Deepening Canada-ASEAN Engagement at the Calgary Stampede: A Strategic Imperative for Trade, Investment, and Growth

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As global supply chains restructure and new trade architectures emerge, market diversification into the ASEAN region has shifted from a forward-looking strategy to an immediate board-level imperative. The economic corridor between Canada and Southeast Asia now represents one of the decade's most significant cross-border opportunities, serving as a critical engine for trade, investment, and high-value collaboration. Against the strategic backdrop of the Calgary Stampede, the Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) co-hosted the Canada-ASEAN Business Summit alongside our member, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, in Calgary on July 8, 2026. This high-level dialogue brought together senior government officials, industry leaders, academic experts, and eight ASEAN Heads of Mission representing Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. With more than 80 senior delegates in attendance, the summit focused on a single, vital objective: translating macro-level Indo-Pacific policy into tangible, long-term commercial execution. The program opened with remarks by The Hon. Brian Jean, Alberta's Minister of Energy and Minerals; Frank Turner, Partner and Co-Chair of Osler's Asia Pacific Initiative; and Wayne Farmer, President of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council. Together, they highlighted Alberta's accelerating footprint in Southeast Asia, identifying immediate avenues for collaboration in energy transition, critical minerals, sovereign investment, and structural trade diversification. Following the opening session, attendees participated in a dedicated networking briefing with ASEAN Heads of Mission. This private exchange provided Canadian enterprises with a direct line to senior diplomatic representatives from across Southeast Asia, bridging the gap between high-level trade policy and direct B2B market entry, investment priorities, and bilateral cooperation. The summit also featured special remarks from The Hon. Heath MacDonald, Canada’s Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, who underscored the critical nature of Canada's deepening partnership with Southeast Asia, emphasizing the strategic intersection of agricultural innovation, regional food security infrastructure, and commercial expansion within ASEAN markets. The event proceeded with a series of panel discussions. Panel 1: Economic Diversification and Canada-ASEAN Trade Dynamics in the Previous 12 Months The first panel explored Canada's evolving commercial relationship with ASEAN, highlighting opportunities for trade diversification, investment attraction, and regional competitiveness. This session also discussed the implications of Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy and the ongoing ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement (AFACTA) negotiations for businesses looking to expand into Southeast Asia.

Panelists

• Chris Brown, Vice President, Business Development, Calgary Economic Development

• Brad Wall, Special Advisor, Osler; Canada Co-Chair, Canada-ASEAN Business Council

• Shane Jaffer, Director, Global Partnerships, Invest Alberta

• Zach Herbers, Managing Director, The Herbers Agency

• Shawn Denstedt, KC, Chair Emeritus, Osler

Moderator

• James Waddock, CEO, SingleTrack Solutions
  

Panel 2: Canada-ASEAN Defence & Security Cooperation

The second panel discussion focused on Canada's expanding Indo-Pacific footprint, regional security developments, foreign investment considerations, and supply chain resilience. Panelists from this session also examined opportunities to strengthen defence and security cooperation between Canada and ASEAN while fostering greater economic stability and strategic collaboration across the region.

Panelists

• Kaeleigh Kuzma, Partner, Competition, Trade and Foreign Investment, Osler

• Bill Hawkins, Senior Commercial Advisor, Canada-ASEAN Business Council

• Francis Syms, Head, School of Clean Energy, Humber Polytechnic

Moderator

• Hugo-Pierre Gagnon, Partner and Co-Chair, Asia Pacific Initiative, Osler

  
  

Moving Forward: Bridging Policy and Corporate Execution

The summit concluded with closing remarks from Brad Wall, leading into an executive networking session that allowed Canadian business leaders to interface directly with ASEAN diplomatic missions and senior policymakers.

The key takeaway from this engagement is clear: the macro-policy framework is set, diplomatic channels are open, and economic incentives are aligned. The mandate now shifts entirely to the private sector to execute. As Canada’s leading platform for Southeast Asian trade, the CABC remains committed to facilitating these high-value linkages to ensure Canadian businesses witness and contribute to the growth of the ASEAN economic corridor.