
The CGAI Podcast Network
The CGAI Podcast Network is created and produced by the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Join us each week to explore the energy, defense, and international affairs stories that matter to Canadians. Listen now to CGAI podcasts “The Global Exchange”, “Defence Deconstructed”, and “Energy Security Cubed”, and partner podcasts “Battle Rhythm" and “Conseils de sécurité”. Visit www.cgai.ca for more, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
The Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI) is a charitable, independent, non-partisan, research institute based in Ottawa, Ontario and Calgary, Alberta.
Latest episodes

Jul 2, 2025 • 34min
Warsaw to Washington: Ed Luce on Zbigniew Brzezinski
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".
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Participants' bios
Ed Luce is an author and the US national editor and columnist at the Financial Times.
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Host bio:
Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.
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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.
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Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll
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Recording Date: June 4, 2025
Release date:
July 2, 2025

Jul 2, 2025 • 48min
Building a Northern Interconnection
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
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Guest Bio:
- Jason Doering is a former Senior Executive at Albertan utility ENMAX
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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
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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
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Interview recording Date: June 16, 2025
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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.
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Produced by Joe Calnan. Music credits to Drew Phillips.

Jun 27, 2025 • 44min
NATO in The Hague
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.
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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).
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Host bio:
David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute
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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
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Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding.
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Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll
Release date:
27 June 2025

Jun 25, 2025 • 25min
Quebec, Federalism, and Energy Security
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.
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Guest Bio:
- Yvan Cliche is a researcher for CERIUM in Montreal and a CGAI Fellow
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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
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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
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Interview recording Date: June 18, 2025
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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.
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Produced by Joe Calnan. Music credits to Drew Phillips.

Jun 23, 2025 • 38min
A Close Up on North and South Korea
On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Marius Grinius and James Trottier to discuss North and South Korea.
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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.
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Host bio:
Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson
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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
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Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll
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Recording Date: June 17, 2025
Release date:
June 23, 2025

Jun 20, 2025 • 25min
Previewing the 2025 NATO Summit
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.
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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.
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Host bio:
David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute
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Recommended Readings:
- "Uncivil War: The British Army and the Troubles, 1966–1975" by Huw Bennett
- "We Do Not Part" by Han Kang
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Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding.
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Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll
Release date:
20 June 2025

Jun 18, 2025 • 1h 1min
The Trouble of Aging Grid Infrastructure
On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Kelly Ogle and Joe Calnan talk with Kathryn Porter about the frequency issues and outages caused by mixing aging grid infrastructure with inverter-based resources, and what Western countries can do to bolster their grids.
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For the intro, Kelly and Joe discuss Israel's strike on Iran and the nightmare scenario: an Iranian decision to close the Strait of Hormuz.
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Guest Bio:
- Kathryn Porter is the founder of Watt-Logic: https://watt-logic.com/
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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
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Reading recommendations:
- "The Unaccountability Machine", by Dan Davies: https://www.amazon.ca/Unaccountability-Machine-Dan-Davies/dp/1788169549
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Interview recording Date: June 13, 2025
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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.
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Produced by Joe Calnan. Music credits to Drew Phillips.

Jun 16, 2025 • 35min
Securing the North
On this episode of #TheGlobalExchange, Colin Robertson sits down with Aaron Shull and Vincent Rigby to discuss Canada's national security: what it entails, what we expect from it, and what aspects must evolve to meet the demands of today's political landscape.
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Participants' bios
- Aaron Shull is Managing Director & General Counsel at The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).
- Vincent Rigby was the former National Security intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Slater Family Professor of Practice with McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy.
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Host bio:
Colin Robertson is a former diplomat and Senior Advisor to the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, www.cgai.ca/colin_robertson
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Reading Recommendations:
- "On Tyranny" by Timothy Snyder
- "On Freedom" by Timothy Snyder
- "The Appeal" by John Grisham
- "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius
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Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll
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Recording Date: June 3, 2025
Release date:
June 16, 2025

Jun 13, 2025 • 25min
The Arctic Alliance
In this episode of Defence Deconstructed we sit down with Captain William Woityra to discuss his new paper, “ICE Pact Lurches to Life”. This underscores the ICE Pact as a trilateral alliance between Canada, Finland, and the United States, with a specific focus on collaborative efforts in icebreaker shipbuilding and the valuable insights shared by National Coordinators during our co-hosted event with the Government of Canada on June 11.
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Guest bios:
- Captain William Woityra is 2025 CFR International Affairs Fellow in Canada and a 2018 Fulbright Scholar in Finland. He is a 1999 Coast Guard Academy graduate, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering.
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Host bio:
David Perry is President and CEO of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute
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Recommended Readings:
- "Proof: The Art and Science of Certainty" by Adam Kucharski
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Defence Deconstructed was brought to you by Irving Shipbuilding.
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Music Credit: Drew Phillips | Producer: Jordyn Carroll
Release date:
13 June 2025

Jun 11, 2025 • 52min
PONIs and Stallions: Building Major Projects
On this episode of the Energy Security Cubed Podcast, Kelly Ogle and Joe Calnan talk with Heather Exner-Pirot about the new Canadian major projects legislation and how we should think about nation-building projects and Canada's national interest for energy.
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For the intro, Kelly and Joe discuss the next month is oil prices and the prospect of pipelines thorough B.C.
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Guest Bio:
- Heather Exner-Pirot is a Senior Fellow and Director of Energy, Natural Resources and Environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute
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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
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Reading recommendations:
- "Abundance", by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson: https://www.amazon.ca/Abundance-Progress-Takes-Ezra-Klein/dp/1668023482
- "The Buried City: Unearthing the Real Pompeii", by Gabriel Zuchtriegel: https://www.amazon.ca/Buried-City-Unearthing-Pompeii-Bestseller/dp/1399731173
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Interview recording Date: June 10, 2025
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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.
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Produced by Joe Calnan. Music credits to Drew Phillips.