Futures Week 2025

CEO, AI For Education
Session: Adapting to ubiquitous AI 

Amanda is the Co-Founder and CEO of AI for Education. A former high school biology teacher and EdTech executive with over 20 years of experience in the education sector. She has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities that AI can offer. She is a frequent consultant, speaker, and writer on the topic of AI in education, leading workshops and professional learning across both K12 and Higher Ed. Amanda is committed to helping schools and teachers maximize their potential through the ethical and equitable adoption of AI.

Executive Director, Community Engagement and Dialogue, Simon Fraser University
Session: Shifting social paradigms

Aftab Erfan (she/her) is a scholar-practitioner currently serving as the Executive Director of the Wosk Centre for Dialogue and an Associate Member of the faculty at the School of Public Policy at SFU. She was previously Chief Equity Officer for the City of Vancouver, and Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement for the University of British Columbia. Her work is centred on design and implementation of organizational structures and practices that lift up the voices of the margins, and create the conditions for every person to flourish. She brings a pragmatic, empathic, and rigorous approach to every project.

Originally from Iran, Aftab is a first-generation Settler. She moved to Canada as a teenager with her family and settled in the Vancouver area, on xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) lands. Her formal education is in environmental sciences, fine arts, and urban planning. Aftab grew up within the youth environmental movement, where she learned that activism is an effective antidote to despair, and where she experienced the gifts of working in community. She holds a PhD in Community and Regional Planning from the University of British Columbia, where she subsequently taught for over a decade. She has worked as a consultant on five continents. She is cautiously optimistic about the future of humanity.

Chancellor’s Public Scholar, UC Berkeley
Session: Adapting to ubiquitous AI 

David Evan Harris is a Chancellor’s Public Scholar at the University of California, Berkeley and faculty member at the Haas School of Business. He teaches courses including AI Ethics for Leaders; Social Movements & Social Media; Civic Technology; and Scenario Planning. He has advised the White House, US Congress, European Union, United Nations, NATO, and California Legislature about tech policy. His writings and commentary have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, CNN, BBC, AP, Guardian, Bloomberg, and The Atlantic, among others. He was named to Business Insider’s AI 100 list in 2023. Harris also advises numerous organizations working on technology policy. He is a Senior Policy Advisor at the California Initiative for Technology and Democracy (CITED); Senior Advisor, AI & Elections at the Brennan Center for Justice; Senior Research Fellow at the International Computer Science Institute; and Senior Fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation. He previously worked as a Research Manager at Meta (formerly Facebook) on the Responsible AI and Civic Integrity teams. In his role at Meta, Harris led a team of quantitative and qualitative researchers focused on AI fairness, governance, and accountability.

Deputy Minister, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs
Session: Closing of Futures Week 2025

Dr. Valerie Gideon is a member of the Mi’kmaq Nation of Gesgapegiag, Quebec and a proud mother of 2 young girls. She became Deputy Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada on November 25, 2023, and kept her position as President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario. From September 2020 to October 2022, Valerie was the Associate Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada. From 2018 to 2020, she was the Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), Indigenous Services Canada. From 2012 to 2017, Valerie held the position of Assistant Deputy Minister, Regional Operations, Health Canada. From 2011 to 2012, she was Director General, Strategic Policy, Planning and Analysis at FNIHB. From 2007 to 2010, she held the position of Regional Director for First Nations and Inuit Health, Ontario Region, Health Canada.

Before working at Health Canada, her experience consisted mainly of working in First Nations health advocacy as Senior Director of Health and Social Development at the Assembly of First Nations and Director of the First Nations Centre at the National Aboriginal Health Organization. She was named Chair of the Aboriginal Peoples’ Health Research Peer Review Committee of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research in 2004.

She graduated from McGill University (Montreal) in 2000 with a Doctorate (Dean’s List) in Communications (dissertation on telehealth and citizen empowerment). She previously completed a Master of Arts in 1996 at McGill. She’s a founding member of the Canadian Society of Telehealth. She’s also a former board member of the National Capital Region Young Men's Christian Association and Young Women's Christian Association.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations), Privy Council Office
Session: Disruptions on the Horizon

Mollie Johnson was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Plans and Consultations) at the Privy Council Office in July of 2023.

Prior to her appointment, Mollie served as Associate Deputy Minister at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) where she played a key role in the Government of Canada’s commitment to building a prosperous, inclusive energy and resource sector that is at the centre of our country’s efforts to transition to a net-zero Economy.

Mollie held several positions as Assistant Deputy Minister at NRCan. She headed-up the Energy Systems Sector (ESS) and Low Carbon Energy Sector (LCES), to help catalyze the economic opportunities of the energy transition, drive governance across the department’s energy teams, and provide the Deputy Minister and the Minister with integrated decision-making on energy issues.

Mollie was previously Assistant Deputy Minister, Communications and Portfolio Sector; and, Director General, Policy, Major Projects Management Office, both at Natural Resources Canada. She has also held executive positions at Environment and Climate Change Canada and Canada’s Competition Bureau.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Western Ontario, and a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Carleton University’s Norman Paterson School.

Physician and Medical Leader, Alberta Health Services
Session: Shifting social paradigms

As Maclean’s top Healthcare Innovator of 2023, the first Indigenous physician listed on The Medical Post 50 Most Powerful Doctors, and the first Indigenous and youngest physician to lead the Canadian Medical Association in its 156-year history, Dr. Alika Lafontaine has been at the epicenter of health system change for almost two decades. In his CMA presidency year, he was a key driver of physician and public support towards the largest nominal Federal investment in healthcare since 2004 and breakthrough changes in physician credential recognition in several provinces, including a first-of-its-kind Atlantic physician registry.

From 2013-2018 Dr. Lafontaine co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance, one of the most ambitious Indigenous health transformation projects in Canadian history. At its peak, it represented more than 150 First Nations and successfully advocated for $68 million in funding for health transformation across their traditional territories. The Alliance was recognized by the Public Policy Forum in 2017, where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presented Dr. Lafontaine with an award.

Dr. Lafontaine continues to practice Anesthesia while writing and speaking on the politics of healthcare, implementing and scaling equity, redesigning health systems, and effective advocacy. He also continues to support the CMA as its Indigenous Advisor in Residence.

President & CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Session: Disruptions on the Horizon

Candace Laing is an executive leader with progressive leadership experience in multiple sectors, including mining, manufacturing, agriculture, education, and healthcare. Candace's career spans over two decades, encompassing roles in both private and public sector organizations. She also has a strong entrepreneurial background with a focus on strategic business initiatives that foster long-term value and high-performance cultures.

Most notably, Candace worked for more than ten years with Nutrien, leading both the Sustainability and Human Resources functions and serving as a member of the Executive Leadership Team. She played a pivotal role in launching Nutrien’s environment, social, and governance (ESG) efforts and, through her most recent role as the organization’s Chief Human Resources Officer, focused on ensuring people strategies and inclusion initiatives were aligned with business strategy.

She first joined the Canadian Chamber’s Board of Directors in 2019 and served as Vice-Chair from 2021 to 2022, assuming the role of Chair of the Board of Directors in 2022. She was on the Board when the Chamber developed its Chamber 2025 Strategic Plan—a transformational mandate to create a reimagined and renewed Canadian Chamber.

Candace is passionate about ensuring healthy organizations support a strong economy that can serve societal needs. She is proud to have grown up in Saskatchewan, where her family maintains a longstanding farming operation. Candace is a Fellow of Chartered Professionals in Human Resources (FCPHR). She holds a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction and a Graduate Certificate in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Saskatchewan. Additionally, she has a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Sustainability and Innovation from Harvard University and a Master of Arts in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

Fellow of Practice and Director, Digital Transformation Education, University of Oxford
Session: Disruptions on the Horizon

Aaron’s work at the Blavatnik School focuses on issues connecting technology, public policy and public administration. He teaches on the School’s Master of Public Policy and executive education programmes, and convenes its digital “thematic cluster”, bringing together scholarship and practice on digital issues. He co-chairs the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Technology Policy and is a member of the OECD’s Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Futures.

Previously a policymaker in the Singapore government, he was most recently Deputy Secretary (Industry & International) at the Singapore Ministry of Communications & Information, overseeing the ministry’s work in the digital economy, digital literacy and inclusion, and digital diplomacy - with a concurrent cross-government role coordinating Singapore’s strategy in global branding, soft power and public diplomacy. Before that, he served in the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Trade & Industry, the Public Service Division and Civil Service College. In particular, he was the founding Head of the Centre for Strategic Futures, currently under the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group, and Institute Director for the Institute of Public Sector Leadership. In both roles, he was involved in conceptualising, facilitating, delivering and sustaining cross-government strategy, visioning, leadership development and organisational development efforts, as well as sharing Singapore’s work with other countries in capability-building programmes.

He was recognised by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader in 2013, by the Asia Society as an Asia 21 Young Leader in 2007, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (FRSA).

Aaron did his PhD at the Blavatnik School of Government on a Clarendon Scholarship, focused on comparing the work of leading digital states like Estonia, New Zealand and Singapore. He holds an MPP from the School (with Distinction), a Master of Arts in International and Development Economics from Yale University, and a BA (double first-class honours) from Oxford in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

Director, Center for Sustainable Development, and Senior Fellow, Global Economy and Development, The Brookings Institution
Session: Disruptions on the Horizon

John W. McArthur is senior fellow and director of the Center for Sustainable Development at the Brookings Institution. He co-founded and co-chairs the 17 Rooms initiative, a new approach to catalyzing action for the Sustainable Development Goals. Outside of Brookings, he is also a senior adviser to the United Nations Foundation, a member of Policy Horizons Canada’s Deputy Minister Steering Committee, and a member of the Novata ESG Advisory Council.

He was previously the chief executive officer of Millennium Promise Alliance, the international nongovernmental organization. Prior to that he served as the manager and then deputy director of the U.N. Millennium Project, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s independent advisory body mandated to recommend an action plan for achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

McArthur grew up in Vancouver and is a Canadian citizen. He completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) at the University of British Columbia; a Master’s in Public Policy at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government; and then an M.Phil. and D.Phil. (Ph.D.) in economics at Oxford University, which he attended as a Rhodes Scholar.

Session: Opening of Futures Week 2025, Closing of Futures Week 2025

Verna McGregor resides in her community of Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation which is 140 kilometres north from Ottawa- Gatineau. She has remained grounded in the Algonquin language and culture through organizing gatherings with the Elders and recent establishment of the Algonquin Culture Institute.

She is a past manager in personal banking with the Royal Bank of Canada and real estate sales in the Ottawa area. This background also contributed to the empowerment of Indigenous People in Canada by also managing a task force on the issue of access to capital. She has also worked with the Public Service and various National Indigenous organizations in areas such as economic development, forestry and urban issues. She recently published a children’s book on the issue of smoking cessation.

Deputy Minister, Canadian Heritage
Session: Shifting social paradigms

Isabelle Mondou joined the Department of Canadian Heritage on October 22, 2018, as Associate Deputy Minister and, after being on assignment at the Privy Council Office as Deputy Minister for the COVID-19 Response (Communications) from April 2020 to April 2021, became Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage on May 3, 2021. On September 19, 2016, Isabelle was appointed Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet (Priorities and Planning) at the Privy Council Office. Prior to that, she was legal counsel to the Clerk of the Privy Council and Assistant Secretary (Democratic Reform). Isabelle joined Canada’s public service in 1994 as an employee of the Department of Revenue. She has held a wide range of positions, including in the Intergovernmental Affairs, Machinery of Government and Senior Personnel sections at the Privy Council Office. Isabelle has a Bachelor of Law degree (1989) and a Master of Law degree (1994) from the Université de Montréal. She was called to the Barreau du Québec in 1990. She practised law in the private sector, with a focus on administrative, environmental and municipal law. Isabelle is originally from the Laurentian region and has lived in Ottawa since 1996. She is the mother of two teenagers.

Professor and University Research Chair, University of Waterloo
Session: Adapting to ubiquitous AI

Professor Marcel O'Gorman is a University Research Chair and Founding Director of Critical Media Lab at the University of Waterloo. His research team develops design methods, workshops and pedagogical methods to integrate tech ethics into the innovation ecosystem. He has published numerous articles and books on the impacts of technology. He is also a practicing artist with an international portfolio.

Assistant Deputy Minister, Chief Data Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada
Session: Adapting to ubiquitous AI

As Chief Data Officer at ESDC, Ima spearheads enterprise-wide initiatives to advance Data Science, Data Management, and Data Sharing, directly supporting the department’s policy development, service delivery, and results reporting. Over her 25-year career in the data and analytics domain, Ima has been instrumental in driving significant enhancements to the evidence base and has successfully established Data Literacy programs, Data Strategies, and Policies. She has also led the development of Artificial Intelligence and Data Ethics Frameworks, along with core tools for assessing and managing data-related risks.

Before joining ESDC, Ima served in an executive role at the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions, where she led a team dedicated to the effective collection, governance, and management of data from federally regulated financial institutions and pension plans. Her career also includes key roles at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, where she led the development of analytical data tools and research databases critical to performance measurement, policy development, program monitoring, and results reporting. Ima’s earlier experience includes positions with the Canada Revenue Agency and Statistics Canada.

Ima’s educational background is in Mathematics, Computer Programming, and Public Management. Her leadership and achievements within the Government of Canada have been recognized with numerous awards, including the prestigious Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100™ Award by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) and the global Insight 250 award, celebrating her contributions to data-driven insights and impactful leadership.

Senior Foresight Analyst, Policy Horizons Canada
Session: Adapting to ubiquitous AI

Nicole is a Senior Foresight Analyst at Policy Horizons Canada. At Horizons she led The Future of Generative AI and Future Lives projects and has contributed to research on its Interdepartmental Project on Artificial Intelligence. Prior to joining the public service, Nicole worked as a researcher at Element AI – Canada’s biggest AI startup at the time – through a fellowship at the Los Angeles-based Berggruen Institute. She holds a PhD in anthropology from McGill University and completed a joint postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Edinburgh and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.

Associate Professor, Carleton University
Session: Shifting social paradigms

Jennifer Robson is an Associate Professor of Political Management at Carleton University. She is also a visiting professor in the Max Bell School of Public Policy at McGill, a Visiting Fellow with the Institute for Research on Public Policy and co-editor of Finances of the Nation for the Canadian Tax Journal. She has previously worked in government, including at Policy Horizons Canada, and her research has been recognized by the Canadian Economics Association.

Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet - Artificial Intelligence, Privy Council Office
Session: Adapting to ubiquitous AI

Mark Schaan was appointed Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet – Artificial Intelligence in July of 2024. In this role, he supports the overall AI agenda, seeking to position Canada for leadership in its responsible development and use.

Prior to this, Mark served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategy and Innovation Policy at the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED). In this role he led on the overall micro-economic and innovation agenda, including supporting the development of the department's horizontal policy and strategic priorities, including in international affairs, telecommunications, economic security, and all aspects of marketplace frameworks.

Mark’s career has been highlighted by this cross-cutting policy and framework effort, including leading major consultations and reforms, including for telecommunications, investment review, intellectual property, bankruptcy and insolvency, privacy and AI. Mark’s public service career has included roles across the policy spectrum, as well as leading on revitalizing the public service through innovative recruitment models.

Mark earned his BA (Honours) from the University of Waterloo in Political Science with an Honours Option in Peace and Conflict Studies in 2002, where he studied as a Loran Scholar. Mark earned his MPhil in Comparative Social Policy, conferred in 2004, and his DPhil in Social Policy, conferred in 2010 from the University of Oxford, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Mark is also actively involved in his community: chairing the board of the Ottawa Art Gallery, continued involvement with the Loran Scholars Foundation, and previous leadership at the Ten Oaks Project for 2SLGBTQ+ youth and families.

Deputy Minister, Employment and Social Development Canada
Session: Opening of Futures Week 2025

Paul Thompson was appointed Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Development on September 18, 2023. Previously, he served as Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement, beginning in January 2022, and as Associate Deputy Minister at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, starting in November 2017.

Prior to these roles, Paul has held several senior executive positions at Employment and Social Development Canada, such as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for the Skills and Employment Branch, as well as executive positions in various departments, including the Privy Council Office, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

Paul holds a Master of Arts degree in economics from Queen’s University and a bachelor of arts degree in economics and political science from the University of Toronto. He is a father of three and enjoys a wide range of outdoor activities.

Director General, Policy Horizons Canada
Sessions: Opening of Futures Week 2025, Disruptions on the Horizon, Closing of Futures Week 2025

Kristel is the Director General at Policy Horizons Canada, Government of Canada. She is former Head of Strategic Foresight at the World Economic Forum. Kristel holds 3 Masters including an MBA from the Yale School of Management. She is a Fulbright Scholar and a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar.

Professor, Director, Centre for International Peace and Security Studies, McGill University
Session: Disruptions on the Horizon

Jennifer M. Welsh is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Global Governance and Security at McGill University, and the Director of the Max Bell School of Public Policy. She was previously Chair in International Relations at the European University Institute and Professor in International Relations at the University of Oxford, where she co-founded the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict. From 2013-2016, she served as Assistant Secretary-General and Special Adviser to the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, on the Responsibility to Protect. She currently sits as a member of the IDP Protection Expert Group, based in UNHCR.

Jennifer’s research has focused on contemporary challenges in global governance, conflict management, and Canadian foreign policy, including humanitarian action, collective responses to genocide and war crimes, the protection of civilians in armed conflict, and forced displacement. Her most recent academic publications include The Individualization of War: Rights, Liability and Accountability in Armed Conflict (Oxford University Press, 2023) and Civilian Protective Agency in Violent Settings (Oxford University Press, 2023). While at McGill, Jennifer has led several collaborative research projects with Canadian and international scholars, built a vibrant community of faculty and students interested in global affairs and Canada’s role in the world, and co-directed a Canada-wide research network on Women, Peace, and Security. She has frequently provided input into policy initiatives for the Canadian government and the United Nations, as well as for international NGOs. She is also a leading public intellectual in Canada, through her CBC Massey Lectures (published as The Return of History: Conflict, Migration and Geopolitics in the 21st Century), her op-ed writing for Canadian newspapers, and her role as co-host of the bilingual podcast, Tour de Table. Her research and policy engagement have been recognized through her election as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and as International Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Journalist and Chairperson, Canada Council for the Arts
Session: Shifting social paradigms 

Jesse Wente is a husband, father and amateur golfer, as well as an award-winning writer and speaker. Born and raised in Toronto, his family comes from Chicago and Genaabaajing Anishinaabek and he is an off-reserve member of the Serpent River First Nation. Jesse is best known for more than two decades spent as a columnist for CBC Radio’s Metro Morning. Jesse spent a decade with the Toronto International Film Festival as a curator, including leading the film and gallery programming at the Tiff Lightbox. In 2018, Jesse was named founding director of the Indigenous Screen Office and in summer 2020 he was appointed Chair of the Canada Council for the Arts. Jesse received the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto in 2021 for his volunteer contributions and was recently named a Senior Fellow of Massey College. His first book “Unreconciled: Family, Truth and Indigenous Resistance” is a national bestseller and was picked as one of best books of 2021 by Chapters-Indigo, Apple Books and The Globe and Mail. In 2022, Jesse won the Kobo Emerging Writers Prize in Non-Fiction and he was named the Communicator of the Year for 2022 by the International Association of Business Communicators. Jesse is currently the Storyteller in Residence at Toronto Metropolitan University.