Futures Week 2023: Navigating the storm

A conversation among government foresight leaders about the futures and disruptions they are exploring.

Moderator

• Kristel Van der Elst, Director General, Policy Horizons Canada

Speakers

• Victor Israel, Head of the National Intelligence Directorate, Ministry of Intelligence, Israel
• Jeanette Kwek, Head, Centre for Strategic Futures, Strategy Group, Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore
• Maria Langan-Riekhof, Director, Strategic Futures Group, National Intelligence Council, United States
• Stephen Quest, Director-General, Joint Research Centre, European Commission

Examining the circumstances, innovations, and events that could impact Canadians in the next decade.

Moderator

• Shalene Curtis-Micallef, Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General of Canada, Department of Justice Canada

Speakers

• Mark Tyndall, Public health and Infectious Diseases physician; Founder, MySafe Society
• Jesse Wente, Journalist and Chairperson, Canada Council for the Arts
• Andrew White, CEO, CHAR Technologies
• Armine Yalnizyan, Economist & Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers

Peter Schwartz shares his thoughts on what foresight has taught him and his insights into the pivotal uncertainties of the next decade.

Speakers

• Peter Schwartz, Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning, Salesforce

Exploring the emerging issues that could be used to sow societal divisions in Canada.

Speakers

• Sue Gardner, Founder & CEO, Tiny Ventures
• Brenda Gunn, Professor, Faculty of Law & Director Academic Research for the National Centre for Truth & Reconciliation, University of Manitoba
• Eric Merkley, Assistant Professor of Political Science & Policy, University of Toronto
• Elsa Mondésir-Villefort, Director General, Citoyenneté jeunesse

Looking at how the future of living arrangements could be shaped by demographic and economic changes, climate change and cultural differences.

Moderator

• Lindsay Neeley, Director, Policy Foresight, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)

Speakers

• Joyce Chau, Program Director, Evergreen
• Katłįà (Catherine) Lafferty, Co-Chair, National Indigenous Housing Network
• Anil Khera, Founder & CEO, Node

Examining the growing challenges to and possibilities for meeting basic needs.

Moderator

• Simon Robertson, Director, Foresight Research, Policy Horizons Canada

Speakers

• Destine Lord, Anti-racism and inclusion consultant
• Melana Roberts, Federal and municipal food policy strategist, and food justice advocate, Food Secure Canada

Examining the new dynamics of global power and influence.

Moderator

• Kristel Van der Elst, Director General, Policy Horizons Canada

Speakers

• Dhruva Jaishankar, Executive Director, Observer Research Foundation America
• Marc-Etienne Ouimette, Global Leader for AI Policy, Amazon Web Services
• Linda Yueh, Adjunct Professor of Economics, London Business School, and Fellow of Economics, Oxford University

Looking at Canada’s position in the new dynamics of global power and influence.

Moderator

• Rohinton Medhora, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation

Speakers

• Robert Asselin, Senior Vice President, Policy, Business Council of Canada
• Patrick Francois, Director and Professor, Vancouver School of Economics, University of British Columbia
• Deborah Hayek, Futurecasting Practice Lead, Manulife, and Co-founder, Resonance Innovation

Exploring threats to humanity: what is an existential risk and why is it important to be aware of them.

Moderator

• Duncan Cass-Beggs, Former Counsellor for the Strategic Foresight, General Secretariat, OECD

Speakers

• Rosa Alegria, Co-chair, The Millennium Project Brazil
• Jessica Bland, Deputy Director, Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER), Cambridge University
• Paul Edwards, Co-Director, Stanford Existential Risks Initiative; Director, Program in Science, Technology & Society, Stanford University
• Brian Tse, Founder & CEO, Concordia Consulting

Exploring the commercialization of space and its potential implications for regulation, international cooperation, and sustainability.

Moderator

• Isabelle Tremblay, eng., Executive Director, Space Infrastructure, Space Utilization, Canadian Space Agency

Speakers

• Ozgur Gurtuna, Founder, Turquoise Technology Solutions
• Claire Jolly, Head of unit in the Directorate for Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Branch, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
• Murielle Lafaye, Deputy Director, Space Observatory, Strategy Directorate, National Centre for Space Studies

Examining the polycrisis and what it could mean for society, governments, and the future.

Speakers

• Thomas Homer-Dixon, Founder and Director, Cascade Institute, Royal Roads University
• Simon Robertson, Director, Foresight Research, Policy Horizons Canada

Looking at systemic transformation and how we can move towards sustainable futures.

Speakers

• Nora Bateson, filmmaker, writer, educator, and President, International Bateson Institute
• Melanie Goodchild, Indigenous system thinker, complexity geek, PhD candidate in Social & Ecological Sustainability, School of Environment, Resources & Sustainability (SERS), Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo
• Geoff Mulgan, Professor of Collective Intelligence, Public Policy and Social Innovation, University College London