GC Data Conference 2024: About the conference

Plenary

General

Day 1 – Conference opening

Masters of ceremonies:

• Erika-Kirsten Easton, Chief Data Officer and Director General, Enterprise Service, Data and Architecture Directorate, Transport Canada
• Phil Gratton, Associate Faculty, Digital Academy, Canada School of Public Service

Opening remarks:

• Taki Sarantakis, President, Canada School of Public Service
• Arun Thangaraj, Deputy Minister, Transport Canada
• John Hannaford, Clerk of the Privy Council

Plenary

General

Exploring the future of responsible AI

Speaker:

• Timnit Gebru, Computer Scientist

Moderator:

• Arun Thangaraj, Deputy Minister, Transport Canada

Health break and virtual networking

Find people to connect with:

• Connect with other conference participants at lunch and learns hosted by GC data practitioner working groups and communities of practice
• Chat with others attending the conference with Slack
• Post a message on the GCDC forum on GCcollab
• Join the conversation on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn using #GCData2024

Stage 1: Future of responsible AI in GC

General

Enhancing human potential through responsible AI: Co-pilot vs. auto-pilot

Speakers:

• Chantal Guay, Chief Executive Officer, Standards Council of Canada
• Elissa Strome, Executive Director, Pan-Canadian AI Strategy, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
• Yvan Gauthier, Head, Artificial Intelligence Accelerator, Data Analytics Centre / NRC Digital Technologies, National Research Council

Moderator:

• Stephen Burt, Chief Data Officer of Canada and Assistant Deputy Minister of Data and Digital Policy, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Stage 2: Improving service delivery through automation

Intermediate

Enabling effective service automation with data governance

Speakers:

• Niraj Bhargava, CEO and Co-Founder, NuEnergy.ai
• Gabrielle FitzGerald, Chief Data and Chief Risk Officer, Canadian Food Inspection Agency
• Élise Legendre, Chief Data Officer and Director General, Data Policy and Transformation, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Moderator:

• Nadia Ahmad, Director General, Data and Evaluation, Global Affairs Canada

Stage 3: Improving service delivery through automation

Advanced

Sharing data to enable enterprise-wide automation

Speakers:

• Wendy Chee, Director, Science Data Solutions, Science Program, Shared Services Canada
• George Esper, Principal Technical Advisor, Data and Information Management Directorate, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Eric Guimond, Chief Data Officer and Director General, Indigenous Services Canada

Moderator:

• Geneviève Jourdain, Director, Data Access Division, Statistics Canada

Stage 1: The future of responsible AI

General

Imagining citizen-centric AI solutions for all Canadians

Speakers:

• Abdi Aidid, Assistant professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law
• Benjamin Alarie, Professor, University of Toronto Faculty of Law; Specialist, Legal Innovation, Blue J
• Ima Okonny, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Data Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada

Moderator:

• Vanessa Vermette, Vice-President, Innovation and Skills Development, Canada School of Public Service

Stage 2: Improving service delivery through automation

Intermediate

Maturing data analytics from insight to foresight

Speakers:

• Kaveh Afshar-Zanjani, Executive Director, Data Strategy, Chief Data Office, Canada Border Service Agency
• Carol Wilson, Director, Advanced Analytics, Canada Post Corporation
• Christopher Zakhem, Director of Innovation & Analytics, Chief Data Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Moderator:

• Kara Beckles, Executive Director, Privacy and Responsible Data Division, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Stage 3:

Advanced

Virtual lightning round

Speakers:

• Ryan Klomp, Director, Multi-Modal Technology Development Research & Testing, Innovation Centre, Transport Canada
• Martin Perron, Lawyer and Developer – Rules as Code Lab, Public Sector Experimentation, Canada School of Public Service
• Steve Rennie, Director, Data-Driven Technologies, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
• Roksana Sheikholmolouki, Data Scientist, Data and Emerging Technologies, Canadian Space Agency
• Joshua Turner, Senior Advisor, Application Development, Canada School of Public Service

Moderator:

• Tereza Cundy, Director, Public Sector Experimentation, Canada School of Public Service

Plenary

General

Fireside chat with Shoshana Zuboff and Jim Balsillie

Speakers:

• Jim Balsillie, Retired Chairman and co-CEO, Research In Motion (BlackBerry)
• Shoshana Zuboff, Author, The Age of Surveillance Capitalism and Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School

Introduction and moderation:

• Taki Sarantakis, President, Canada School of Public Service

Plenary

General

Closing remarks

Speaker:

• Kristina Casey, Chief Service and Digital Officer, Transport Canada

Plenary

General

Day 2 – Opening plenary

Masters of ceremonies:

• Erika-Kirsten Easton, Chief Data Officer and Director General, Enterprise Service, Data and Architecture Directorate, Transport Canada
• Phil Gratton, Associate Faculty, Digital Academy, Canada School of Public Service

Speakers:

• Anil Arora, Chief Statistician of Canada, Statistics Canada
• Valerie Gideon, Deputy Minister, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada and President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
• Stephen Lucas, Deputy Minister, Health Canada
• Gina Wilson, Deputy Minister, Indigenous Services Canada

Plenary

General

Taking stock of the evolution of data protection in Canada (French session)

Speaker:

• Chantal Bernier, Co-Chair and Counsel, Global Privacy and Cybersecurity Group, Dentons Canada

Moderator:

• Eric Rancourt, Assistant Chief Statistician and Chief Data Officer, Statistics Canada

Health break and virtual networking

• Connect with other conference participants at lunch and learns hosted by GC data practitioner working groups and communities of practice
• Chat with others attending the conference with Slack
• Post a message on the GCDC forum on GCcollab
• Join the conversation on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn using #GCData2024

Stage 1: The future of responsible AI

General

Integrating human-centred data and design approaches for inclusive services: People at the core

Speakers:

• Shion Guha, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Information, University of Toronto
• Jutta Treviranus, Director and Professor, Inclusive Design Research Centre, OCAD University
• Ryan Hum, Chief Client Experience Officer and Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizen Service Branch, Service Canada

Moderator:

• Kent Aitken, Director, Digital Academy, Canada School of Public Service

Learn about best practices and key principles of human-centered data and design approaches. Panelists will share their latest research and experience on the benefits and challenges of creating more inclusive, accessible, and user-friendly services.

Stage 2: Implementing data and human-centred design

Intermediate

Advancing Indigenous Data Sovereignty

Speakers:

• Erin Corston, Director and Executive Lead, National Data Champion Team, First Nations Information Governance Centre
• Gonzague Guéranger, Special Advisor and Implementation Lead, First Nations Data Governance Strategy, First Nations Information Governance Centre
• Gwen Phillips, BC First Nations Data Governance Initiative Champion, Ktunaxa Nation

Moderator:

• Erin O'Sullivan, Director, Data Innovation and Partnerships, Indigenous Services Canada

Stage 3: Improving service delivery through automation

Advanced

Putting guidance into practice: Workshop on assessing potential impacts of automated systems

Speakers:

• Chrysandre Courchêne, Manager, Responsible Data and AI Centre of Expertise, Chief Data Office, Canada Border Service Agency
• Hayat Looye, Acting Senior Director, Strategic and Horizontal Policy Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
• Julien-Charles Levesque, Senior AI Advisor, Chief Data Officer Branch, Employment and Social Development Canada

Moderator:

• Benoit Deshaies, Director, Responsible Data and Artificial Intelligence, Office of the Chief Data Officer of Canada, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Stage 1: The future of responsible AI

General

Integrating Indigenous knowledge and AI

Speakers:

• Suzanne Kite, Assistant Professor of American and Indigenous Studies, Bard College
• Michael Running Wolf, Co-Founder and Lead Architect First Languages AI Reality, Mila/IndigiGenius | Founder, Indigenous in AI/ML

Moderator:

• Karine Duhamel, Director of Indigenous Strategy, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada

Stage 2: The future of responsible AI

Intermediate

Exploring policy considerations for responsible AI in the Government of Canada

Speakers:

• Surdas Mohit, Director, Artificial Intelligence and Data Policy, Marketplace Framework Policy Branch, Innovation, Science, and Economic Development Canada
• Anneke Olvera, Director, Programs & Operations, Strategy and Stakeholder Engagement, Standards Council of Canada

Moderator:

• Somaieh Nikpoor, Lead, Data Science and AI Strategy, Transport Canada

Stage 3: Service improvement through data automation and robotics process automation

Intermediate

Industry 4.0: Data automation and AI for the Canadian supply chain

Speakers:

• Lynette DuJohn, Vice President of Innovation and Chief Information Officer, Vancouver Airport Authority
• Allan Gray, President and CEO, Halifax Port Authority
• John Schmitter, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, RailState

Moderator:

• Kristina Casey, Chief Service and Digital Officer, Transport Canada

Plenary

General

Why government is failing in the digital age and how we can do better

Speaker:

• Jennifer Pahlka, Founder, Code for America

Moderator:

• Taki Sarantakis, President, Canada School of Public Service

Plenary

General

Closing remarks

Speakers:

• Rowena Orok, Director General, Economic Analysis Statistics and Data Governance, Strategic Policy Sector, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Christopher Valiquet, Director, GC Data Community