Building a Northern Interconnection

In this episode of #DefenceDeconstructed we sit down Col. Steeve Belley, LCol Craig Greeley, and CWO Rene Gagnon to examine the Royal Canadian Air Force’s response to the wildfires that impacted northern Ontario and Manitoba earlier this year. We delve into the strategies used, the deployment of equipment, and the timelines involved in carrying out safe and effective evacuation and firefighting operations. // Guest bios: - Col. Steeve Belley is the Commanding Officer of 2 Wing. - LCol Craig Greeley is the Commanding Officer of the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) 8 Air Maintenance Squadron. - CWO Rene Gagnon is the Warrent Officer of the Royal Canadian Air Force's (RCAF) 8 Air Maintenance Squadron. // Host bio: David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Recommended Readings: -Tom Clancy Books. - "Ghost Fleet" by P. W. Singer and August Cole - "Turn The Ship Around!" by L. David Marquet // Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll Release date: 11 July 2025

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Kelly Ogle and Joe Calnan talk with Kathleen Gnocato and Shaz Merwat about the role of Canadian LNG in diplomacy around the G7. You can find their report for RBC Thought Leadership here: https://www.rbc.com/en/thought-leadership/the-growth-project/a-g7-strategy-for-natural-gas-four-scenarios-for-energy-security-in-the-2040s/ // Guest Bio: - Kathleen Gnocato is the LNG Research Initiative Lead, Independent Consultant for RBC Thought Leadership - Shaz Merwat is Energy Policy Lead for RBC's Climate Action Institute // Host Bio: - Kelly Ogle is Managing Director of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute - Joe Calnan is VP, Energy and Calgary Operations at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Reading recommendations: - "From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way", by Jesse Thistle: https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/From-the-Ashes/Jesse-Thistle/9781982101213 - "Apple in China: The Capture of the World's Greatest Company", by Patrick McGee: https://www.simonandschuster.ca/books/Apple-in-China/Patrick-McGee/9781668053379 // Interview recording Date: July 2, 2025 // 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 Patrick McGee to explore the origins of Apple and examine China's pivotal role in building the global empire it has become, in his new book, Apple in China. // Participants' bios Patrick McGee is a NYT best selling author and San Francisco Correspondent at the Financial Times. // 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. - // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll // Recording Date: June 27, 2025 Release date: July 7, 2025

In this episode of #DefenceDeconstructed we sit down with Arianne Reza and James Davies. In this final episode of our National Shipbuilding Strategy series, we explore the growing role of Davie Shipyard in partnership with the Government of Canada. We look at Davie’s development over the years, its integration into the Strategy, and how it contributes to strengthening Canada’s shipbuilding capabilities, economy, and national security. // Guest bios: - Arianne Reza is the Deputy Minister for Public Services and Procurement Canada. - James Davies is the President and CEO of Davie Shipyard. // Host bio: David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Recommended Readings: - "Inflection Point: How to Reverse the Erosion of U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence" by David A. Ochmanek et al. - "Parkinson's Law, and Other Studies in Administration" by Cyril Northcote Parkinson - "Values" by Mark Carney // Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll Release date: 4 July 2025

On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Ed Luce to discuss the life and legacy of Zbigniew Brzezinski in his new book, "Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet". // Participants' bios Ed Luce is an author and the US national editor and columnist at the Financial Times. // Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. // Reading Recommendations: - "Zbig: The Life of Zbigniew Brzezinski, America’s Great Power Prophet" by Ed Luce. - "Ed Luce’s ‘Zbig’: Brzezinski Finally Gets His Due" by Colin Robertson. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll // Recording Date: June 4, 2025 Release date: July 2, 2025

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Kelly Ogle and Joe Calnan talk with Jason Doering about challenges to Canadian grids, as well as a novel idea - the development of a "Northern Interconnection" across Canada. You can find Jason's "Power System 101" here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jason-doering-p-eng-62340a2a_power-system-101-activity-7332042704547192833-be57?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAABk4nYgByq5N379oYM1vOu2D9XJxG2wj66A // Guest Bio: - Jason Doering is a former Senior Executive at Albertan utility ENMAX // Host Bio: - Kelly Ogle is Managing Director of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute - Joe Calnan is VP, Energy and Calgary Operations at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Reading recommendations: - "The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance", by Josh Waitzkin: https://www.amazon.ca/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performance/dp/0743277465 // Interview recording Date: June 16, 2025 // 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.

In this episode of Defence Deconstructed we sit down with Charlotte Duval-Lantoine, Robert Baines, and Nicolas Todd to reflect on the 2025 NATO Summit in the Hague and associated NATO Public Forum and NATO Industry Forum. We explore key takeaways from the 76th NATO Summit, including its major actions, how it compared to last year’s summit in Washington, D.C., progress on NATO’s minimum defence spending targets, the new investment pledge, and commitments to improve allied capabilities. Our focus is on what these developments mean for Canada, particularly in light of Donald Trump’s presence at the summit. // Guest bios: - Charlotte Duval-Lantoine is the Vice President, Ottawa Operations and a Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, as well as Triple Helix's Executive Director and Gender Advisor. - Robert Baines is the President and CEO of the NATO Association of Canada. - Nicolas Todd is VP Government Relations and Communications for the Canadian Association for Defence and Security Industries (CADSI). // Host bio: David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Recommended Readings: - "Values" by Mark Carney - "Forced to Change" by Bernd Horn and Dr. Bill Bentley - "Freedom's Forge" by Arthur Herman - "A Call To Arms" by Maury Klein // Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll Release date: 27 June 2025

On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Kelly Ogle and Joe Calnan talk with Yvan Cliche about shifting views from Quebec on Canadian energy and some initial thoughts on Federal major projects legislation in light of global energy risks. // Guest Bio: - Yvan Cliche is a researcher for CERIUM in Montreal and a CGAI Fellow // Host Bio: - Kelly Ogle is Managing Director of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute - Joe Calnan is VP, Energy and Calgary Operations at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Reading recommendations: - "Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare", by Edward Fishman: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/726149/chokepoints-by-edward-fishman/ - "The Handmaid's Tale: A Novel", by Margaret Atwood: https://www.amazon.ca/Handmaids-Tale-Margaret-Atwood/dp/038549081X // Interview recording Date: June 18, 2025 // 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 Marius Grinius and James Trottier to discuss North and South Korea. // Participants' bios - Marius Grinius is a CGAI Fellow and was the former Canadian Ambassador to North and South Korea, Vietnam and the U.N. in Geneva. - James Trottier is a CGAI Fellow, a former Canadian Foreign Service Officer and served in Korea, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar. // Host bio: Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson // Reading Recommendations: - "Imperial Boredom" by Jeffrey A. Auerbach - "The Thinking Machine" by Stephen Witt - "Focus: The Asml Way" by Marc Hijink - "We" by Yevgeny Zamyatin // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll // Recording Date: June 17, 2025 Release date: June 23, 2025

In this episode of Defence Deconstructed we sit down with Dr. Davis Ellison to discuss the NATO Public Forum, taking place on the sidelines of the NATO Summit next week and what to expect from the NATO Summit itself. // Guest bios: - Dr. Davis Ellison is a strategic analyst at The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies specializing in security and defence affairs and chair of the HCSS Initiative on the Future of Transatlantic Relations. // Host bio: David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute // Recommended Readings: - "Uncivil War: The British Army and the Troubles, 1966–1975" by Huw Bennett - "We Do Not Part" by Han Kang // Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding. // Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll Release date: 20 June 2025