The Swing

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s call for an “alliance for the future” with the European Union sent a clear signal the close ties between Canada and the EU are founded on strategic autonomy, But what does that mean on the ground? What does it mean for Canadians? And what does it mean for Ukraine? On this episode of The Swing , Heather Bakken speaks with Lithuanian MP and Deputy Speaker Žygimantas Pavi...

Democracy Starts With Us. As we mark the International Day of Democracy on The Swing, and the release of International IDEA’s Global State of Democracy Report 2026: Democracy in an Age of Conflict , host Heather Bakken is joined by Alberto Fernandez Gibaja of International IDEA, Maiwand Rayab of Resilient Societies, and the head of Pendulum Group's information integrity practice, Jennifer Irish. T...

In modern AI-driven warfare, the battlefield isn't just overseas — it's in our feeds, our institutions, and our trust in one another. The nature of the threat means we can't leave it up to professional organizations like the security and intelligence community to mitigate and deal with the threat. Civilian resiliency is critical to withstanding this threat environment. In this episode, host Heathe...

This episode of Pendulum's The Swing, hosted by Heather Bakken, features Peeter Tali, who is a member of Estonia's parliament and former head of the Estonian Ministry of Defence's Strategic Communications Department, alongside Balkan Devlen, principal in Pendulum's geopolitical practice and a leading Canadian expert on international security, NATO, and geopolitical risk. Drawing on Estonia's front...

Gendered disinformation is both a sophisticated weapon and a blunt-force tool of hybrid warfare that is being used to silence women. It is a threat to collective security -- and democracies are paying the price. In this episode of The Swing , host Heather Bakken is joined by three leading experts to unpack one of the most urgent and underexamined threats to democratic participation. Dr. Janos Bots...

Prime Minister Mark Carney's office announced it will hold the first Canada Investment Summit in September. In this episode of The Swing , Pendulum examines whether Canada can turn its vast energy wealth into a competitive advantage in an increasingly power-hungry world. Host Heather Bakken is joined by industry leaders Lorena Patterson, President and CEO of Water Power Canada; Leah Lawrence, Corp...

War with Iran marks the first truly AI-native information environment in warfare where the human brain is both the target and the weapon, and the battlefield is your phone. In this episode, producer and host Heather Bakken is joined by two experts in the field of cognitive and gray zone warfare. Jennifer Irish is a principal at Pendulum Geopolitical Advisory Group and leader of the Information Int...

This episode host Heather Bakken is joined by Pendulum colleagues Jennifer Irish and Yaroslav Baran to discuss how the seemingly unplanned aspects of U.S. strategy in Iran are actually playing out geopolitically and what impact it has on Canada. The trio unpacks what the war reveals about great power dynamics and the consequences that reach well beyond the Strait of Hormuz. Irish argues this confl...

This week marks four years since the most recent unprovoked attack on Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s Russia. Ukrainians have been at war for 12 years and have spent the last four shedding blood, tears, and the stability they once enjoyed to defend the freedoms and values of their democracy. It was – and continues to be – a cruel and unjustified assault on a sovereign country. It goes against internat...

Closing out season one on The Swing , Pendulum`s Yaroslav Baran and Heather Bakken discuss the political year that was: who`s up and who`s down, communications wins and losses, and what actually got done. The Liberals made the biggest comeback in Canada`s electoral history and the new prime minister rode the momentum through 2025. But electoral results aren't the only things that changed; Canadian...

On this episode of The Swing , we dive into one of the most consequential, and least understood, aspects of the war in Ukraine: Russia’s frozen state assets. Roughly $300B USD were seized by the G7 and EU in 2022 and have been sitting in financial deep-freeze. The Belgian securities depository, Euroclear, manages 90% of these frozen assets — including Canada’s share. What happens next could decide...

How do you clear a path for peace using a blueprint for capitulation? In this episode of The Swing , Pendulum's Heather Bakken, Yaroslav Baran and Balkan Devlen (also an internationally renowned geopolitical strategist) dissect the most contentious development in the Ukraine war since the full-scale invasion began: a leaked 28-point so-called “peace plan” reportedly penned in secret by U.S. specia...

Pendulum's Heather Bakken and Yaroslav Baran break down the narrow but decisive passage of Canada’s federal budget — a vote that hinged on the Green Party's unexpected support for the Liberals and the abstentions of some opposition MPs. Baran explains the political theatre and narrows in on parliamentary procedure to debunk speculation about the Speaker’s role with a clear walk-through of the Deni...

Canada's long awaited budget will be tabled on November 4th. It's the first one in 18 months and will lay out the new Carney government's agenda from a dollars and cents perspective. What are the signals it will send to the markets? How does the process work? And what are the politics at play? Yaroslav and Heather discuss the play-by-play process, estimates, ways and means vote, implementation bil...

We’re unpacking Canada’s evolving Indo-Pacific strategy: what it means, where it’s headed and why it matters now more than ever. This week Yaroslav Baran is joined by two luminaries of foreign policy and trade with a particular expertise in the Asia-Pacific region: Vina Najibulla is Vice-President, Research & Strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada and Jonathan Berkshire Miller is Co...

After four years advising two Prime Ministers of Canada on foreign policy, Oz Jungic breaks his silence with Pendulum . Jungic is moving on to another role outside of the political sphere and sat down with host Yaroslav Baran to discuss how decisions are made at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), how the decision to recognize Palestine came together, and the evolving NATO response to Russia’s war...

As Canada doubles down on resource development and infrastructure through its new Major Projects Office (MPO) and Bill C-5 (An Act to Enact the Free Trade and Labour Mobility in Canada Act and the Building Canada Act) the constitutional Duty to Consult Indigenous Peoples is becoming a defining opportunity for the country’s economic future. Hosts Heather Bakken and Yaroslav Baran explore how the Na...

The House is back! This week on The Swing , we examine Canada’s return to Parliament and the political tone-setting that will shape the months ahead. Parliamentary committees are structured groups of MPs drawn from all parties, designed to mirror the composition of the House. Yaroslav, a parliamentary procedural expert, explains how committees work and why they matter. Transport Minister, Chrystia...

This episode offers sharp insights into how Ottawa is preparing for its toughest test yet. Canada's lawmakers will be returning to the House next week in what promises to be a high-stakes fall sitting of Parliament. They will be welcomed by tariff shocks, fiscal pressure and a sharpened opposition. The audio briefing dives into: Machinery of government required for new marquee agencies like the Bu...

This week on The Swing , Yaroslav Baran, Balkan Devlen, and host Heather Bakken unpack three pivotal developments shaping Canada’s political and economic trajectory. A Cabinet Planning Forum sets the stage for a high-stakes fall session and budget. The new Major Projects Office launches in Calgary to fast-track infrastructure and send a clear signal to Alberta’s energy sector. And China’s high-pro...

Hop on The Swing to look at Canadian politics through a wider, global lens. This week, Yaroslav and Heather break down Prime Minister Mark Carney’s scrapping of U.S. tariffs, his surprise stop in Kyiv with nearly $2B in new aid for Ukraine, and a European tour cementing defence, trade, and NATO ties. Back home, Conservative party leader Pierre Poilievre reclaimed a seat in Parliament with a byelec...

This week on The Swing , Yaroslav and Heather unpack three developments that reveal just how unpredictable, and globally entangled, Canadian politics has become. The August 1 trade deadline came and went without a deal between Canada and the United States. Meantime Statistics Canada released the latest numbers 0n Canadian International Merchandise Trade. Ottawa made a foreign policy pivot. Prime M...

This episode is essential listening for anyone following Canada-U.S. relations , trade policy, or the broader dynamics of economic nationalism and geopolitical strategy. Hosts Heather Bakken and Yaroslav Baran are joined by Fen Hampson , Chancellor’s Professor of International Affairs at Carleton University and Co-chair of the Expert Group on Canada-US Relations. Together, they unpack the fast-app...

Multiple summits and looming trade deadlines are keeping Canada's Prime Minister busy in back-to-back meetings with Indigenous leaders, U.S. Senators, and provincial premiers. Yaroslav and Heather cut through the headlines for a grounded perspective on the politics, policies and process behind the bid to fast-track major projects of national interest with a moving goal post on trade deal deadlines...

This week, Pendulum co-founders Yaroslav Baran and Heather Bakken bring you inside the political machinery behind Canada’s next federal budget — and what happens before the numbers hit the page. Finance Minister Champagne is heading out on a cross-country road trip as part of a two-track consultation process to shape national priorities ahead of the fall budget. Yaroslav breaks down how it works,...