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Conference hosts will share some opening remarks with the audience.

Noah Smith is an American blogger and commentator on economics and current events. A former assistant professor of behavioral finance at Stony Brook University, Smith writes for his own Substack blog, Noahpinion, and has also written for publications including Bloomberg, Quartz, Associated Press, Business Insider, and The Atlantic. Smith left Bloomberg in 2021 to focus on Noahpinion. 

Lise Birikundavyi is the co-founder and managing partner of BKR Capital, the first institutionally backed, Black-led venture capital fund in Canada. Lise is an innovative finance specialist who has worked with several international institutions, most notably the Jacobs Foundation for whom she managed an edtech impact investment strategy. Lise also mentors and supports highly promising and impactful startups in emerging markets. She is a firm believer in using the forces of capital markets as a basis for more inclusive wealth creation and sustainable poverty alleviation. 

Jesse McCormick has previously served as the director of policy and Indigenous relations for the minister of Environment and Climate Change and the director of rights implementation for the minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. In those roles, he contributed to the establishment of Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas, the reform of Canada’s environmental assessment processes and the passage of federal legislation to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Jesse has also served in the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights as a senior Indigenous fellow. He is a proud citizen of the Anishinabek Nation. 

Christopher Ragan is an associate professor and former director of McGill University’s Max Bell School of Public Policy. Chris was the chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission, which launched in November 2014 with a five-year horizon to identify policy options to improve environmental and economic performance in Canada. He was also a member of the federal finance minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, which operated from early 2016 to mid-2019. During 2010-12 he was the president of the Ottawa Economics Association. From 2010-13, Chris held the David Dodge Chair in Monetary Policy at the C.D. Howe Institute, and for many years was a member of the institute’s Monetary Policy Council. In 2009-10, he served as the Clifford Clark Visiting Economist at Finance Canada; in 2004-05 he served as special adviser to the governor of the Bank of Canada. His published research focuses mostly on the conduct of macroeconomic policy.  

Moderator: 

Steve Lafleur is a research director at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, leading the Building New Foundations for Economic Growth research program. He also leads IRPP’s initiative exploring the role of industrial policy in navigating Canada’s next economic transformation. He has 15 years of experience working on issues ranging from housing policy to public finance and has authored or co-authored more than 50 research papers with four Canadian think tanks. He was most recently a senior fellow at the Fraser Institute as well as an independent columnist and researcher. His work has been featured in The Globe and Mail, the Financial Post, TVO and other print publications, and he has appeared on radio and television networks across the country. 

Opening remarks from Leah Gilbert-Morris, vice-president of public affairs and international relation, Export Development Canada
Patricia Goff is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Wilfrid Laurier University and at the Balsillie School of International Affairs. She has held visiting positions at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva and the University of Southern California’s School of International Relations. She has published widely on the politics of trade, with a special focus on the intersection of trade and culture. Recent publications include Trade and Culture: The Ongoing Debate (Routledge Press 2021) and The Multilevel Politics of Trade (with Jörg Broschek, University of Toronto Press 2020). 

Matthew Holmes is executive vice-president, international and chief of public policy for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, where he leads domestic and international policy, as well as the economics team at the Chamber’s Business Data Lab. With over 20 years of experience in public advocacy and strategy development, Matt has led national trade associations, served on international boards, and worked within higher education, research and innovation, agri-food and international trade, as well as the culture and media sectors. 

Steve Verheul held a number of senior level positions in the federal government prior to his retirement from the federal public service in 2022, including assistant deputy minister of the trade policy and negotiations branch at Global Affairs Canada. As Canada’s chief trade negotiator, he led the negotiations that resulted in the Canada-US-Mexico Trade Agreement (the new NAFTA), and before that led the negotiations between Canada and the European Union that led to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement. From 1989 to 2009, he worked in international trade policy at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and was Canada’s chief agriculture negotiator from 2003 to 2009, responsible for leading Canada’s involvement in international trade negotiations on agriculture. Steve is currently a principal with GT and Company Executive Advisors, as well as president of Steve Verheul Consulting Inc. He is also a Fellow of the Public Policy Forum. 

Moderator:

Jennifer Ditchburn is the president and CEO of the Institute for Research on Public Policy. She is a not-for-profit sector executive and seasoned communicator working to make complex public policy issues and politics better understood by Canadians. From 2016 to 2021, she was the editor-in-chief of the IRPP’s influential digital magazine, Policy Options. Prior to joining the IRPP, Jennifer spent two decades covering national and parliamentary affairs for The Canadian Press and for CBC Television. She is the winner of three National Newspaper Awards, the recipient of the prestigious Charles Lynch Award for outstanding coverage of national issues, and three Canadian Online Publishing silver awards for her columns. In 2015, she was named one of the 10 most influential Hispanic–Canadians. Jennifer sits on the board of the Banff Forum, an influential Canadian leadership network. She is also a fellow at Carleton University’s Political Management program, and an inductee in the Hall of Distinction at CEGEP John Abbott College. 

Premier R.J. Simpson‘s political career began with his election to the 18th Legislative Assembly in 2015, representing Hay River North in the Northwest Territories. During his first term as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) he held key positions such as Deputy Speaker, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Operations, Chair of the Special Committee on Transition Matters, and membership in several other committees. In 2019, he was acclaimed for a second term as the MLA for Hay River North and was chosen by his colleagues in the Assembly to serve on Cabinet. During the 19th Legislative Assembly, Premier Simpson served as the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, the Minister of Justice and the Government House Leader. During this, his third term as an MLA, Premier Simpson was selected by his colleagues to serve as Premier. His vision for the Northwest Territories is ambitious and inclusive, focusing on thriving ecosystems, cultures, languages, economies, and self-governments. He emphasizes the importance of cooperative governance and the potential strength of the region’s diversity. His approach includes continuing the work of the NWT Council of Leaders, advancing land claim and self-government negotiations, and addressing immediate challenges like housing, healthcare, and economic development. 

Creating one Canadian economy: building a more resilient country through internal trade  

Ryan Manucha, a leading expert on interprovincial trade in Canada, advises governments and appears regularly in major media, including CBC News, The Globe and Mail, and The National Post. His award-winning book Booze, Cigarettes and Constitutional Dust-Ups won the Donner Prize for public policy. He is a research fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute, with work featured in top legal journals and by Canada’s leading think tanks.  

Jay Barber is the Director for Internal Trade at the Privy Council Office (PCO) for the Government of Canada. In this role, Jay Barber is responsible for advancing Canada’s commitments under the Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA), defining and leading federal efforts to strengthen the domestic trade policy agenda and is the designated Internal Trade Representative (ITR) for the Government of Canada. Most notably, Mr. Barber leads the implementation of the Federal Action Plan to Strengthen Internal Trade, an ambitious plan that outlines a whole-of-government effort to eliminate barriers to trade and labour mobility across Canada.

Corinne Pohlmann is executive vice-president of advocacy at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which represents over 100,000 small and medium-sized businesses across Canada. Based in Ottawa, Corinne leads CFIB’s legislative, research, and communications teams across Canada. Since joining in 1998, she’s been a strong voice for small businesses—participating in numerous national consultations, advising government, and regularly engaging with media.  

Moderator:

Charles Breton is the executive director of the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, a role he has held since 2019. His research focuses on Canadian politics, comparative public policy, and public opinion. His work has been published in leading academic journals including the Canadian Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Comparative Political Studies, as well as in applied outlets such as Policy Options and national newspapers. 

Unleashing the Indigenous economy: the need for Indigenous-led industrial policy  

Hillary Thatcher is managing director of investments, leading the CIB’s Indigenous Infrastructure team. In her role, Hillary is responsible for the CIB’s engagement with Indigenous communities, advancing investments in Indigenous infrastructure projects consistent with key priority areas. Previously director general of innovation and services at Indigenous Services Canada, Hillary spent 15 years with the Ontario government in senior roles across Indigenous Affairs, Energy and Infrastructure, and Natural Resources. Hillary has a proven track record of building linkages among Indigenous, government and industry interests. Hillary is Métis and has been an active member of the urban Indigenous community of Toronto through her volunteer roles at the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto, Red Sky Performance and the Downie Wenjak Fund. 

David Carrière-Acco is a member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. He holds an MBA (International Business Concentration), as well as graduate degrees in Marketing, eCommerce and Business Analysis. Since launching Acosys in 2006, David has established himself and Acosys as a premier Indigenous-led consulting firm specializing in facilitating constructive and respectful Indigenous engagement on behalf of governments, corporate clients, and non-governmental organizations. David has worked with Indigenous communities and organizations across Canada, garnering extensive experience in the design, implementation, and facilitation of successful Indigenous engagement initiatives.

Angela Mark is Anishinaabekwe from Garden River First Nation (Robinson Huron Treaty) with European ancestry. As director of research at the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business, she brings 30+ years of entrepreneurial experience. Angela is dedicated to advancing Indigenous prosperity through impactful research. She lives on Buckhorn Lake in the Kawarthas, across from Curve Lake First Nation, and acknowledges being a visitor on Williams Treaty Territory, home of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg.

Moderator:

Karen Restoule is director of Indigenous affairs at Macdonald-Laurier Institute and senior advisor with Oyster Group where she provides strategic advice on complex issues at the intersection of industry, First Nations, and government. She previously advised clients at one of Canada’s most well-known public affairs firms; served First Nations leaders on matters related to justice, law, community development, and sustainability; and led Ontario’s administrative justice system as a public sector executive. Karen is Ojibwe from Dokis First Nation. 

Accelerating housing construction: leveraging new technologies to tackle Canada’s housing crisis

Steven Beites is a tenured Professor at Laurentian University’s McEwen School of Architecture and the founding Director of the Institute for Northern Housing Innovation. His research lies at the intersection of advanced technology, sustainability, and social responsibility, deeply rooted on addressing issues of housing supply and affordability. Through the Institute, the work seeks to advance practical, community-driven solutions that enhance housing affordability and sustainability while strengthening the health, well-being, and resilience of people and communities across Northern Ontario.

Dwayne Torrey is the director of construction and infrastructure standards for Canadian Standards Association. In this role, he helps define the strategic path for over 250 standards and codes that help to enhance safety and reliability of structures, construction materials, products, and systems. Continuously assessing emerging construction trends, Dwayne and his team have advanced critical issues such as modular buildings, climate resilience, circular construction and decarbonization in construction. 

Mary W. Rowe is president and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute, Canada’s applied research charity focussed on identifying key challenges and place-based solutions that build better cities for a better Canada. A leading urban advocate with broad experience working in Canada and the U.S, under Mary’s leadership CUI leads practice-based research and policy advocacy across a range of challenges including housing, transit, infrastructure, governance, local economic development, place-making and resilience and has initiated key initiatives including Main Street Canada and CityTalk.

Moderator:

Drawing from his almost three decades in the public spotlight—as a member of provincial parliament, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, CEO of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), media pundit and partner at Counsel Public Affairs, one of Canada’s leading public affairs agencies—Tim Hudak helps organizations and individuals advance their leadership and public affairs goals.  As partner at Counsel Public Affairs, Tim provides strategic and insightful government relations solutions to help clients from coast-to-coast get their projects across the finish line. Tim tackles big issues head-on with his unconventional way of thinking, providing unique, high impact solutions.  

Decarbonizing industry: capturing opportunities for low-emission growth  

Chris Bataille has been involved in energy and climate policy analysis for 27 years as a researcher, energy systems and economic modeler, analyst, writer, project manager, managing consultant, and founding partner. His career has been focused on the transition to a globally sustainable & secure energy system, more recently technology and policy pathways to net-zero GHG emissions by all sectors by 2050-‘70 to meet the Paris Agreement goals. He is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy working on the Carbon Management Research Initiative, Associate Researcher at Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales (IDDRI.org), and Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University. He was a Lead Author for the IPCC WGIII AR6 Industry Chapter, Technical Summary and Summary for Policymakers. He manages an ongoing global review project to review technology and policy options for net-zero decarbonization of heavy industrial sectors (NetZeroIndustry.org).

Mahima Sharma is the vice-president, innovation, environment, and climate policy at Forest Products Association of Canada. She oversees the development of industry’s position on key mill-focused environmental topics including climate-change, water, air, and chemicals, as well as advancing the role of forest-sector innovation plays in a low-carbon economy. This work is central to supporting industry investment and the sector’s competitiveness in Canada, to support decarbonization objectives, and advancing a forest-based bioeconomy. She oversees a team that conducts analysis and reporting of key sustainability performance indicators including energy, environment, and health and safety parameters for the pulp and paper and wood products sectors. This work is instrumental in ensuring that FPAC maintains its reputation for housing the latest and most relevant scientifically verified data on environmental performance.

Ralph Torrie is the director of research for Corporate Knights and a seasoned expert in sustainable energy and environmental systems with more than 40 years of experience spanning research, consulting, private sector leadership, and advocacy. He has shaped climate action planning for municipalities worldwide and influenced international environmental policy. He is the principal architect of the Climate Dollars project, which identifies the capital investments required to decarbonize Canada’s economy. 

Moderator:

Marisa Beck is the research director, Clean Growth, at the Canadian Climate Institute. She has extensive experience conducting and managing research on climate and energy policy, clean growth, and evidence-based decision-making. She has worked in academia, with NGOs, and in the private sector. Previously, Marisa was the research director at the University of Ottawa’s Institute for Science, Society and Policy and of the Positive Energy research and engagement program.  

Re-arming Canada: strengthening Canada’s defence industrial base

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. She is also a PhD student at Deakin University, researching Canadian army culture during the 1990s and its influence on operations. She published her MA research on toxic leadership and gender integration in the Canadian military in 2022. The resulting book, The Ones We Let Down, was named among The Hill Times‘ Best Books of 2022. Her research interests include questions of military leadership, culture change, and personnel policy, topics on which she regularly comments in the media and writes about on her Substack, DND/CAF 101. For her work, Charlotte was recognized as a 2022 Women in Defence and Security Emerging Leader, received the CDA Institute’s 2024 Captain Nichola Goddard Award, and was listed amongst the “20 in their 20s” by Women in Defence and Security.

Jeffrey F. Collins is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Prince Edward Island. Prior to joining UPEI in August 2025, he worked as senior policy analyst at National Defence. He has authored numerous publications on Canadian defence policy and procurement, including the book, Canada’s Defence Procurement Woes (2023). His next book, Defending Canada in the Twenty-First Century: A Primer (by University of Toronto Press) will be out in 2026. 

Craig Stone is an emeritus associate professor of defence studies at the Canadian Forces College (CFC). He joined the academic staff at CFC in the summer of 2005 after 29 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. He was the Director of Academics from December 2008 until June 2015.  

Moderator:

Raquel Garbers is a CIGI visiting executive, co-leading the “Canada at Economic War” program. She is also a visiting practitioner with the US Department of Defense and a member of the Global Advisory Board for the European Values Center.  Raquel previously held the role of director general, strategic defence policy, at the Department of National Defence, where she served as the principal architect of Canada’s new defence policy, Our North, Strong and Free. 

Capitalizing on artificial intelligence: leveraging opportunities to drive productivity and innovation

Alexandra Dostal is the senior assistant deputy minister, Strategic Policy Sector, at Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) Canada. Prior to joining ISED, she worked as senior assistant deputy minister, Programs Sector, at Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Canada. In addition to her roles at DFO, she worked at Treasury Board Secretariat where she held the position of executive director, International Affairs Division, after having held several roles at Finance Canada and Global Affairs Canada. Before joining the federal public service in 2007, Alexandra worked with the Government of Ontario and as a lawyer in private practice.

Tony Gaffney is special advisor to the chair and former CEO of the Vector Institute. He is dedicated to making Canada more competitive by leveraging AI to drive economic growth, improve lives, and safeguard sovereignty. He previously led Aon Hewitt Canada and served on its Global Executive Committee. Tony held executive roles with Accenture, MCI Telecommunications, Bell Nexxia, and BCE Emergis. He serves on APEC’s Digital Trust Advisory and served on Canada’s Advisory Council on AI, the OECD.AI expert network, and the World Economic Forum’s AI Governance Alliance.

Muhammad Mamdani is vice-president of data science and advanced analytics at Unity Health Toronto and Director of the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine Centre for Artificial Intelligence Research and Education in Medicine (T-CAIREM). Dr. Mamdani’s team bridges advanced analytics including machine learning with clinical and management decision making to improve patient outcomes and hospital efficiency. He is a professor in the department of medicine of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health. He is also an affiliate scientist at IC/ES and a faculty affiliate of the Vector Institute. In 2024, Dr. Mamdani’s team received the national Solventum Health Care Innovation Team Award by the Canadian College of Health Leaders.  

Moderator:

Ricardo Chejfec is a research director at the Institute for Research on Public Policy, leading the Empowering Canada’s Workforce program. He also helps lead the Community Transformations Project, aimed at supporting workers and communities through the low-carbon workforce transformation, is involved in research examining the role of industrial policy in Canada’s next economic transformation, and is part of the secretariat of the Affordability Action Council. 

Emna Braham is the executive director of the Institut du Québec (IDQ). She joined the IDQ in 2020 as a senior economist and was then appointed deputy director. Previously, she was senior economist at the Labour Market Information Council in Ottawa and manager at CIDE, a consulting firm where she worked in economic development, education and the labour market. 

Glen Hodgson has more than 40 years of experience in global macro economics, international finance, fiscal policy and climate policy. Glen’s career has spanned time at the Canadian Department of Finance, the International Monetary Fund in Washington D.C., Export Development Canada and the Conference Board of Canada, where he was senior vice-president and chief economist for more than a decade. His current affiliations include chief economist with Momentus Global, and senior fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute.  

Jim Stanford is economist and director of the Centre for Future Work, where he divides his time between Vancouver and Sydney, Australia. Jim is one of Canada’s best-known economists, serving for more than 20 years as economist and director of policy with Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector trade union. He is also the Harold Innis Industry Professor in Economics at McMaster University and an honorary professor in the Department of Political Economy at the University of Sydney. Jim received his PhD in economics from the New School for Social Research in New York. Jim is the author of Economics for Everyone: A Short Guide to the Economics of Capitalism, which has been published in six languages. He has written, edited and co-edited six other books and dozens of articles and reports in peer-reviewed and popular outlets. 

Moderator:

Rachel Samson is a policy research executive with 25 years of experience providing evidence-based policy advice. As vice-president of research at the IRPP, Rachel has directed policy research and analysis relating to Employment Insurance, long-term care, child care, digital-technology adoption and industrial policy. She also led the IRPP’s role as the research and knowledge mobilization partner of the Affordability Action Council.