The 2017 CFR Regulatory Conference is a national forum for regulatory professionals working in the public sector. The conference will bring together keynote speakers, panellists, and participants from across the regulatory lifecycle, and provide opportunities for expanding knowledge, sharing information, and growing your regulatory network.

In the rapidly changing social, political and economic climate, fueled by new models of service delivery and the take-up of digital tools, regulators and regulatory systems are experiencing increased pressure to evolve and “keep up.” With a focus on adaptation, disruption, and problem solving, the 2017 CFR Regulatory Conference will explore our current regulatory challenges, and examine regulatory alternatives for the future. This conference will allow for interactive discussions and hands-on experience. 

Public servants in the federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and academics and think tanks working and interested in modernizing regulatory systems in the country. 

Date: December 11 & 12, 2017

Time: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm

Location: Ottawa Events and Conference Centre

                   200 Coventry Road,Ottawa ON K1K 4S3

Lunch is provided on both days

Parking is available

• Regular Registration for CFR Partner Departments, October 12 - December 4 - $429 
  
• Regular Registration for Non- CFR Partner Federal Departments, October 12 - December 4 - $649  
  

Time: 1:00 –2:15 PM

What does it take to make the regulatory development process more efficient and effective? Is process or principles slowing the system down? Is streamlining the only answer? What happens when we don’t regulate fast enough or too quickly?

This conversation will examine today’s ambitious regulatory agenda, and the opportunities and limitations with the system.

Moderator:

Kevin Perry, Assistant Deputy Minister, Government of Ontario

Guest Panelists:

Nina Purcell, Director of Wales and Local Delivery, Food Standards Agency, UK Government

Diane Allan, Director General, Multimodal Strategies and Program Integration, Transport Canada

Dr. Christopher Hodges, Professor of Justice Systems, and Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford

Patricia Pledge, Senior Counsel, Advisory and Development Services Section, Legislative Services Branch, Department of Justice

Rory McAlpine, Senior Vice President, Government & Industry Relations, Maple Leaf Foods

Time: 9:15am - 9:45am

Sunil Johal

Policy Director, Mowat Centre, School of Public Policy and Governance, University of Toronto

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

A STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

How do governments decide when it is time to inform, consult, involve, collaborate or empower? The Centre for Dialogue at Simon Fraser University has developed a six-step framework which clearly defines the goals, outcomes and scope of an engagement process. This interactive session will road-test this framework against a series of scenarios and case studies.

Presenter: 

Shauna Sylvester, Director, Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

RISK, REGULATIONS AND POLICY: WHAT DO YOU REGULATE?

In times of disruption, regulations need to be agile and flexible to manage dynamic economies. But, realities such as regulatory agencies at capacity, overly prescriptive regulations and traditional compliance enforcement models pose limitations. Jurisdictions around the world are beginning to tackle these challenges through innovative approaches such as performance-, outcome- or risk-based regulations, alternate delivery instruments and/or unconventional compliance promotion strategies. This seminar will feature the experience of experts who have shaped and applied these approaches.

Moderator:

Srikanth Mangalam, President, Public Risk Management (PRISM) Institute

Panelists:

Graham Russell, Chief Executive, Better Regulation Delivery Office, UK Government

Dr. Christopher Hodges, Professor of Justice Systems, and Fellow of Wolfson College, University of Oxford

Bonnie Rose, Chief Executive Officer and Registrar, Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority, Ontario

Geoff Barrett, A/ Director General, Consumer Product Safety Directorate, Health Canada

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

STRAIGHT TALK FROM SEASONED REGULATORS

In this interactive session, participants will have the opportunity to hear reflections from seasoned regulators and pose questions.

Featuring:

Anne Bermonte, Director, Regulatory Modernization Branch, Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, Government of Ontario

Topic: Government of Ontario’s “Red Tape Challenge”

Benoit D. Turcotte, Executive Director, Regulatory Frameworks and International Engagement, Transport Canada

Topic: Regulatory Lessons from Lac-Mégantic

Jacqueline Booth, Director, Regulatory Affairs, Rail Safety Directorate, Transport Canada

Topic: Regulatory and Program Impacts from the Lac Mégantic Tragedy

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS 101

An overview of the purpose of Cost-Benefit Analysis in the regulatory development process and a look at recurring issues.

Presenter:

Nancy Bergeron, Chief, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Transport Canada, Co-Chair of the CFR Cost-Benefit Analysis Community of Practice

Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM

USER-CENTRIC REGULATORY SERVICES

Improving regulatory service delivery – and designing services based on the needs of users – is no longer optional. User expectations (fueled by the rise of Amazon, Facebook and other platforms) have created demands that government is struggling to meet. This session will present Transport Canada’s experience in attempting to meet those demands by moving its regulatory authorization services (permits, licenses and certificates) online.

Presenter:

Scott McNaughton, Chief, User-Centered Design Team, Transport Canada

Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

In this workshop, we’ll open up and explore together the implications of an open-by-default approach to the later stages of regulatory consultations. You’ll get a hands-on demo of the eRegs Canada Gazette Part I online consultation pilot conducted by the CFR and Health Canada in March 2017 and an introduction to the plans and prototypes for Pilot 2. Pilot 1 did not display stakeholder submissions publicly, but the second pilot will do so, moving closer to the style of regulatory consultations in other jurisdictions. Canada is also moving towards more open, interactive, transparent regulatory consultations, and there are a number of decisions the design team will be making that could have interesting implications for regulators. We’ll explore those implications together. 

Presenters: 

Lisa Fast, Co-founder, Vation Inc. 

Ioana Finichiu, Policy Analyst, Community of Federal Regulators

Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

SMART REGULATORY DELIVERY: HOW DO YOU REGULATE?

The success of a regulation is in its in ability to be delivered. However, innovative regulations (such as risk or outcome based approaches) may require different frameworks for administration, oversight and delivery. This seminar will highlight examples, from various sectors, of smart approaches to regulatory delivery including:

• Designing integrated risk-based resource allocation models for protecting food safety in Canada
  
• Risk-based inspections of rail cars carrying hazardous materials in the United States
  
• Digital technologies to collect compliance data and remote monitoring of compliance across food establishments in the United Kingdom
  
• Risk-Assessment: Regulatory Innovations in Finland
  

Moderator:

Srikanth Mangalam, President, Public Risk Management (PRISM) Institute

Panelists:

Alyssa Daku, Executive Director, Integrated Risk Management, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Dr. Phani K. Raj, Federal Railroad Administration, US Department of Transport

Nina Purcell, Director of Wales and Local Delivery, Food Standards Agency, UK Government

Minna Päivinen, Director of Research, Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency, Government of Finland

Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

STRAIGHT TALK FROM SEASONED REGULATORS

In this interactive session, participants will have the opportunity to hear reflections from seasoned regulators and pose questions.

Featuring:

Neil Bouwer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Treasury Board Secretariat

Topic: Outcome-based Regulations

Aaron McCrorie, Director General, Civil Aviation, Transport Canada

Topic: Process vs Progress: Regulating Unmanned Aircraft Systems in Canada

Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

DESIGN THINKING 101

Design Thinking is solution based thinking and methodology which is user focused. It provides the structure and methods for advanced problem solving in a collaborative and creative way. Design Thinking looks at understanding the users’ needs and delivering what is possible. There are five phases of Design Thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test. During this session participants will be walked through each of the phases and cover the types of tools which can be used. Examples of application of design thinking within the public sector will be discussed.

Presenter:

Nilufer Erdebil, Chief Executive Officer, Spring2 Innovation

Time: 3:15 PM - 4:15 PM

DIGITAL IDENTITY: A CANADIAN MADE APPROACH

Our lives have become digital. The majority of services that we now consume are mediated through our digital devices – our computers, our mobile phones, and digital assistants that exist in the cloud, available wherever we go. Digital services need to know who we are – that is, our digital identity. What was once viewed as a simple username and password has now evolved into our ongoing digital presence that promises to provide us with efficiency and convenience. How we approach digital identity as a country can be fraught with privacy issues, security implications, and how we interact as a society at large. This presentation will provide an insight on the Canadian perspective on digital identity - from the public and private sector perspective. The presentation will also cover how our values as Canadians values are shaping the digital identity infrastructure of the future.

Presenter:

Tim Bouma, Senior Analyst, Security and Identity Management, Chief Information Officer Branch, Treasury Board Secretariat

Time: 10:45 – 12:00pm

With the potential of emerging technologies to disrupt industry at scale, how can we build citizen trust while engaging in untested approaches with industry? This panel will explore concepts around citizen trust in public institutions as well as the raised expectations for governments to innovate and improve regulatory service delivery.

Moderator:

Anatole Papadopoulos, Executive Director, Canadian Digital Services

Panelists:

Graham Russell, Chief Executive, Better Regulation Delivery Office, UK Government

Gilles Leclerc, Superintendent, Securities Markets, Autorité des marchés financiers, Québec

Dr. Evert Lindquist, Professor, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria

Chrystia Chudczak, Executive Director, Innovation Lab, Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada

Carole Piovesan, Associate at McCarthy Tetrault

Time: 1:00 – 3:30pm

APPLYING BEHAVIOURAL INSIGHTS TO IMPROVE COMPLIANCE

The Innovation Hub (Government of Canada) and the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (Government of Ontario) will explore the application of behavioural insights (BI) for the regulatory community. This session will focus on developing behaviourally-informed interventions and proving the causal effect of these interventions. Participants will learn how to map the behavioural journey of the users of regulation (citizens, businesses), understand the behavioural barriers that they may face in compliance, and develop interventions to improve outcomes. Finally, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be explored as the gold-standard for experimental design for testing ‘what works’ in the regulatory space.

Curators:

Elizabeth Hardy, Senior Lead – Behavioural Insights, Impact and Innovation Unit, Privy Council Office

Noah Gitterman, Senior Policy Advisor, Ministry of Government and Consumer Services

Haris Khan, Advisor, Behavioural Insights, Impact and Innovation Unit, Privy Council Office

Time: 1:00 – 3:30pm

REGULATION CO-DESIGN: A CASE STUDY WITH AUTOMATED VEHICLES

Emerging technologies, such as automated vehicles, continue to increase in scale at an accelerated rate with the potential to be highly disruptive to society. Their complexities and uncertainties are challenging the governments’ capacities to understand, to determine an appropriate response, and to intervene quickly. This session aims to test innovative models for rulemaking process and explore principles that may aid in the government’s ability to react. Participants in this session will experience rapid prototyping for accelerated rulemaking.

Curators:

Jerry Koh, Director of Systems Innovation and MaRS Solutions Lab

Margy Vilé, Designer, Innovation Lab, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Time: 1:00 – 3:30pm

BLOCKCHAIN

Blockchain is one of the most potentially disruptive emerging technologies. Applicable in a variety of sectors, it has the potential to revolutionize status quo business models and impact industry verticals. From financial services, to the energy sector, to media and telecommunications, and many industries in between, blockchain has already begun establishing itself as an integral component in countering fraud, expediting business processes and enhancing data security. This session will delve into the future of blockchain in the regulatory space. In addition to a high-level overview of blockchain’s business implications, it will explore how regulators might engage with incumbents who are trying to innovate with blockchain technology, how they might approach radically new business models, and how they might themselves become users of blockchain to simplify their own functional processes.

Curator:

Iliana Oris Valiente, Managing Director and Global Blockchain Innovation Lead at Accenture, and Founder, ColliderX Applied Blockchain Research and Development Hub

Time: 1:00 – 3:30 PM

ALL ABOUT REGULATORY INTELLIGENCE: APPLYING CONCEPTUAL MODELLING AND DATA ANALYTICS TO REGULATORY MANAGEMENT

While regulations routinely evolve to meet the needs of society, it is often unclear if they actually achieve their intended outcomes. In this age of big data and artificial intelligence, the important question is how can we operate and review regulations (or government policies) based on data-driven evidence? Explore the use of conceptual modeling techniques and data visualization tools for monitoring the performance and assessment of regulations, programs and other enforcement activities.

Presenter:

Okhaide Akhigbe, Doctoral Candidate, Electronic Business, uOttawa

Break

World Café: Exploring Artificial Intelligence (AI) & the Implications on the Regulatory System

This session will provide an overview of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Participants will move between AI theme-based stations where they will be able to brainstorm the potential implications of AI on the regulatory system with members of the Interdepartmental AI working group and practitioners using AI in government.

Presenters:

Michael Karlin, Advisor, Chief Information Officer Branch

Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Rima Sakr, Outreach and Engagement Advisor, Digital Collaboration - Chief Information Officer Branch, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Time: 1:00 – 3:30pm

Envisioning RegPal

Advances in technology have elevated the expectations of citizens and businesses to be able to access information at their fingertips – that technology should also be well-designed with the end-user in mind. RegPal intends to fulfill those expectations by offering a quick and efficient solution for Canadian businesses to find regulations that apply to them (at present there is no aggregated source to help them find this information).

This workshop is a co-creative session where participants will help pinpoint features and adaptations that should be considered with the re-design of a RegPal prototype. This will be achieved through five exercises: review of the scope and “whole-systems” context for a RegPal platform, envisioning what a successful RegPal platform would look like, back-casting from the vision to realize effective changes and shifts, prioritizing measures towards success (including action planning), and finally presenting their conclusions to the room to spark engaging discussions and recommendations.

Curators:

Eman El-Fayomi, Design - User Experience (UX), Canadian Digital Service

Stéphane Tourangeau, Capacity building lead, Canadian Digital Service

Time: 8:50 - 9:00 am

Tina Green

Assistant Deputy Minister, Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch, Health Canada, and CFR ADM Co-Champion

Time: 3:30 – 4:00 pm

Jean-Guy Forgeron

Assistant Secretary, Regulatory Affairs Secretariat, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, and CFR ADM Co-Champion

Time: 9:00 - 9:15 AM

Speaker(s):

Andrea Lyon, Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council & Associate Secretary to the Cabinet

Time: 9:45am - 10:45am

New and complex risks to citizens can often come from societal changes that cut across sectoral boundaries. Regulatory cooperation is an important way for governments to manage large-scale disruption to specific industries (ie. emerging technologies) and ensure the Canadian market is a promising environment for economic growth. This session will explore a variety of concepts related to effective and agile regulatory cooperation models as well as the benefits for individual regulators.

Moderator:

Jeannine Ritchot, Executive Director, Regulatory Cooperation Division, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Guest Panelists:

Giles Gherson, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development and Growth, Ministry of Research, Innovation and Science & Responsible for Small Business, Government of Ontario

John Walter, Chief Executive Officer, Standards Council of Canada

Patrick O’Reilly, Economic Counselor, U.S. Department of State

Karen Proud, President, Consumer Health Products Canada

Time: 2:15 PM - 2:45 PM

Michael Wernick

Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet

Time: 9:15-10:15am

Prasana Lal Das, Lead Digital Strategist, The World Bank 

Sandboxed in – regulating the digital world at scale

Digital technologies like internet of Things are rewriting the rules of the game for regulators. How are regulators coping? This talk summarizes experiences from around the world and discusses ideas to release regulatory practices beyond the safe confines of sandboxes

Ms. Jeannine Ritchot is the Executive Director of the Regulatory Cooperation Division in the Regulatory Affairs Sector of the Treasury Board Secretariat, Government of Canada. Ms. Ritchot joined the Regulatory Affairs Sector in June 2016. Prior to this, she worked as a senior regulator in a number of roles in Health Canada.

 Jeannine began her career at Health Canada in 2010 when she joined the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch as the Director of the Bureau of Medical Cannabis, where she ran Canada’s Marijuana Medical Access Program. In 2011, she assumed the role of Director of Medical Marijuana Regulatory Reform, where she and her team developed an entirely new regulatory framework for the production and distribution of marijuana for medical purposes in Canada. During this time, she also served as the Director of the Office of Policy and Strategic Planning in the Controlled Substances and Tobacco Directorate, where she led the development of federal legislation that provides a framework for the establishment of supervised injection sites in Canadian communities. Following a brief assignment at the Public Health Agency of Canada as the Senior Director of Surveillance and Epidemiology in the Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention, Jeannine returned to Health Canada in 2015 as the Director General of the Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate. In this capacity, she was leading an initiative to modernize the regulation of self-care products in Canada, which would have included significant amendments to both the Natural Health Products Regulationsand the Food and Drug Regulations. She was also responsible for the development and implementation of regulatory cooperation initiatives on over-the-counter products with two jurisdictions: with the United States Food and Drugs Administration under the Regulatory Cooperation Council, and with the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration under the Regulatory Cooperation Initiative.

Before joining the Health Portfolio, Jeannine worked at the Privy Council Office as a Policy Analyst, as well as with Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, as a Land Claims Implementation Negotiator. Throughout her career, she has gained well rounded experience in policy, program, legislation and regulation, communications, and stakeholder relations.

 Jeannine holds a Bachelor of Arts, Specialization in History from the University of Ottawa, as well as a Masters of Arts, Conflict Studies, from St. Paul University / University of Ottawa.  

Christopher Hodges is Professor of Justice Systems at the University of Oxford; a Supernumerary Fellow of Wolfson College, Oxford; and Head of the Swiss Re/CMS Research Programme on Civil Justice Systems at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, University of Oxford, where he has been since 2004.

He graduated from New College, Oxford in 1976, obtained his PhD from King’s College, London in 2003. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1979 and practised from 1977 to 2003 in major City of London law firms, on a pan-EU basis.

From 2011-2014 he was Erasmus Professor of the Fundamentals of Private Law at Erasmus University, Rotterdam. He was Honorary Professor at the China University of Political Science and Law, Beijing, and Guest Professor at Wuhan University, China (2013 to 2016); Visiting Professor at Leuven University’s Global Law School Programme (2013) and Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Canberra (2014).

His research covers all EU regulatory and dispute resolution systems, aiming to devise an effective, integrated and balanced civil justice and regulatory model for European states. His books include Ethical Business Practice & Regulation (with Ruth Steinholtz, forthcoming), Redress Schemes for Personal Injuries (with Sonia Macleod, forthcoming), Law and Corporate Behaviour: Integrating Theories of Regulation and Enforcement (Hart, 2015), Consumer ADR in Europe (with Benöhr and Creutzfeldt, Hart, 2012), The Costs and Funding of Civil Litigation (Hart, 2010), The Reform of Class and Representative Actions in European Legal Systems: A New Approach to Collective Redress in Europe (Hart, 2008), European Regulation of Consumer Product Safety (Oxford, 2005), Multi-Party Actions (Oxford, 2001), and European Product Liability (1993).

His advice is sought by the European Commission, European Parliament, numerous governments, regulatory authorities, ombudsmen, multinational businesses and consumer associations across the world. In 2017 he has given major speeches at UNCTAD, OECD, the US-EU Mentor group, and the Centre for Information Policy.

He is a Board Member of the UK Research Integrity Office, and of the Foundation for Law Justice and Society. He is co-coordinator of the pan-EU Civil Justice Systems Project, and the Stanford-Oxford Global Class Actions Project. He has a special interest in health systems, and has chaired various committees in the sector, including the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee for England and an international committee of regulatory authorities and businesses on regulatory strategy in the medical devices sector.

christopher.hodges@csls.ox.ac.uk

Neil Bouwer Neil Bouwer is currently the Assistant Deputy Minister leading the review of business innovation and clean technology programs at the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada. He has also served as an Assistant Deputy Minister at Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and the Privy Council Office of Canada; and in senior 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.

 Neil and his family live in Ottawa, but he was born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Nina joined the Food Standards Agency in 2014 as Director of Wales and is member of the Agency’s Executive Management Team. She has overseen the implementation and delivery of a new feed audit system for Wales and the one year review of the mandatory Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. In August 2015 she took responsibility for Regulatory. She is Senior Responsible Officer for the Regulating our FutureProgramme which is how the FSA will develop a new and sustainable model for food regulation.

Throughout her career Nina has held a number of posts across the Civil Service, mainly in operational delivery. Prior to her appointment to the Food Standards Agency in February 2014 she was Chief Operating Officer with the Animal Health & Veterinary Laboratories Agency where she oversaw the restructure of the operational delivery and developed a new animal disease outbreak management model for Great Britain.

Follow Nina on Twitter @ninapurcell1

Bonnie Rose joined the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority as Chief Executive Officer and Registrar in January, 2016. Ms. Rose leads the organization in administering the Retirement Homes Act for the protection and safety of seniors living in Ontario retirement homes. 

As past President, Standards at CSA Group, Ms. Rose directed the development of standards and other information resources that help improve public safety, facilitate trade, preserve the environment and advance Canadians’ quality of life. 

Ms. Rose holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University, a Master of Business Administration from the University of Toronto, and a Chartered Director degree from The Directors College.

Nancy Bergeron first conducted a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in 1998 on a consultant contract with NASA when she was a PhD student, and she has been doing CBA work on and off since. She studied Agricultural Economics (B.Sc., U. Laval) and Natural Resource & Environmental Economics (M.Sc., Oregon State U and Ph.D., U of Maryland), which prepared her well for "translating" scientific information into economic models. It also provided her with a useful background in welfare economics, which is central to CBA work. 

Nancy has worked for Transport Canada for nearly 9 years, first in Motor Vehicle Safety where she conducted CBAs among other economic and statistical analyses. She is now Chief of the CBA unit in Departmental Regulatory Affairs at Transport Canada, where she is surrounded by a great team of dedicated analysts. TC’s CBA Unit now works for the entire department on CBAs covering air, marine and rail safety & security, motor vehicle safety, the transportation of dangerous goods, as well as some environmental issues related to transportation. The challenges in CBA work are quite interesting, and the CBA Unit’s contribution to TC’s regulatory development process is tangible. 

Nancy is also co-chair of the CFR’s Community of Practice on CBA. In that capacity and in her every day work, she is especially interested in improving the quality of CBA work done in the federal government, as well as helping to train and retain analysts accordingly.

Srikanth Mangalam is a recognized visionary and expert in risk-informed decision-making. He has over 25 years of experience in risk management in both the public and private sectors in Canada, USA, Malaysia and India. He is credited with conceptualizing and implementing a unique and innovative approach to Risk-Informed Decision-Making in Canada’s public safety sector. He is currently an Advisor to the CEO for Ontario’s Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority, Public Sector Innovation Specialist with the World Bank working on projects in Africa and Europe. He also advises several agencies within the Canadian and Ontario governments on regulatory modernization. 

 Formerly the Director and Chief Advisor for Public Safety Risk Management at the Technical Standards and Safety Authority in Toronto, Canada, Srikanth and his team received US and Canadian patents for developing and implementing an innovative approach to risk-based regulatory inspections. Srikanth has successfully established and delivered science-based risk management strategies in real-world contexts and championed the application of analytics and innovative outcome-based performance metrics to quantify risks and the effectiveness of regulations. He has several publications to his credit and is a highly sought after speaker on public risk management at conferences and by regulatory agencies. He is the Canadian Chair of the International Electrotechnical (IEC) Committee on Dependability Standards and is an expert member on several international standards. He is a founding member of the newly constituted International Network on Delivery of Regulation promoted by the UK Government and based at Oxford University.  

Giles Gherson was appointed Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Science and Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Growth in September of 2014 and Deputy Minister Responsible for Small Business in January of 2017. 

Giles’s first appointment was Deputy Minister of Communications and Associate Secretary of the Cabinet, and he has been a leading force in modernizing government communications, including introducing social media. 

In July of 2008, Giles was appointed Deputy Minister of Policy and Delivery, Associate Secretary of the Cabinet and in November of 2011 he became Deputy Minister of Government and Consumer Services. 

Prior to joining the Ontario government, Giles was editor in chief of the Toronto Star, the Edmonton Journal and the Southam News Service, and was editor of the Globe and Mail’s Report on Business. 

During the mid-1990s, Giles served as principal secretary for social security reform in the federal Department of Human Resources Development. 

John Walter is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), a role to which he was appointed by the Government of Canada, effective September 21, 2009. In this capacity, he oversees Canada’s standardization network and promotes the effective and efficient use of standardization in Canada, with the ultimate goal of enhancing Canada's economic competitiveness and social well-being. During Mr. Walter’s term, he has successfully established standardization as a top strategic priority for the Government of Canada.

Mr. Walter became President-elect of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) effective January 1, 2017. His two-year term as ISO President will begin on January 1, 2018. Mr. Walter recently served as ISO Vice-President (Policy), a position that he held since January 1, 2014. His duties in this role included leadership of ISO’s Strategy and Policy Committee, supporting implementation of the ISO Strategic Plan, and ensuring effective communication on strategic issues within ISO and with its stakeholders.

Prior to his appointment at SCC, Mr. Walter gained experience as both a user and a developer of standards. For example, he was Vice-President, Standards Development, for the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group); President and CEO of the Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA); and, Assistant Deputy Minister in the Technical Standards Division of the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations in Canada’s largest province, Ontario. Mr. Walter received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Guelph in 1973.

Okhaide is currently a Doctoral Candidate in Electronic Business at the University of Ottawa where he also teaches as a part-time professor. His current learning and research are on regulatory management. He is using conceptual modeling and analytics tools to enable regulators monitor and assess how regulations and regulatory initiatives (such as programs), perform. Okhaide’s broader research interest is the application of conceptual modelling and analytics for enterprise-wide information technology governance.

Okhaide has published and spoken on the use of conceptual modeling techniques for adaptive enterprise architecture and regulatory management at conference in Canada, China, UK, USA and Sweden.

Denise Amyot is the President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada (formerly the Association of Canadian Community Colleges). The Association is the national and international voice of 95% of Canada’s publicly funded colleges, institutes and polytechnics, serving 1.5 million learners of all ages and backgrounds at campuses in 1,000 urban, rural and remote communities. Denise Amyot was most recently the President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation providing leadership in three national museums to foster scientific and technological literacy throughout the country.

She has worked in policy and programs in social, scientific, economic and cultural areas both in National Headquarters and in regions in several federal departments including Human Resources Development Canada, National Defence, Natural Resources Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs, Canadian Heritage, and the two central agencies: the Public Service Commission and the Canada Public Service Agency (now Treasury Board).

Currently, she is Chair of the World Federation of Colleges and Polytechnics and the Chair of the Advisory Committee of the Institute of Science, Society and Policy (ISSP). Denise is on the Human Resources Policy Committee of the Chamber of Commerce and on the Advisory Council of the Schulich Centre for Excellence in Public Management, Western University and on the Canada-India CEO Forum, the Ottawa Innovation Centre Board of Directors and on the Board of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Anne Bermonte is the director of the Regulatory Modernization Branch at Open for Business in the Ministry of Economic Development and Growth of the Government of Ontario.  In her current role, she is responsible for working with regulatory ministries and with Ontario businesses on transformational initiatives to reduce burdens on business such as the Red Tape Challenge, the Regulatory Centre of Excellence and the annual burden reduction bill.  Prior to joining Open for Business, Anne worked as a senior leader in other provincial ministries, at the municipal level and in the private sector.  Throughout her career, she has successfully lead a number of initiatives that have strengthened Ontario’s business climate.   

Alyssa is a strategy and risk leader with significant experience in the health sector and other areas of government as it relates to corporate strategy, risk management, compliance and analytics. Alyssa joined the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) in October 2016 to lead its new Integrated Risk Management Directorate. She supports the Agency’s Chief Risk Executive in the effective application and implementation of risk management practices across and within all levels of risk managed by the CFIA. Alyssa has also played an integral role in CFIA communication and awareness building activities to promote a more risk-informed culture.

Alyssa worked previously at eHealth Saskatchewan from 2013 to fall 2016. As the Vice-President of Strategy, Quality and Risk Management, Alyssa oversaw enterprise risk management (including Privacy, Security and Patient Safety), corporate strategic services, legal and policy, information governance, analytics, and the delivery of Health Registry services, including Vital Statistics and Health Coverage. She also launched the open government initiative with the City of Regina. Alyssa has a Master’s degree in Public Administration with a major in Public Policy from the University of Regina and is a certified Information Privacy Professional. Alyssa is passionate about helping others. She served as a long-standing Board Member for Sofia House in Regina, a second stage housing program for victims of domestic violence. 

Nilufer is founder and head designer at Spring2 Innovation, an innovation and design thinking consulting and training firm. She has over 20 years of experience in innovation within various fields including telecommunications, application development, program management and IT management. Throughout her career she has always had a passion for technology, business, commercializing technology and navigating change. Having worked in a number of international organizations and lived on three continents, Nilufer has a global mindset.

Nilufer is a 2014 recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal Forty Under 40 Award and a 2016 recipient of the WCT Leadership Award from Women in Communications and Technology. She is a Professional Engineer with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and an MBA from Queen’s University. 

Gilles Leclerc has held the position of Superintendent, Securities Markets since September 2013. As such, he oversees the development, elaboration and implementation of strategic regulatory initiatives governing capital markets, derivatives and market structures. He also has overall responsibility for the application in Québec of securities regulatory requirements governing capital raising, disclosure by issuers and investment funds, take-over bids, governance, the creation and distribution of derivative instruments, and the oversight of regulated entities operating in Québec such as stock exchanges and clearing houses.

Teams under his supervision and leadership are actively involved in the elaboration, development and implementation of most of the significant securities regulatory initiatives in Canada. Illustrative examples include the regulatory reform on defensive tactics to unsolicited take-over bids, the regulatory framework applicable to proxy advisory firms and equity crowdfunding, the current proposal to discontinue embedded commissions for mutual funds, the development of the regulatory framework governing unlisted derivatives and the reporting of derivative transactions to trade repositories, and the enhanced regulatory supervision of market structures requested by the G20 following the financial crisis. 

Minna Päivinen is a Research Director with experience of working in safety research and government administration. She has long experience in safety research from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and Tampere University of Technology. Currently, she works for the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes) in research and development with a special emphasis on innovation management.

Her special interests are in risk management and development of risk-informed decision-making processes, as well as promoting and testing new and innovative ways to do surveillance tasks. Current issues in Tukes include: how to manage the challenges of the regulatory environment in the rapidly changing social, economical and technological fields, and how to continuously develop as a modern agency but at the same time keep up the fundamental trust and consistency.

Graham leads the drive to improve the delivery of regulation in the UK. Working with business, national regulators and local authorities, Regulatory Delivery advises the Minister for Business to simplify the regulatory environment and improve outcomes for consumers and businesses. This includes responsibility for product safety and metrology and for the delivery of Primary Authority, the government’s flagship scheme to reduce costs for businesses while improving compliance. In addition, under Graham’s leadership, the team has developed work to improve the business environment overseas supporting UK export growth and development in growing economies.

Shauna Sylvester is the Executive Director of the Simon Fraser University (SFU) Centre for Dialogue, Professor Professional Practice, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Co-Founder and Senior Advisor of SFU Public Square. Shauna is a skilled facilitator, social entrepreneur and commentator on international issues. She has led local and international dialogues on good governance, urban resilience, intercultural dialogue, affordable housing and human rights and she served as the lead facilitator for the NRCan Citizen's Dialogues on Canada's Energy Future. Prior to leading SFU Public Square and Carbon Talks, Shauna served as the Founding Executive Director of Canada’s World—a national citizen engagement initiative on foreign policy.  

Shauna has written and edited several publications related to foreign policy, urban and environmental issues and has provided policy advice to governments and foundations on subjects as varied as climate change, human security, media and democratic development. From 1997 to 2006, Shauna co-founded and served as the first Executive Director of IMPACS—the Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society, a media and democracy organization that operated in Canada and in conflict and post-conflict zones around the world.  

Dr. Raj is currently the General Engineer in the Hazardous Materials Division of the Office of Safety at the US Federal Railroad Administration - FRA (part of the US Department of Transportation). He has been at FRA for 5 years. Before joining FRA he headed a Safety and Risk Analysis consulting company in Boston for over 30 years.

At FRA, Dr. Raj has been involved in a number of projects related to the transportation of hazardous materials, development of field tests on tank cars carrying cryogenic, flammable liquids, developing scientific analysis to support regulations, instituting risk based hierarchy and optimization of inspections of tank car manufacturing/repair shops and shipper facilities. He is also working in several interagency task forces that are studying the safe handling, transportation and use of liquefied natural gas in all modes. Last but not the least he is managing several demonstration projects related to LNG and other alternative fuel uses in railroad operations.

Dr. Raj holds M.S. & Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Harvard University and MBA from Northeastern University. He is serving on the National Fire Protection Association and the UL Standards development panels, has taught graduate chemical engineering courses at MIT, Worcester Polytechnic and Texas A & M Universities. He has over 60 peer reviewed and journal published technical papers and has authored over 150 technical reports. 

Scott is Chief of the User Centered Team at Transport Canada. His mandate includes establishing the infrastructure and supporting Department wide adoption of user centered design (UCD). Scott has led numerous projects in UCD including the Digital Services Project at Transport Canada and the Community of Federal Regulators project on Regulatory Web Renewal. The project with the CFR won a Public Service Award of Excellence (2016), a Deputy Ministers Award of Excellence (2016) and a Branch Award of Excellence (2016). Scott has also worked at the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch and the Department of National Defence.

Scott is the Chair of the Board and co-founder of a local charity called Suits his Style. Suits his Style provides men in need with professional clothing at no cost so they can succeed in their interviews, boost their self-confidence and make a good first impression. Since August 2014, Suits his Style has helped over 800 men find work through something as simple as a suit and self-confidence. He holds an undergraduate degree with joint honours in Political Science and Public Administration from the University of Ottawa. 

Tim Bouma is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Government of Canada’s Chief Information Officer Branch. Tim’s area of focus is digital identity and he is responsible for the development of Treasury Board policy instruments related to identity management. Tim is also a key contributor to the Pan-Canadian Trust Framework, a collaborative effort with the private sector to develop a standards-based approach to digital identity for all Canadians. 

Jerry Koh is Director of Systems Innovation at MaRS Discovery District. He is a public and social innovator addicted to future possibilities and uncertainties. He is a strategist, designer and foresight specialist with a background in public policy and healthcare administration. He supports systems convergent projects at MaRS, including business-led youth employment, urban mobility innovation, procurement by co-design for healthcare providers, and design for change in the public sector. Jerry has led various foresight initiatives in the Ontario Public Service and the broader public service, from strategic planning to tools development. 

Aaron McCrorie was appointed as one of two directors-general of Civil Aviation at Transport Canada in April 2015 after leading a number of regulatory programs in the area of surface security, security for major special events, aviation security, and most recently, aviation safety. Aaron has been at Transport Canada since 1999.

Today, the scope of Aaron’s mandate is the aviation safety framework, which includes establishing safety policies, regulations, and standards for aviation and aerospace in Canada. Aaron is equally responsible for the development of the guidance, tools and instructions to help industry comply with regulations and for inspectors to oversee regulatory compliance. .

As Director General, Aaron values soliciting the views of stakeholders, and promoting collaboration with the industry to determine innovative regulatory solutions. Over the years, Aaron has also cultivated strong relationships with authorities around the world including the United States Federal Aviation Administration, and Transportation Security Administration, the European Aviation Safety Agency, as well as the Civil Aviation Administration of China. He very much encourages an open, honest and respectful discussion within his own team, which helps to break down communication barriers that inevitably exist in large organizations such as Transport Canada.

Aaron holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Carleton University, a Master of Arts degree from the University of Regina and started work on a PhD at York University. All degrees are in Political Science. Aaron lives in Ottawa, is married and the proud father of three children.

Kevin Perry has held a succession of senior-level roles in a variety of ministries working in corporate policy, operational policy, program design, operations, human resources, I&IT, finance, program evaluation, performance measures and research.

He has applied his transformative leadership skills in the areas of health, transportation, environment, shared services and organizational design in a number of line ministries and central agencies such as Cabinet Office and Treasury Board Secretariat.  

Michael Wernick became Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet on January 22, 2016.  

Mr. Wernick joined the federal public service in 1981. Since then he has worked in various departments and agencies, including the Department of Finance Canada, Consumer and Corporate Affairs Canada, and the Privy Council Office.

He has held several senior leadership roles, including:

• Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and Associate Secretary to the Cabinet  (2014-2016)  
• Senior Advisor, Privy Council Office  (2014)  
• Deputy Minister, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada  (2006-2014)  
• Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet, Plans and Consultations, Privy Council Office  (2003-2006)  
• Assistant Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister, Canadian Heritage  (1996-2003)  

Mr. Wernick holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Economics from the University of Toronto. He served on the Board of Governors of Carleton University from 2010 to 2017.

In 2012, Mr. Wernick received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. 

Patricia Pledge (BA, Carleton University,1991; LLB, University of Ottawa, 1994; LLM, Osgoode Hall Law School, 2010) is Senior Counsel with the Advisory and Development Services Section of the Legislative Services Branch of the Department of Justice. Patricia has been with the Department of Justice since she joined the Health Canada Regulations Section in 1999 as Legislative Counsel. She spent one year, in 2007 – 2008, as Senior Drafter with the Transport Canada Regulations Section but otherwise has been with the Advisory and Development Services Section since 2002.

As a member of the Advisory and Development Services Section, in addition to working on legislative policy development projects, she provides advice to both regulations and legislation drafters in the Legislation and Regulations Group as well as to client departments in respect of their legislative initiatives, focussing on the authority to make regulations. Since 2003, Patricia has been the Chair of the Department of Justice Study Group on Incorporation by Reference. She also provides training to employees of the Department of Justice on the legal limits of regulation-making, and more generally on the use of incorporation by reference and the Statutory Instruments Act. Patricia is a frequent presenter to the Community of Federal Regulators and was a part-time professor of Statutory Interpretation at the Faculty of Law, Common Law Section at the University of Ottawa for three years.

Patricia completed a Master of Laws in Administrative Law at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2010 and the Certificate Program in Regulatory Leadership (Carleton University and University of Ottawa Joint Certificate) in June 2017.

Anatole is Executive Director of the newly-launched Canadian Digital Service with the federal government.

Anatole has spent much of his Public Service career working on change and transformation initiatives, most recently as the point person supporting the Deputy Ministers’ Committee on Policy Innovation (2015 and 2016), and has leadership experience in policy development, senior-level governance, interdepartmental collaboration, and stakeholder engagement.

Previously, Anatole served as Director of Policy, Intergovernmental and International Affairs at Health Canada’s Food Directorate. He played a key role in regulatory modernization and represented the federal government domestically and internationally.

Before joining Health Canada, Anatole was a Senior Analyst in the Priorities and Planning secretariat at the Privy Council Office (PCO). Anatole also spent time at PCO as part of the core team for the innovative canada@150 project and as Senior Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Public Service Renewal.

Before PCO, Anatole spent three years at Environment Canada. He worked in strategic policy and ultimately led a team that managed a new multi-stakeholder initiative focused on integrating environmental and economic decision-making.

Anatole received a Master's degree in Public Policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and a Bachelor's in Cognitive Science from Queen's. 

Iliana Oris Valiente, CPA, CA, CBP (Certified Bitcoin Professional) is widely credited for being a trailblazer in the blockchain space, having been among the first to recognize the tremendous impact of this traditionally "hacker" technology on the enterprise world. Her focus has been on exponential technology, entrepreneurship and bridging the gap between the corporate world and the start-up communities. In her current role as a Managing Director and Global Blockchain Innovation Lead at Accenture, Iliana is responsible for strategy initiatives and overseeing projects to conceptualize and build blockchain solutions across industries, with a focus on financial services industry, supply chain, healthcare and the public sector.  Iliana is also the founder and Chair of ColliderX, the world's first non-profit, open sourced, and crowdsourced research and development hub for blockchain and related technologies. Previously, Iliana was the catalyst in getting Deloitte actively involved with blockchain innovation, and founded the Rubix by Deloitte practice in 2014 where she led teams providing advisory services and building decentralized applications across multiple technology platforms. Iliana has strong views on how the network effects of this technology will impact multiple verticals, and how it will radically change many status quo business models. Iliana is a published author and sought after speaker, regularly presenting at conferences and events around the world.

Prasanna Lal Das works on data strategy in the Trade & Competitiveness global practice at the World Bank Group where he recently led the development of the World Bank Group’s open trade and competitiveness data platform. He is currently exploring the role of IoT to deliver government services, and the role of big data in value chains.

Prior to this, Prasanna led the Bank Group’s open financial data program. Prasanna has also worked extensively in the private sector helping companies develop strategies to use information as a competitive business asset.

Prasanna holds a Masters degree in Modern Indian History.

Benoit D. Turcotte was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1998 after completing his legal studies at the University of Ottawa. He briefly practiced insurance and corporate law before beginning work with the federal government at the Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy (OSB) within the Department of Industry. During his time with the OSB, he also taught Bankruptcy and Insolvency Law at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa in both the Common Law and Civil Law sections. A brief stint at the Corporate Law Policy Directorate of the Department of Industry was followed by work at the Privy Council Office, Regulatory Affairs Division, where he managed the Cabinet Committee Operations group that advises the Treasury Board Cabinet Committee on various regulatory matters and submissions. During his time at the Privy Council Office, he was involved in the development of various initiatives under the Federal Government’s Smart Regulation Initiative. He was Manager of the Regulatory Policy Group for the Assisted Human Reproduction Implementation Office for a brief period at Health Canada before becoming Director of the Centre of Regulatory Expertise, Regulatory Affairs Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, from 2007 to 2014. He is currently Executive Director of the Regulatory Affairs and International Engagement Branch at the Transport of Dangerous Goods Directorate, Transport Canada.

Diane Allan is the Director General of the Multimodal Strategies and Program Integration Directorate at Transport Canada. Prior to starting her public service career, Diane worked in the biotechnology sector for a few years. In the 90s, she began her public service career managing grants and contributions programs and continually progressed in more senior roles in both policy development: legislative and regulatory framework design, interprovincial, international and program policy, and operational delivery: program service delivery and oversight of laboratory networks and inspectorates within the Health and Agricultural portfolios in the Government of Canada. In her current role, she plays a pivotal strategic role in change leadership to help build organizational capacity, continuous engagement and awareness by influencing others and facilitates horizontal linkages and integration within, across and externally with the aim to ensure that Transport Canada is successful in delivering its operational as well as its modernization agenda. 

Elizabeth Hardy is Senior Lead, Behavioural Insights, Impact and Innovation Unit, Privy Council Office, leading the application of behavioural science to public policy challenges. Previously, Elizabeth led the Behavioural Insights Unit in the Government of Ontario, where she was instrumental in creating and building Canada's first behavioural science team in government. To date, Elizabeth has successfully completed trials dealing with public health, tax collection, regulatory compliance, and service delivery. She continues to collaborate with stakeholders in government as well as the academic community and is a passionate advocate for building a culture of experimentation within policy and program delivery. Her research-Moving Citizens Online: Salience and Framing as Motivators for Behavioral Change-was recently published in the Journal of Behavioral Science and Policy.

Chrystia Chudczak is the Executive Director of the Innovation Lab at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada. She has worked as a public servant for over 25 years and debuted as a Legislative Assistant for a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons. Most recently, she was the Assistant Commissioner of the Northern Pipeline Agency (NPA), where she was responsible for restarting and scaling a federal agency mandated to regulate the building of the Alaskan Gas Highway pipeline. She officially came aboard the Innovation Lab in October 2015.

Chrystia holds an MPA from Carleton University and an MBA from Ottawa University. She completed a BA in Soviet and Eastern European studies from Carleton and a BA in Visual arts from UOttawa. She worked for one year as a lecturer and teaching assistant at Ottawa University’s Introduction to Public Administration course for undergraduates. She has worked as a Senior Strategy Consultant at Price Waterhouse Coopers in Ottawa and is also a professional documentary photographer and runs her own business.

Jacqueline is the Director Regulatory Affairs in Transport Canada’s Rail Safety Directorate. She is responsible for the development of the Rail Safety legislative and regulatory program as well as other related instruments.

Prior to this, she held the position of Chief, Technical Program Evaluation and Coordination in the Civil Aviation Standards Branch. Jacqueline has been with the Department of Transport for 20 years.

Karen Proud is the President of Consumer Health Products Canada (CHP Canada); an industry association representing the makers of over-the-counter medicines and natural health products. She joined the association in July of 2014 after more than a decade of senior management roles in both the public and private sectors.

After graduating with a Bachelor’s of Applied Science from Ryerson University in 1997, Karen began a nine-year career with Health Canada taking on increasingly senior-level roles in the areas of regulatory and legislative affairs. In 2006, Karen left the public service to pursue opportunities in the private sector. Her most recent roles, prior to joining CHP Canada, were that of: Director of Canadian Regulatory Affairs for NJOY; Vice President of Federal Government Affairs for the Retail Council of Canada; and Director of Payer Strategies for Sanofi Canada.

Karen currently sits on the World Self-Medication Industry Association Board of Directors and Executive Committees and is a past board member of the Canadian Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education.

Rory McAlpine is Senior Vice President, Government and Industry Relations with Maple Leaf Foods. In this role, Mr. McAlpine has overall responsibility for working with government and industry partners on matters of public policy, programs, regulatory affairs and trade.

Mr. McAlpine brings to Maple Leaf Foods a wealth of experience gained during more than 30 years of working in government, trade and agribusiness.

Prior to joining the Company, Mr. McAlpine served as Deputy Minister of the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries from 2002 to 2005. He also obtained significant experience with the Federal Government as Executive Director and Director General, International Trade Policy Directorate; Director Grains and Oilseeds Division; and Deputy Director Multilateral Trade with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. Mr. McAlpine also held the position of Executive Director of the National Farm Products Council and was a Trade Commissioner with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, with postings in Kuwait, Bangkok, Brussels, Edmonton and Ottawa.

Mr. McAlpine serves on a number of boards and committees, including Food and Beverage Ontario, VIDO-InterVac (University of Saskatchewan), Ontario Association of Food Banks, and the Maple Leaf Centre for Action on Food Security. He is on the advisory committees for the Program on Agri-Food Innovation and Regulation, Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario) and the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute.

Mr. McAlpine holds a Masters degree in Economics from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Geoff Barrett is currently the Acting Director General of the Consumer Product Safety Directorate (CPSD) of Health Canada. In this role, Geoff is responsible for the assessment, management and communication of health and safety risks for all consumer products and cosmetics in Canada. In Geoff’s substantive role as the Director of CPSD’s Risk Management Bureau, he is responsible for the development and implementation of risk management approaches including the oversight of voluntary standards, development of regulations, and coordination of Canada's national compliance and enforcement program for consumer product and cosmetic safety. While Geoff has been with Health Canada since 2004, he recently returned in 2016 from a 2 year assignment with the Government of Canada’s Privy Council Office where he was responsible for working with Canadian federal regulators to strengthen regulatory alignment efforts.

Dr. Evert Lindquist is Professor of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and Editor, Canadian Public Administration, the flagship journal of the Institute of Public Administration of Canada. He served as Director of the School of Public Administration (1998-2015), professor at the University of Toronto (1988-1998), the ANZSOG-ANU Chair in Public Management Research (2010-11), and the first Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Visiting Fellow (1992-94). Lindquist has served on IPAC’s Board of Directors, as President of the Victoria Regional Group, chair of IPAC’s Research Committee, and President of the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration. He has published on topics relating to public sector reform, governance and decision-making, central agencies, policy capability, think tanks, consultation, horizontal management, government-non profit relations, budgeting, leadership and competing values, and visualization and policy-making. He is co-editor of a December 2017 special issue in Canadian Public Administration on ‘Understanding Governance in the Digital Era: An Agenda for Public Administration Research in Canada’ arising from a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant. 

Lisa Fast is a User Experience (UX) leader passionate about providing and measuring digital service to citizens. After facilitating over 1,000 hours of behavioral research sessions with people on phones, tablets and computers, she has a deep empathy and understanding for what works on the web. As a co-founder of Vation Inc., an open-source software service firm, Lisa led the implementation of the first eRegs online regulatory consultation pilot. She also has a contract role at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) leading teams optimizing online service on Canada.ca. Lisa is a long-time Github collaborator on the Government of Canada’s open-source Web Experience Toolkit (WET). Long ago, she earned a Masters in Computer Science in the psychology of programming, and then had a fantastic design and innovation career at Nortel Networks.

Carole Piovesan is a lawyer in McCarthy Tetrault litigation department. She regularly advises clients on risk management strategies and represents clients in complex commercial litigation, class actions, environmental litigation, estate litigation, professional negligence and appellate advocacy. She has appeared before various administrative tribunals, at all levels of court in Ontario, as well as at the Supreme Court of Canada.

Carole is a firm lead in the area of artificial intelligence and an active member of the firm’s Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Management group. She regularly consults across various sectors on the evolution and integration of artificial intelligence and its legal implications. Recently, she co-authored From Chatbots to Self-Drivings Cars: The Legal Risks of Adopting Artificial Intelligence in Your Business, part of the firm's Transformative Technologies series of White Papers.

Patrick O’Reilly is the new Economic Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, having arrived in August 2017. Prior to his arrival in Canada, he served as the Environment and Science Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in Buenos Aires, before which he spent a year at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan coordinating U.S. assistance programs internally and with other major donors. Patrick has also served at the U.S. Mission to the European Union and the U.S. Mission to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Other assignments include the State Department’s Office of Monetary Affairs, Paraguay and Malaysia. He has a Master’s Degree in Finance and is looking forward to his first Canadian winter.

Noah Gitterman is a Senior Policy Advisor in the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services, focusing on regulatory policy development and implementation. Noah helped lead the creation and development of the Communicating for Compliance (C4C) community of practice within the Ontario Public Service, an initiative to build capacity among regulators to communicate in better ways that will improve compliance, including through the use of behavioural insights. Noah has developed and led numerous workshops and courses on behavioural insights for regulators in Ontario, and provides advice and support to regulators on how to incorporate behavioural insights into their work. 

Rima is an Outreach and Engagement Advisor who works with the Digital Collaboration Team within the Chief Information Officer Branch at Treasury Board Secretariat. Rima delivers presentations and facilitates workshops to introduce provincial, territorial, and federal employees as well as academia and external partners to the benefits they can derive from using the Government of Canada Digital Collaboration Platforms: GCconnex, GCpedia and GCcollab.

Rima is a dedicated facilitator who is passionate about bringing people together and help them achieve a common goal to improve collective decision making.

Rima hold a Bachelor of Science degree from the Lebanese American University. Rima completed the professional facilitation program with ICA Associates and currently working towards the accreditation of certified facilitator by the international association of facilitators (IAF).

Haris is an Advisor at the Impact and Innovation Unit. He is responsible for supporting the application of behavioural science and statistically rigorous experimentation methods to address complex policy and program challenges. Before joining the Privy Council Office, Haris worked on the adoption of evidence based decision making in government, and conducted quantitative and qualitative research on a diverse set of public policy issues ranging from risk in real estate markets to early childhood development programs. Haris holds a Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Public Policy, both from the University of Toronto.

Michael Karlin is an Advisor at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, where he specializes in public policy considerations of artificial intelligence and automation. Over his 10-year career with the public service, he’s had fun providing advice to senior officials and Ministers on complex ethical and public policy issues. In this capacity he has won numerous policy and innovation awards, as well as three chili cookoffs. Prior to his time at TBS, Michael worked in diverse roles at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canada Border Services Agency and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Michael holds a BA from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario; and an MA and LLM from the University of East Anglia in Norwich, UK. He had a hard time concentrating in his twenties. 

Follow him on Twitter or Medium @supergovernance.

Margy Vilé is a Designer with the Innovation Lab at Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada. She has a degree in Industrial Design from Carleton University and studied design at l’École national supérieure des arts décoratifs in Paris, France. While studying in Paris, she worked for Gemplus and used smart technology to design a card reader for the French police. She is a certified change leadership professional and joined the government over 15 years ago to help make a difference in the public service. Prior to joining the Government she worked in Ottawa’s high tech sector and its arts community.

Sunil Johal is Policy Director at the Mowat Centre, School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Toronto. He leads the Centre’s research activities, manages the research team and teaches a variety of executive education courses. He has a broad range of public policy expertise across economic, social, intergovernmental and regulatory fields.

Previously, he was a Director with the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation where he led the government’s efforts to modernize its regulatory environment and forge a more productive relationship with the business community. He has also held senior management and policy roles with the Cabinet Office, Ministries of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs and federal Treasury Board Secretariat. He joined the federal civil service through the Recruitment of Policy Leaders initiative in 2003.

Sunil has been a lecturer with Ryerson University’s Department of Politics and Public Administration since 2009 and holds degrees from the London School of Economics, Osgoode Hall Law School and the University of Western Ontario. He is frequently invited to speak about technology and policy issues at conferences and in a variety of media outlets, including the Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, CBC Radio and Television, CTV News, the Guardian, Maclean’s and the Ottawa Citizen.

Eman is a multidisciplinary designer and a futurist. Currently, Eman is working on all things design, user experience, and capacity building with the Government of Canada's Canadian Digital Service (CDS). Prior to joining CDS, she was an Interaction Design professor for two years at Sheridan in Toronto. Eman chooses projects with underpinnings of community impact and empowerment in the realm of web, communication design, and information visualization. She’s worked on design/UX teams in a variety of different organizations including Facebook, Microsoft, and the National Film Board of Canada. As an extension of her graduate thesis at OCAD University, she’s been working with a variety of different charities/non-profits including SickKids, the United Way, and the David Suzuki Foundation to create strategies for increased engagement with Millennials.

A seasoned Canadian public servant, Stéphane has spent the majority of his career in the field of Learning and Development. He worked on a variety of initiatives in his career such as leading departmental change and youth networks; multimedia production; strategic engagement and managing the production of high-profile public service branding products. He has been an active member of the Web 2.0 practitioners’ community and a lead for Collaborative Culture Camp learning events, namely Collaborative Management Days. Stéphane is currently the lead for capacity building at the Canadian Digital Service and is working with national and international partners to improve digital literacy, skills and competencies for public servants working directly or indirectly in digital service design and delivery.

Enthusiastic and passionate about knowledge sharing, collaboration, and culture change in the Public Service, Ioana shares this passion in her role with the Community of Federal Regulators. As a public servant since 2006, Ioana held diverse roles with the Canada Revenue Agency, the Canada Border Services Agency, and the Treasury Board Secretariat, first in Montreal then in Ottawa. Sharing information and knowledge with different stakeholders has always been at the forefront, whether while delivering awareness sessions to the Canadian public, designing training for public servants, or through outreach and engagement and community building in various departments.

Current motto: "I am not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it".

Jean-Guy Forgeron was appointed Assistant Secretary of the Regulatory Affairs Sector at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, on November 9, 2015. 

Mr. Forgeron was previously Chief of Staff to the Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary of the Cabinet from August 2013 to October 2015. Prior to this, from December 2009 until August 2013, he was Director of Operations in the Economic and Regional Development Policy Secretariat of the Privy Council Office (PCO) where he was responsible for providing advice and support to Cabinet committees on a range of issues, including environmental policy, natural resources, energy, fisheries, and agricultural policy. Before joining PCO, he held positions in various federal departments, including: Fisheries and Oceans Canada, where he was Director of Strategic Priorities and then later the Director General of Strategic Priorities and Planning; and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, where he was Director of Ministerial Liaison and Departmental Assistant to the Minister of State.

Originally from Isle Madame, Nova Scotia, Mr. Forgeron has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from Dalhousie University and a Master of Arts in Public Administration from Carleton University.

Dr. Siddika Mithani became President of the Public Health Agency on April 11, 2016. Dr. Mithani holds a Bachelor of Pharmacy and a Ph.D. in Psychopharmacology from the University of Aston, England. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Neuroscience Department at the University of British Columbia.

She has a wealth of leadership experience in science-based departments, and most recently, she served as Associate Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change. 

Dr. Mithani began her career with the public service at Health Canada in 1988. She has served as Assistant Deputy Minister of the Science and Technology Branch at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as Assistant Deputy Minister of Ecosystems and Oceans Science at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and as Associate Assistant Deputy Minister in the Health Products and Food Branch at Health Canada.

Tina Green was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Health Canada's Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch in March 2017.  

Tina began her career as an analytical chemist with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. She subsequently held positions in the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada, the Privy Council Office, and Indigenous Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

Tina joined Health Canada in 2009 as Director of the Risk Management Bureau in the Safe Environments Directorate, Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch (HECSB). In 2012, she became Director General of HECSB’s Consumer Product Safety Directorate. In February 2016, Tina assumed the role of the Special Advisor to the ADM of the newly established Regulatory Operations and Regions Branch, assisting with the Branch’s transition to full operating capacity. In October 2016, she acted as the Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada, until she joined RORB in March 2017.

Tina holds an M.Sc. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Waterloo.