Event Speakers

Before he retired from the federal public service in October 2017, Gérald Cossette was Director of FINTRAC since October 15, 2012, and Chair of the Heads of Federal Agencies since July 2013. Prior to his appointment, he served as Associate Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (starting in June 2009) and as the Prime Minister’s personal representative for the G8 and the Nuclear Security Summit (beginning in October 2010).

Mr. Cossette started his career as a Foreign Service Officer in 1982 and, until 1995, he held various positions at the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade and abroad in Nairobi (Kenya) and Washington (United States).

In 1996, he moved to the Privy Council Office where his main responsibilities included Canada-Europe relations. He was assigned to the Treasury Board Secretariat in 1999 as Director of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Division, then as Executive Director of the Management Strategies Division in charge of the team that developed the new governance framework for Crown corporations.

Mr. Cossette returned to the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 2005 as Head of the Corporate Task Force and Director General, Strategic Planning and Resource Coordination. In July 2006, he took over as Chief Executive Officer of Passport Canada. In addition to his responsibilities as CEO, he was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, Summit Management Office, in 2009.

Mr. Cossette received his formal education in Social Sciences from Laval University in Québec City and in Public Management at Carleton University. He also holds a certification as director of publicly traded companies and is a member of the board of directors of the Canadian Tire Bank, and chairs the board of the EbO Financial Education Centre in Ottawa.

Mr. Cossette is a recipient of the Queen Diamond Jubilee Medal. Under his leadership, Passport Canada was awarded the Public Service Award of Excellence (Exemplary Contribution under Extraordinary Circumstances) and the Public Sector Leadership Award (Gold) from Deloitte/IPAC.

Mr. Cossette is now a consultant providing training is governance, management and leadership.

Ahmed Hussen is the Member of Parliament for the riding of York South-Weston. A lawyer and social activist, he has a proven track record of leadership and community empowerment.

Born and raised in Somalia, Ahmed immigrated to Canada in 1993 where he settled in Regent Park and quickly gravitated towards public service. In 2002, he co-founded the Regent Park Community Council and was able to secure a $500 million revitalization project for Regent Park, all while ensuring the interests of the area’s nearly 15,000 residents were protected. Ahmed also served as the National President of the Canadian Somali Congress – a Somali community organization that works with national and regional authorities to advocate on issues of importance to Canadians of Somali heritage and strengthen civic engagement and integration. His results-driven reputation led to an invitation to join the task force for modernizing income security for adults in the Toronto City Summit Alliance.

Ahmed is fluent in English, Somali, and Swahili, and earned his Bachelor of Arts (History) from York University and his Law Degree from the University of Ottawa. In 2004, the Toronto Star recognized him as one of ten individuals in Toronto to have made substantial contributions to his community.

Lori MacDonald was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship in August 2018.

Prior to this appointment, Ms. MacDonald served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Safety and Security Group for Transport Canada. She held a vast array of responsibilities that ensured the safety and security of our transportation system, including the development and oversight of relevant policies, standards, laws, and regulations, as well as the support and facilitation of a sound safety and security culture that also facilitates economic growth.

With 35 years of experience in Public Service, Lori has held a variety of positions within Public Service, including in the Correctional Services of Canada and Public Safety.

Lori has extensive experience at the senior executive level and has developed policy and programs at the local, regional, and national levels of the government. She has championed many projects related to women, Indigenous, and mental health issues. She has extensive experience in operations at all levels of government and has played a leadership role in developing managerial and leadership capacity among teams and managers in the government.

Her affinity for marginalized groups, her passion for progress, and her enthusiastic leadership are evident throughout her career.

Lori holds a diploma in Law and Security Administration from Loyalist College in Belleville and a degree in Criminology with a concentration in Law from Carleton University in Ottawa.

Dr. Harpreet S. Kochhar was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of the Operations Sector for Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in July 2017.

Dr. Kochhar joined IRCC from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), where, as Associate Vice-President of Operations, he was responsible for delivering inspection services across the country as well as the management of over 4,000 employees. He has served as Canada’s Chief Veterinary Officer, as well as Canada’s Delegate to the World Organization for Animal Health. Dr. Kochhar was responsible for managing several high profile cases while at CFIA, including the official response to Canada’s largest beef recall (XL foods) in order to ensure the continuing safety of the Canadian food supply.

Prior to joining IRCC, Dr. Kochhar was Associate Professor at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary College. He also practiced veterinary medicine as a small animal veterinarian in South Western Ontario.

As Assistant Deputy Minister of Operations at IRCC, Dr. Kochhar is responsible for the delivery of Immigration, Citizenship and Passport programs across Canada and at 60 different missions/offices abroad. He is also leading key strategic projects for the Sector, including the Passport Modernization Initiative, Predictive Analytics, and a major transformation of IRCC’s operational delivery model.

On a personal note, Dr. Kochhar is an active fundraiser for JDRF and contributes to charities such as the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Mental Health Institute, and the Liver Foundation. He has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his professional and volunteer contributions, and was recently decorated with the Canada 150 Medal for community services.

Dr. Kochhar is a veterinarian by training (DVM) and has a Master’s Degree in Veterinary Science (MVSc) as well as a Doctorate (Ph.D.) in Animal Biotechnology from the University of Guelph.

He enjoys cooking as well as playing golf, volleyball, and skiing in his spare time.

Gilles Savard is a Professor at Polytechnique Montréal since 1993. From 2001 to 2007, he served as Chair of the Mathematics and Industrial Engineering Department before becoming in 2007 Chief Innovation and International Officer (Directeur de la recherche, de l’innovation et des affaires internationales).

Since January 2017, he is the General Director of the new Institute for Data Valorisation (IVADO), an initiative of HEC Montréal, Polytechnique Montréal and the Université de Montréal, which brings together more than 70 industrial, institutional and government partners is an advanced and multidisciplinary competence center in statistics, artificial intelligence and operational research linking more than 1200 scientists.

He has published over 100 scientific papers in the field of operations research and supervised more than 80 graduate students over the course of his career.

Mr. Savard is a specialist in bilevel mathematical programming, with applications in energy and transportation. For 20 years, he has carried out numerous projects on the planning of peace missions with the Defence Department.

He has also developed, with a few collaborators, an innovative approach in the field of revenue management now commercialized by ExPretio for railway companies.

Mr. Savard was an important player in the EUGENE project, which won the award for best application in operational research in Canada in 1999 as well as for the creation of ExPretio, which was honoured by NSERC/ADRIQ in 2010 for the quality of its partnerships. He was awarded the 2017 Personality Innovation Award by ADRIQ and is Chevalier de l’ordre des Palmes académiques de la République française.

He is a member of several boards of directors.

Marc Brouillard provides government-wide vision and strategic leadership in pursuing world-class excellence in digital integration, information management and technology, and cyber security. He has had a long and successful career as a senior public and private sector executive in information management and technology.

Prior to becoming the GC CTO, Marc served as deputy departmental CIO and acting departmental CIO at Treasury Board Secretariat.

Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Marc was VP of Business Development for a local eCommerce Services start-up. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at MONTAGE IT Services, a division of MTS/Allstream, where he held numerous positions in technology consulting and business development.

Jocelyn Maclure is full professor of philosophy at Laval University, where he teaches ethics and political philosophy.

His publications include Retrouver la raison. Essais de philosophie publique (Québec Amérique 2017).

He is the current president of the Quebec Ethics in Science and Technology Commission, and co-investigator within the International Observatory on the Societal Impacts of Artificial Intelligence. He was a member of the scientific advisory board of the Montreal Declaration on the responsible development of AI.

Luc Gagnon was appointed to the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Shared Services Canada (SSC) on December 5, 2018 and joined the SSC family on January 3, 2019.

Luc’s organization will provide leadership on technology issues, manage SSC’s technology research and review role, ensure alignment of the Department’s technology vision and business strategy, and drive innovation throughout the department.

Luc joined SSC from TELUS Health where he was the CTO responsible for developing technology and software to empower Canadians to take control of their health and wellness. Through his leadership, he helped ensure Canadians have access to the right information, tools, and support they need to live healthier, happier lives.

Luc brings more than 25 years of experience in the informatics and telecommunication industries and has led product development teams in major software companies in North America and Europe. He has a deep understanding of cybersecurity, cryptography, image processing, cloud, and artificial intelligence in speech recognition.

Throughout his career, Luc has demonstrated continuous management success in highly technical environments. He is a proven team builder and motivator and has held CTO and Chief Operating Officer positions at international companies.

Luc is a member of the Ordre des Ingénieurs du Québec and holds a M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from University of Ottawa and a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from Université Laval.

Lacey Batalov has been with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada for 7 years and is currently the Acting Director of the Government Advisory (GA) Directorate. GA is responsible for providing advice to government institutions related to initiatives, which may have an impact on privacy, including during the review of Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs).

Michelle Mann is corporate counsel to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the Department of Justice focusing on technology, internet, commercial, public law and privacy matters and is currently focusing on AI, machine learning and predictive analytics. Michelle is co-chair of the Working Group of the Department of Justice AI Taskforce and chair of the Justice E Commerce Study Group.

Michelle is the DOJ business lead of a partnership with IRCC for an AI Pilot for Immigration Law. Michelle started her career in private practice and has previously advised the departments of (then) Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada. Tech and Internet law have been a focus of Michelle’s practice for twenty years.

Michelle holds a BA from University of Saskatchewan and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Manitoba. Michelle has been a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada since 1994 and a member of the Law Society of Manitoba since 1989.

Robert Hersch has been counsel to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the Department of Justice since being called to the Bar of Ontario in 2017.

He holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Toronto with a Certificate in Aboriginal Legal Studies and a Master’s Degree in International Political Theory from the University of St Andrews, Scotland. Robert has a strong interest in legal theory and all aspects of public law.

José M. Fernandez is an Associate Professor in the Computer & Software Engineering Department at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal, where he heads the Information Systems Security Research Lab (SecSI). His research interests include AI-based Cyber Security, Cyber Physical Systems Security, Cyber Security in Aviation and Cyber Warfare.

He has several years of professional experience in computer security in the private and public sector. He holds two bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Computer Engineering from MIT, a Master’s from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. from the Université de Montréal.

He is also an Advising Fellow – Security with Element AI and an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Computer & Electrical Engineering at the Royal Military College Kingston.

Mark’s work principally addresses impact of the digital revolution on government, governance and public administration as well as how government itself impacts technological development through its actions for governing the ICT sector. Mark can be found working on a range of projects related to 21st century policy areas including digital transformation, innovation, digital government and artificial intelligence. When not writing research, Mark also organizes the IOG’s Policy Crunch speaker series and annual Future Forum conference.

Prior to joining the IOG, he held various research positions on economic and political affairs, including at the Munk School at the University of Toronto, the Conference Board of Canada, UN-ESCAP, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Parliament of Canada.

As Vice President, Health Strategy and Partnerships, Alison is Vector’s corporate lead for health strategy, overseeing health research collaborations, health data partnerships and health AI application projects.

She also leads workshops and courses focused on the leadership and management of research at the University of Toronto where she is Assistant Professor (status). Previously, she held senior roles at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Ontario’s health ministry, and worked for seven years in multinational pharmaceutical R&D.

Alison holds a combined HBSc in Biochemistry and Chemistry (McMaster), a PhD in Organic Chemistry (Western University) and completed a fellowship with the Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement EXTRA program.

Phil Donelson has worked for nearly a decade at the intersection of technology and public policy. He is currently the lead for Public Sector AI Implementation at Element AI, one of the world’s fastest growing artificial intelligence companies.

Phil works with governments and broader public sector institutions around the globe to deliver transformative and human-centric AI solutions. Prior to joining Element AI, he was a senior advisor to the Premier of Ontario, and served in multiple capacities for Ministers in the Government of Ontario. He holds a Master of Public Policy (MPP) from the University of Toronto.

Steffen is an expert with 15 years of experience in foresight. He is a Senior Policy Researcher at Policy Horizons, where he leads foresight on challenges facing the future of Canada.

Recent projects include the Future of Asia, emerging technologies, energy, governance, work, and the economy. Steffen holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Carleton University, with a thesis in Evolutionary Computation. He has sworn to use his evil powers only for good.

Richard Evans is currently Director General of the Industry Statistics Branch at Statistics Canada. He is a 28-year veteran of Statistics Canada, and has also worked at the Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques (Insee) in Paris.

He has spent most of his career compiling high-frequency economic indicators, such as the Consumer Price Index, the Monthly GDP, as well as indicators of manufacturing wholesale and retail trade. He has experience leading transformative projects and was the architect and project executive of the CPI Enhancement Initiative.

Richard is passionate about using Data Science and AI to create user-centric data products from Big Data sources and was instrumental in creating and strategically positioning Statistics Canada’s first dedicated data science team, the “Data Science Accelerator”.

Brent McRoberts is the founder and President of BMCR Associates Inc., a leader in management consulting and executive coaching. Prior to establishing BMCR Associates Inc., Mr. McRoberts had an extensive career as a seasoned executive with a passion for public service. Brent masterfully delivered on a number of priority mandates for the Government of Canada beginning in 1993 when he entered the Public Service.

Mr. McRoberts’ roles and responsibilities during his career spanned a number of organizations, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Solicitor General of Canada, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, Public Health Agency of Canada and Canada Border Services Agency, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

In 2010, Mr. McRoberts joined the Canada Border Services Agency where he served as Director General in a various Directorates fulfilling roles in Planning and Portfolio Management, Business Systems Support, and Trade and Anti-dumping Programs. In these positions he implemented new business and planning processes, provided strategic leadership and business integration while ensuring the operational integrity of national systems, and led the transformation of the Trade and Anti-dumping Programs by integrating two former directorates, championing a program integrity agenda and developing a successful people strategy.

Hubert Laferrière has established the Advanced Analytics Laboratory for the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. Currently he is leading a major transformative project where advanced analytics and machine learning are used to augment and automate decision-making for key business processes. For this, his team has received the 2018 Chief Information Officer Community Award for the category of Excellence in Innovation as well as the 2018 Assistant Deputy Operations Sector Award also for innovation.

M. Laferrière holds a Masters in Political Science (Political Thought) from the University of Ottawa and has studied at the Paris University (Panthéon-Sorbonne and Jussieu) in political philosophy and sociology (PhD level). He is always eager and interested to explore, promote and introduce innovative work methods. In 2010, he received a GTEC Gold Medal for his efforts to modernize the demand forecasts method and processes for the Passport Office.

Amanda McPherson is the Assistant Director of Digital Policy at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Amanda and her team are currently leading work to put in place a policy and legal framework to support IRCC’s use of technology. Prior to joining IRCC in 2013, Amanda held positions at Statistics Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the department now known as Indigenous Services Canada. She has bachelor’s degrees from Cape Breton University and the University of Ottawa, and a Master’s of Arts in Philosophy from the University of Ottawa.

Petra Molnar is a lawyer and researcher at the International Human Rights Program at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She is the co-author of “Bots at the Gate: a Human Rights Analysis of Automated Decision-Making in Canada’s Immigration and Refugee System.” She is currently researching the use of AI in global migration at the University of Cambridge.

Neil Bouwer is currently the Vice-President of Innovation and Policy Services at the Canada School of Public Service. He has also served as an Assistant Deputy Minister at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the Privy Council Office of Canada; and in executive positions at the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, Human Resources and Social Development Canada and the Business Development Bank of Canada.

He has also worked at the Department of Finance and Western Economic Diversification Canada, and has Economics degrees from McGill University and St. Thomas University. Neil actively supports the Government of Canada policy community, the Advanced Policy Analyst Program and the Free Agent HR Program.

Anna Wong is passionate about social policy and using novel approaches and partnerships to tackling the wicked problems of the day. With experience in policy development, stakeholder engagement and program design in the federal public service, Anna takes a holistic approach to problem solving.

She is currently a Product Owner at the Digital Academy at the Canada School of Public Service where she is focused on increasing digital skills in the public service in the areas of data, artificial intelligence/machine learning, design and development operations. Connect with her on Twitter @Anna_Wong10.

Noel Corriveau, B.A., (Ottawa)., M.A., (Ottawa)., J.D. (Moncton), is a lawyer with the Federal Department of Justice, Canada. He has recently been appointed as Special Advisor on Artificial Intelligence to the Chief Information Officer of Canada within the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. He is currently working on developing a Directive on Automated Decision-Making, an Algorithmic Impact Assessment Framework and new streamlined procurement processes for AI services, solutions and products for Departments within the Government of Canada.

Noel continues to work in academia where his research focuses primarily on ethics, law and technology. He is particularly interested in questions pertaining to data-driven agency, responsibility and procedural fairness in the context of machine determinations. His most recent publication is a book chapter on Artificial Intelligence in Health Care published in Canadian Health Law and Policy, 5th edition (2017).

Mathieu is the GC Entrepreneur for Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC), working on projects related to Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. Mathieu has worked at ESDC since 2007. He is currently heading the Behavioural Insights Research and Design (B.I.R.D.) unit in ESDC’s Innovation Lab.

Prior to that, he worked as a poverty researcher for the World Bank and academia. Outside of work, Mathieu is passionate about his family with his two young boys as well as food, cycling, sailing, astronomy and videogames. A bit of a futurist, he is always ready to engage in conversation about how government will/must evolve into the 21st century and beyond.

Mario is the CEO and Chief data strategist of Prodago, a Lean Data Governance software company.

His down-to-earth approach to all aspects of data management has helped many organizations in the past two decades. He has played key data governance roles in multiple organizations including Cirque du Soleil, Standard Life insurance, National Bank of Canada, Schering, Alcan, Bell Mobility, Immigration Canada, Rogers Communication, Desjardins, Fonds FTQ and CN.

He has a unique ability to help organizations finding applied and sustainable ways to collaboratively manage and govern their data.

Stéphane Gagnon is Associate Professor in Business Technology Management (BTM) at the Université du Québec en Outaouais (UQO), based in Gatineau, National Capital Region.

Before joining UQO in 2006, he taught at New Jersey Institute of Technology (2002-2006), Université du Québec à Montréal (1997-2002), McGill University (2000), and a dozen other universities in 10 countries as part-time professor.

He obtained a Ph.D. in Business Administration, specialized in Technology Management and Strategy, from the Université du Québec à Montréal (1994-2001), a M.A. in Public Administration from Carleton University (1991-1994), and a B.Soc.Sc. in Economics & International and Comparative Politics from University of Ottawa (1988-1991).

His research deals with cloud computing and big data analytics, applied to the financial services industry and public administration.

Among other projects, he leads a research network to develop the first BTM Body of Knowledge (BOK), in partnership with IT Association of Canada (ITAC). This initiative will lead to the first unified guide for the BTM profession, identifying the common core competencies among several related standards, and ensuring practitioners at all levels can easily identify their best career growth opportunities.

Joseph Potvin is the co-founding Executive Director of Xalgorithms Foundation, and co-designer of an Internet of Rules (IoR) for the dissemination, discovery and fetching of algorithms on the Internet. The implications for international trade policy have been reported upon recently by the World Economic Forum, the WTO Public Forum, and the LSE Business Review, and he was and invited workshop facilitator at the World Trade Symposium 2018. Joseph was also an invited speaker on "Automating Legislation" for the Digital Caucus of Canada’s Parliament.

He also participates in work to automate collective agreements. He is jointly authoring a paper with the former head of monetary operations at the IMF describe why and how to provide tabular standards of value over Internet for algorithmic pricing of goods, services, assets and currencies. Through 2016-17 he was a contributing member of the US Federal Reserve’s "Faster Payments Task Force". Besides his professional work, Joseph is completing a Doctorate in Project Management at Université du Québec. He holds an MPhil from Cambridge (geographical economics) and an Honors BA (economics) from McGill.

Between 2006 and 2012 while employed at Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Joseph led the ITERation Project (IT for Expenditure Reporting Automation). For the TBS Interoperability Sector he designed and coordinated the High Resilience Environment, achieving 90% cost savings over comparable data centre systems within Shared Service Canada. His first Canadian Government employment was as a staff economist on the core drafting team of "Canada’s Green Plan". Over the years, he has worked on project contracts to six divisions of The World Bank, four divisions of the International Development Research Centre, and two parts of Global Affairs Canada, with assignments in two dozen countries.

Gregory Richards, MBA, Ph.D, FCMC, is currently Interim EMBA Director, Adjunct Professor at the University of Ottawa, and Associate with the Institute on Governance. He was previously Director of the MBA program at the University of Ottawa, a visiting professor at the Western Management Development Centre in Denver, Colorado and a member of Peter Senge’s Society for Organizational Learning based at MIT.

At the University of Ottawa, he managed the public sector performance management research cluster and continues to manage the IBM Centre for Business Analytics and Performance. His research focuses on the use of analytics to generate usable organizational knowledge. His publications appear in the Journal of Public Administration and Research, the International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, the Journal of Computer Information Systems and Information and Management.

He has also published an edited book on Big Data and Analytics in government and has delivered 50+ conference presentations on the topic of performance measurement, Big Data and analytics in the public sector. Prior to his academic appointment, he worked in the Business Intelligence field at Cognos Incorporated and as a consultant. Early in his career, he worked as a public servant at Transport Canada and Consulting and Audit Canada.