Government Innovation Showcase Federal

Modern government isn’t just about adopting new technologies—it’s about embracing a new way of thinking. Transformation succeeds when leaders, teams, and organizations adopt the right mindset: one that is agile, collaborative, and open to the possibilities of digital and AI-driven innovation.

This session will explore how to create the conditions for practical, scalable change. From breaking down silos and modernizing culture, to embedding AI responsibly and securely into services, we’ll look at how governments can build a future-ready public sector that is both connected and citizen-centered.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can turn ambition into action, and mindset into measurable impact.

• Build a culture of innovation that drives lasting change
  
• Leverage AI responsibly to enhance efficiency and decision-making
  
• Connect systems and services to deliver seamless citizen experiences
  
• Shift mindsets to embrace agility, collaboration, and resilience

Digital transformation starts with one critical enabler: data. This session explores how the federal government can move beyond silos to build trusted, connected data ecosystems that power innovation, service delivery, and policy decisions.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can design data hubs, strengthen governance, and unlock the full value of information across departments and jurisdictions.

• Treat data as the foundation for every transformation priority
  
• Build and operate central data hubs that break down silos
  
• Embed governance, privacy, and quality as pillars of trust
  
• Enable secure, interoperable data sharing across government
  
• Turn connected data into actionable insights for better services and outcomes

Federal departments are under increasing pressure to modernize legacy systems, improve service delivery, and do more with constrained resources—without compromising security or compliance. This session explores how ServiceNow partners with the Government of Canada to drive digital transformation at scale.

Attendees will gain an overview of the ServiceNow platform and how it enables integrated service delivery, workflow automation, and data-driven decision-making across government. We’ll highlight practical use cases—from IT and enterprise service management to citizen-facing services—and discuss how departments can leverage ServiceNow to break down silos, improve operational resilience, and deliver faster, more transparent services to Canadians.

Like the global order, the old rules of government IT no longer hold. AI is the ultimate disrupter. This session shows government IT leaders how to reconsider their platform as the key enabler for modernization and for what comes next - and how purpose-built tools can simplify AI adoption without compromising digital sovereignty, compliance, or the public trust Canadians depend on.

The Government of Canada is embarking on an Agentic AI journey that will transform how work gets done and how citizens are served. An agentic workforce needs a secure, governed environment where AI agents can access the right information - delivered in the context of the task at hand. Join OpenText to discover how connecting AI with sovereign cloud infrastructure bridges the gap between legacy archives and modern innovation, enabling trusted, compliant, and intelligent government operations.

As governments explore the power of AI, ethical frameworks must guide every step—from development to deployment. This session explores how public sector leaders are embedding transparency, fairness, and accountability into AI systems while driving innovation.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can operationalize ethical principles, manage risk, and maintain public trust in automated decision-making.

• Embed ethical guardrails into AI design and implementation
  
• Align AI use with human rights, privacy, and policy goals
  
• Build internal capacity to assess and monitor algorithmic bias
  
• Engage stakeholders to ensure responsible and inclusive innovation

Christian Hebert

Senior Manager, Financial Policy, System, and Internal Control, Public Service Commission of Canada

Meagan Collins

Manager, Analytics and Data Science, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Blaine Matton Moderator

National Director - Advanced Solutions, Bell Canada

AI and automation aren’t just abstract innovations—they’re tools that can help public sector teams work smarter, faster, and with greater impact. This panel will explore how leaders across digital, IT, and HR are embedding AI into everyday operations to streamline workflows, enhance decision-making, and free up capacity for higher-value public service.

• Share practical use cases of AI and automation driving internal productivity
  
• Discuss how AI is transforming both IT systems and workforce strategies
  
• Explore challenges around adoption, skills, and change management
  
• Highlight cross-functional approaches to scaling AI tools responsibly

Kate Poirier

Director General, Innovation Canada

Kelly-Anne Gibson

Director, National and Cyber Security Branch, Public Safety Canada

Robert Hawara

Executive Director, Digital Solutions, Data and Artificial Intelligence, Global Affairs Canada, Government of Canada

Fuad Abdi

Senior Account Director, LinkedIn

David Pawluczuk Moderator

Global Transformation Executive Defence, RCMP, and National Security, Salesforce

Mobility is no longer just about moving people and goods—it’s about creating connected, digital-first services that make government simpler, smarter, and more accessible. As public expectations rise and technologies evolve, transportation agencies must embrace innovation to deliver seamless, secure, and citizen-centered experiences.

In this session, Dugald Topshee, Director General of the Business Solutions Directorate at Transport Canada, will share how digital government is reshaping the future of mobility. From modernizing service delivery and enabling data-driven decision-making to building connected systems that anticipate citizen needs, this keynote will spotlight how digital transformation is helping Transport Canada move from process-heavy operations to agile, proactive, and user-friendly services.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can:

• Build digital services that make transportation safer, faster, and more accessible
  
• Leverage data and AI to inform real-time decision-making and policy
  
• Break down silos and connect systems across departments and jurisdictions
  
• Align modernization efforts with evolving citizen and industry needs

Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, emerging technologies hold the potential to transform every corner of government—but only if it reflects Canadian values of trust, accountability, and security. Digital sovereignty is about national resilience, digital independence, and the ability to protect data while driving innovation.

In this session, Joanna Murphy, Director General of Sovereign Canadian Technology at Shared Services Canada, will explore how the Government of Canada is approaching digital sovereignty to balance opportunity with responsibility. She will spotlight strategies to assess your digital sovereignty posture, apply mitigating measures such as safeguard sensitive information, and ensure that digital innovation empowers public servants and citizens alike.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can ensure Canada’s digital future is both trusted and future-ready.

• Define what digital sovereignty means for the Canadian public sector
• Protect sensitive data while enabling innovation at scale
• Align AI and emerging tech investments with Canada’s values, priorities, and long-term digital resilience

Governments are under increasing pressure to “do something with AI,” but this urgency often flips the equation—AI becomes the requirement rather than a tool selected to solve a defined problem. 

This session cuts through the hype to deliver a practical, experience‑driven view of what actually works in public‑sector AI adoption. We’ll examine privacy, data sovereignty, IP, and the risk of over‑applying AI as a one‑size‑fits‑all solution. We’ll also explore a growing pattern in successful projects: configuration‑based development that minimizes exposure to PHI, strengthens sovereignty controls, and applies AI only where it’s appropriate‑for‑purpose and truly impactful.

Join us to learn a pragmatic framework for selecting agency‑ready AI use cases and ensuring adoption that is safe, defensible, and actually moves the needle.

AI offers powerful opportunities to help public servants work smarter—not just faster. This keynote will explore how governments are applying AI to simplify processes, augment decision-making, and free up time for higher-value work. The session will emphasize the importance of balancing innovation with trust, ethics, and human oversight.

This session will help you apply new approaches on how you can:

• Automate routine processes to unlock capacity for innovation
  
• Use AI to enhance collaboration, workforce productivity, and citizen engagement
  
• Build guardrails to ensure AI tools are transparent, fair, and secure
  
• Align AI initiatives with long-term service delivery and policy outcomes

This session explores how government services can be redesigned around client centricity, with a focus on empathy, emotional experience, and friction‑free service delivery. Responding to the real human needs is critical to reducing unnecessary client interactions and reducing operational costs.

As governments race to adopt generative AI, the critical challenge has shifted from mere implementation to ensuring governance, data privacy, and explainability in every automated decision. This session outlines a practical framework for deploying Deterministic AI that protects your enterprise data while embedding intelligent agents directly into your mission-critical workflows.
In this session, we will cover:

• Deploying AI Agents that Do Real Work: Moving beyond simple chatbots to autonomous AI agents that can actively reason, extract data, and execute complex tasks within established business parameters.
• The Power of "AI in Process": How to orchestrate AI within a secure process automation platform to ensure guardrails are always in place, preventing "shadow AI" and ensuring human-in-the-loop oversight when necessary.
• "Glass Box" Transparency vs. "Black Box" Risk: Strategies for eliminating the opacity of "black box" algorithms by adopting a "Glass Box" approach—where every AI decision features a complete audit trail, data lineage, and cited sources.

This session explores how collaboration, shared platforms, and unified digital infrastructure are enabling governments to deliver seamless experiences that cut across traditional boundaries.

Key Takeaways:

• Integrate service delivery across departments and jurisdictions
  
• Foster inter-agency collaboration through data and platform sharing
  
• Overcome cultural and structural barriers to connected government
  
• Build governance models that support whole-of-government delivery

Elizabeth Hardy

Director General, Impact and Analysis, Service Canada

Stéphane Blais

Chief Information Officer, Women and Gender Equality Canada

Emile Wandji

Director General, Finance and Administration and Deputy Chief Financial Officer, Public Service Commission of Canada

Michael Goit

Executive Director & Chief Architect, Canadian Digital Service

Peter Robinson

President of Consulting, Info-Tech Research Group (Info-Tech)

Wendy Harman Moderator

Director, Global Public Sector, ServiceNow

As governments adopt AI, cloud platforms, and data-integrated services, strong data governance is no longer optional—it is foundational. Public institutions must protect sensitive information, comply with evolving regulations, and maintain the confidence of citizens who expect both personalization and privacy. The challenge is designing governance frameworks that enable innovation without exposing systems, people, or processes to unnecessary risk.

This session brings together leaders advancing modern privacy practices and responsible data strategies across the public sector.

• Build data governance models that support innovation while maintaining trust
  
• Strengthen privacy protections across AI-enabled and automated services
  
• Break down data silos with secure, policy-aligned interoperability
  
• Prepare for new regulatory requirements and emerging risk landscapes
  
• Embed transparency, accountability, and public confidence into data-driven government

Kentia Dazulma

Chief Data Officer & Executive Director, Strategy and Innovation, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Erika-Kirsten Easton

Chief Data Officer and Director General, Enterprise Service, Data and Architecture, Transport Canada

Vanessa Kientega

A/Director – Enterprise Data & AI Governance, Employment and Social Development Canada

Nader Shureih

Senior Vice President, Public Sector - Canada, Environics Analytics

Blaine Matton Moderator

National Director - Advanced Solutions, Bell Canada

Technology alone doesn’t deliver productivity—people and processes must evolve alongside it. This panel brings together digital, IT, and HR leaders to discuss how they are modernizing systems, rethinking workflows, and fostering a culture where employees are empowered to deliver more effective services.

• Identify barriers to productivity and strategies to overcome them
  
• Explore how modernization efforts align with workforce needs and citizen expectations
  
• Discuss how to measure productivity gains in a meaningful way
  
• Share lessons learned from change management and cultural transformation initiatives

Ashley Belanger

Director, CDS Services and Relationship Management, Canadian Digital Service

Inga Dobrijevic

AI, Innovation and Transformation Lead, Public Safety Canada

Hasti Rahbar

Director Service Design and Experimentation, Public Service Procurement Canada

Michael Kalin

Director, Service Canada

David Pawluczuk Moderator

Global Transformation Executive Defence, RCMP, and National Security, Salesforce