February 18 and 19, 2026 | Virtual
A curated collection of videos from the GC Data Conference, showcasing 60 second challenges, special remarks, and insights from data leaders across the Government of Canada. You can access the videos and resources in the virtual lobby.
Video 1: Francis Bilodeau, Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage
Video 2: Shaifa Kanji, Assistant Deputy Minister and Digital Transformation Officer, Health Canada
Video 3: Jodi Brouillard, Vice-President, User Experience and Service Branch, Canada School of Public Service
Video 4: Ben Copp, Director General, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada
Video 5: Nadia Ahmad, Director General, Chief Data Officer and Head of Evaluation, Global Affairs Canada
Video 6: Gabrielle FitzGerald, Senior Director, Analytics and Systems, Justice Canada
Video 7: Christopher Valiquet, Director, GC Data Community, Canada School of Public Service
Video 8: Ranjana Sharma, Chief Scientist at Natural Resources Canada
[00:00:00 The video opens with an animated title page. A dark, futuristic background with neon pink and blue lines. Text on screen: GC Data Conference 2026 presents: The 60 Second Challenge!]
[00:00:11 Francis Bilodeau appears on screen. Text on screen: Former Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada]
Francis Bilodeau: Hello, I'm Francis Bilodeau. I am associate deputy minister to the Department of ISED, and I am here for the sixty-second challenge.
[00:00:20 A timer appears in the top-right corner of the screen.]
Francis Bilodeau First question: What book, podcast or article shaped your thinking on innovation or leadership? I'm going to say A Public Servant's Voice, and the book and the discussions with the author.
Second question: What do you think are the most important data skills that public servants will need to succeed over the next five years? I really think it could be data analysis, etc.; but for me, curiosity and the willingness to try are the most important.
If you could change one thing about how we manage and use data in the public service, what would it be? We need standards. And we should be more open by default.
What advice would you give to someone starting a career in data? I think we need to remember our objective. Data is a bit like fuel, but you have to remember your destination.
Cite a speaker from a previous Government of Canada data conference from whom you learned a useful lesson. A few years ago, I interviewed Gerry McGovern, who talked to us about the environmental impact of data, a lesson that I think is useful nowadays.
Alright, there you go.
[00:00:11 Shaifa Kanji appears on screen. Text on screen: Assistant Deputy Minister and Digital Transformation Officer, Health Canada]
Shaifa Kanji: Hey, I'm Shaifa Kanji. I'm the ADM for the digital transformation branch at Health Canada. And I'm here for the sixty second challenge. Let's go! Alright, so the first question:
[00:00:21 A timer appears in the top-right corner of the screen.]
Shaifa Kanji: What's one private sector lesson you would apply to the public service? I would say make a decision. Not be too much consensus driven, agree to fail faster, move on and rinse and repeat.
If you could change one thing about data management in government, what would it be? I would say data interoperability and data shareability. Start by making data available by default and then apply the rules after.
If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be? I would say prompt engineering because if AI could understand what I wanted to answer in the very first place, that would make both of our lives easier. So prompt engineering.
What are the top challenges and opportunities in modernizing legacy systems in government? Okay, in my experience, migrating data is one of the top challenge and opportunity because data is stuck in the legacy system, and mobility in the newer system is one of the hardest things to do.
Yay!
[00:00:11 Jodi Brouillard appears on screen. Text on screen: Vice President, User Experience and Service Branch, Canada School of Public Service]
Jodi Brouillard: Hello, my name is Jodie Brouillard, and I am the Vice President and Chief Information Officer here at the Canada School of Public Service. I am here today for the sixty-second challenge.
[00:00:25 A timer appears in the top-right corner of the screen.]
Jodi Brouillard: What innovation excites you the most in your work? I would say that the use of AI in my daily activities excites me the most.
Name one key action to improve data maturity. For me, it's very important to clarify who's responsible for the data. If the data belongs to no one, its quality is not a priority for anyone.
What is the first step in launching an AI project? I think it's really important to understand the problem you are trying to solve. At the same time, for example, you need to know what AI and automation can do. So, you need to be very curious and play around with different tools before embarking on different projects.
Whoo!
[00:00:11 Ben Copp appears on screen. Text on screen: Director General, Office of Energy Efficiency, Natural Resources Canada]
Ben Copp: Hi, my name is Ben Copp. I'm the director general of the Office of Energy Efficiency. I am here for the sixty second challenge. Let's go.
Ben Copp: What is the most popular dataset released by the Office of Energy Efficiency? It's the Canada Energy Use database.
If you could instantly master one new skill, what would it be? It would be the ability to take large data sets and put them into actionable policy more quickly.
What's one example of how data has informed innovation in energy efficiency policy or programs?
That is, through the use of smart thermostats, which allow us to shift energy demand, as well as to make people save money easier on their energy bills.
What does the data say about trends in Canada's energy efficiency landscape? Canada is becoming more energy efficient. We have become so energy efficient that over the last twenty five years, we've been able to save the energy equivalent to powering ten million households over the course of a year.
How is data helping Canada drive sustainable energy and digital transformation? It is through the use of smart thermostats. Smart thermostats allow us to move energy demand to off peak periods, as well as to help Canadians save energy in their homes.
[00:00:11 Nadia Ahmed appears on screen. Text on screen: Director General – Chief Data Officer & Head of Evaluation, Global Affairs Canada]
Nadia Ahmed: Hi, I'm Nadia Ahmed. I am the DG for Data Knowledge and Evaluation at Global Affairs Canada, and I'm here for the sixty second challenge. Let's go.
[00:00:22 A timer appears in the top-right corner of the screen.]
Nadia Ahmed: What's next for data at Global Affairs Canada? We're actually mapping all the data assets across the organization.
How many rows are in Canada's Country Name data reference standard? I think the number is around three eighty. But what's more important is that it is a single source of truth for the countries, territories and geographic areas recognized by the Government of Canada.
Name a previous GC Data Conference speaker who left an impact. Okay, I'm going to go with Tiankai Feng. He and I were on a panel together last year on data governance. But what's more cool is he does these data governance YouTube songs, so you should check them out.
How has a career in foreign affairs shaped your approach to data leadership? I would say that my career at the department has taught me that context matters. And it's taught me how to navigate complexity. I would say.
Okay, yay!
[00:00:11 Gabrielle FitzGerald appears on screen. Text on screen: Senior Director, Analytics and Systems, Justice Canada]
Gabrielle FitzGerald: Hello, my name is Gabrielle FitzGerald, I'm from the Department of Justice, and I'm here to do the sixty-second challenge.
Gabrielle FitzGerald: What will be the most sought-after skill in the field of data in the future? That would be data literacy combined with an understanding of AI.
What advice would you give to someone starting a career in data? Start with the basics like governance, stewardship—processes, people, tools, and technologies all at the same time.
List one thing a team can do to improve data maturity. Start with the current level of maturity to create an end goal because departments have different strengths and weaknesses.
What new skill would you like to master? Technology rights with AI.
[00:00:11 Christopher Valiquet appears on screen. Text on screen: Director, GC Data Community, Canada School of Public Service]
Christopher Valiquet: Hello, my name is Christopher Valiquet, I am the Director of the GC Data Community, and I am here for the sixty-second challenge.
[00:00:19 A timer appears in the top-right corner of the screen.]
Christopher Valiquet: What innovation excites you the most in your work? That would be the development of a tool for assessing data maturity. This will give us a tool to measure and improve organizational maturity.
What is your best advice for starting a career in data? Use the Wayne Gretzky strategy. Go where the puck is going.
What new skill do you dream of mastering? That would be best ability to make predictions while using AI, of course.
Which expert from the GC Data Conference inspired you? It's very difficult to say, but I would say that Jude Kong last year was one of the most inspiring.
What is the first step in launching an AI project? The definition stage. Define the objective. Define the current state. And define not only the risks related to AI, but also those related to inaction.
Okay, times up!
[00:00:11 Ranjana Sharma appears on screen. Text on screen: Chief Scientist, Natural Resources Canada]
Ranjana Sharma: Hi, my name is Ranjana Sharma and I'm the chief scientist at Natural Resources Canada. And today I'm here for the sixty second challenge. So let's go.
Ranjana Sharma: Who has most influenced to your thinking on science and data innovation? It's hard to name one name, but if I had to, it had to be our own very Canadian, Yoshua Bengio.
Which emerging technologies will most change how we manage and analyze natural resources data? It will have to be A.I., artificial intelligence. It is changing the way we think, it is changing the way we work, and there is so much more to come.
So, what are your priorities for advancing how NRCan uses science data? I would say it has to be interoperability, as well as data governance. We have many science sectors and we need to have a bit of an enterprise approach in how we are looking at data.
In one sentence: why does open science and data sharing matter for Canada's future? Open science and data sharing really matters because it is important for data reuse, which means that we can, use the collected data more than one time and for different purposes.
Thank you very much.
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