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GC Data Conference 2026: Agenda

February 18 and 19, 2026 | Virtual

Agenda

Day 1 - February 18, 2026
Day 1 - February 18, 2026
Time Description
1:00 pm to 1:05 pm
(5 min)

Opening Remarks

Welcome and introduction from the masters of ceremonies and senior leaders.

Speaker:

  • Vanessa Vermette, Vice-President, Innovation, Policy and Skills Development Branch, Canada School of Public Service
1:05 pm to 1:15 pm
(10 min)

Traditional Opening Ceremony

Speaker:

1:15 pm to 2:45 pm
(90 min)

Fireside Chat: Navigating AI and Data Sovereignty, Stewardship and Trust

Join Nick Frosst, co-founder of Cohere, for a fireside chat on the current and future opportunities and challenges of AI. Explore key themes and implications for sovereignty, stewardship and trust. Learn about key considerations for public service organizations seeking to build trust, foster inclusion and improve productivity in a rapidly evolving and competitive digital age.

Speakers:

  • Nick Frosst, Co-Founder, Cohere
  • Abdi Aidid, Assistant Professor of Law, University of Toronto, and Visiting Scholar, Canada School of Public Service
  • Bailey Kacsmar, Assistant Professor, University of Alberta, and Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (Amii) Fellow

Moderator:

2:45 pm to 3:00 pm
(10 min)

Overview Remarks

Reflections on key messages and lessons learned from Day 1.

Speakers:

Day 2 - February 19, 2026
Day 2 - February 19, 2026
Time Description
10:30 am to 11:00 am
(30 min)

Opening Remarks and Special Addresses

Welcome from the masters of ceremonies and senior leaders.

Masters of ceremonies:

  • Diane Spencer, Deputy Chief Data Officer, Natural Resources Canada
  • Mélanie Robert, Executive Faculty Member, Canada School of Public Service

Special address: A Message from Francis Brisson, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Financial Officer, Natural Resources Canada

Special address: A Message from André Loranger, Chief Statistician of Canada, Statistics Canada

11:00 am to 11:50 am
(50 min)

Keynote and Panel Discussion: Advancing Organizational Data Maturity to Improve Results for Canadians

Join Kishawna Peck, Founder and CEO of Woven, as she shares strategies for building data-informed cultures that use AI and inclusive leadership to drive innovation, strengthen decisions, and build public trust, followed by a panel discussion.

Keynote speaker:

Speaker:

  • Ima Okonny, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Data Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada

Moderator:

  • Mackenzie Lambe, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Service and Digital Officer, Digital Services Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada
1:00 pm to 1:50 pm
(50 min)

Concurrent Session: From Local to National – Data-Driven Innovation Across the Federation

Explore how regional innovation, data, and cross-government collaboration can scale local solutions into national impact for inclusive growth.

Speakers:

  • Scott McKenna, Chief Information Officer, Nova Scotia Health Authority and IWK Health
  • Hayden Lansdell, Associate Deputy Minister and Government Chief Information Officer, British Columbia
  • Christiana Cavazzoni, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Digital Officer, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Moderator:

  • Dominic Rochon, Deputy Minister and Chief Information Officer of Canada, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
1:00 pm to 1:50 pm
(50 min)

Concurrent Session: Crisis-Ready – Leveraging Geospatial Data and AI for Emergency Planning, Mitigation and Response

Explore how geospatial data and AI-powered tools help Canada anticipate, prepare for, and respond to natural disasters. This session will showcase real-world case studies on leveraging geospatial data and AI for effective mitigation, proactive planning, and resilience building.

Speakers:

Moderator:

  • Thibaud Henin, Science Policy Advisor, Natural Resources Canada
1:00 pm to 1:50 pm
(50 min)

Group Discussions

Join interactive MS Teams discussions to connect with subject matter experts, share perspectives, dive into conference themes, and exchange actionable insights.

Group Discussion 1: Moving Towards Data Maturity in the Government of Canada

Leads:

  • Chris Schultz, Manager, GC Data Community, Canada School of Public Service
  • Heidi (Wei-Ju) Wang, Data Lead, Open Government Portal, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Group Discussion 2: Data Interoperability and Metadata in Action

Leads:

  • Michael I. Mohammed, Manager, Policy and Legislation, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
  • Matthew Moore, Manager, Government Record Branch, Library and Archives Canada
  • Kyle Browness, Director, Digital Collections Operations, Library and Archives Canada
  • Sylvain Richard, Director, Innovation, Project and Data Management, Library and Archives Canada
  • Suzanne Monette, Director, Information Management and Data Strategic Initiatives, Shared Services Canada

Group Discussion 3: Fostering Ethical Data and AI Culture

Leads:

  • Sarah Brickell, Manager, Data Management and Digital Adoption Services, Digital Services, Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
  • Raphaël Duteau, Manager, Responsible AI and Data Ethics, Employment and Social Development Canada

Group Discussion 4: Public Service Renewal

Leads:

  • Germaine Chazou-Essindi,  Director, Engagement and Outreach, Privy Council Office 
  • Jennifer Peddle, Senior Analyst, Public Service Renewal Secretariat, Privy Council Office
2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
(50 min)

Concurrent Session: Practical Strategies to Optimize Data Value and Trust

Learn practical frameworks and quick-start strategies for data governance pillars, metadata management, and business glossaries to help public service professionals maximize data value and trust.

Speakers:

Moderator:

  • Delroy Barrett, Chief Data Officer, Digital Services Branch, Environment and Climate Change Canada
2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
(50 min)

Concurrent Session: Lightning Round Presentations

Explore lightning-round presentations from Government of Canada data practitioners, featuring short, case-study-style insights on the latest tools, techniques, and initiatives shaping public service data work today.

Presentation 1: The Public Health Information Sharing Agreement

Speaker:

  • Patrick Lagioia, Executive Director, Policy and Partnerships, Public Health Agency of Canada

Presentation 2: Mapping the Future: Canada's New Collaborative Geospatial Data Strategy

Speakers:

Presentation 3: GCtranslate: Using Artificial Intelligence to Build a More Agile, Modern and Bilingual Public Service

Speakers:

  • Jean-François Lymburner, Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
  • Julie Poirier, French Translation, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada

Presentation 4: Enterprise Common Datasets: Theory and Practice

Speaker:

  • Naseem Butt, Manager,Data and Analytics team, Department of National Defence

Presentation 5:  Leveraging AI for Modernized Data Sharing in Canadian Transport 

Speaker:

  • Raj Sandhu,  Technical Advisor, Data Engineering and Cloud Infrastructure, Transport Canada 

Moderator:

  • Erika-Kirsten Easton, Chief Data Officer and Director General, Enterprise Service, Data and Architecture, Transport Canada
2:00 pm to 2:50 pm
(50 min)

Group Discussions

Join interactive MS Teams discussions to connect with subject matter experts, share perspectives, dive into conference themes, and exchange actionable insights.

Group Discussion 5: A Historic, Collaborative Data-Driven Foundation to Support Inuit Children

Leads:

  • Adrian Cloete, PhD, Director, Data Strategies and Performance Measurement, Indigenous Services Canada
  • Cassandra Yantha, Senior Policy Advisor, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami

Group Discussion 6: Foundational Approaches to Generative AI and Data Learning Supports in the GC

Leads:

  • Christine Minas, Executive Director, Policy, Partnerships and Science, Office of the Chief Data Officer, Health Canada
  • Julian Kirby, Senior Policy Advisor and Senior Economist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
  • Diane Johnston, Director, AI Strategic Planning, Chief Digital Officer Sector, Fisheries and Oceans Canada

Group Discussion 7: Scientific Data Management

Leads:

  • Nataliya Dormann, Director, Science Policy, Governance and Communications , Office of the Chief Scientist, Natural Resources Canada
  • Surya Sarkar-Huot, Senior Policy Advisor, Natural Resources Canada

Group Discussion 8: Why the Policy on Service and Digital Had to Change: What the Data Is (and Isn’t) Telling Us

Leads:

  • Christine Lau, Director, Digital Policy and Performance, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
  • Miranda Dyck, Manager, Digital Policy and Performance, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
(60 min)

Keynote: Using Data to Drive Government Efficiency and Productivity

Join Sahir Khan, Executive Vice-President of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy, for a keynote exploring how data-driven insights strengthen government decision-making, build trust, and deliver better outcomes for citizens.

Keynote speaker:

  • Sahir Khan, Executive Vice-President, Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy

Moderator:

  • Marc Brouillard, Chief Information Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister, Digital Services Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada
4:00 pm to 4:10 pm
(10 min)

Special Address: A Message from Mike MacDonald, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada

4:10 pm to 4:20 pm
(10 min)

Traditional Closing Ceremony

4:20 pm to 4:30 pm
(10 min)

Overview Remarks

Reflections on key messages and lessons learned from Day 2.

Speaker:


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