canada and Canadians have to offer partners in a changed world.”

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APF Canada would like to thank the Government of Canada, as well as our Major Partner IDRC; Gold University Partners, the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary; Supporting Partner, Air Canada; Silver University Partner, Western University; Associate Partners the Government of Alberta, the Government of British Columbia, the Government of Ontario and the Government of Saskatchewan, CIBC, CT Group, DIGITAL, Export Development Canada, Farm Credit Canada, Fasken, FinDev Canada, Invest in Canada, Manulife, Mitacs, National Bank of Canada, Norton Rose Fulbright, Shell, Socodevi, Sun Life, TransMountain, and YVR; and, our Bronze University Partners Simon Fraser University and the University of Toronto. And for our continuing collaboration, we thank our CIAC Founding Partner Universities Canada.