“AccelerateGOV is back for its fourth year and will bring together public servants from around the world with an interest in digital government transformation.
This year’s themes, from presenting Artificial Intelligence (AI) in action, to boosting productivity, and staying resilient, best demonstrate how we’re all working toward a more modern public sector that delivers results and addresses shared challenges. We’re also excited to be revealing the winners of this year’s Public Service Data/AI Challenge during the event.
I hope you’ll join us in Ottawa on December 9 for this valuable discussion.”
Stephen Burt, Chief Data Officer of Canada
December 9th
All times provided are local (Ottawa, EST)
9:00 AM – 9:10 AM
Welcome Address
A welcome introduction from Global Government Forum’s moderator and government expert Siobhan Benita
9:10 AM – 9:20 AM
Keynote address
Speakers:
Dominic Rochon, Deputy Minister and Chief Information Officer of Canada
9:20 AM – 9:30 AM
Keynote Address
Speaker:
Ben Piercey, Chief Technology Officer, AffinitiQuest
Supported by:
9:30 AM – 9:50 AM
Fireside Chat
As technology rapidly reshapes the public sector, governments are exploring new ways to deliver secure, efficient, and citizen-focused services. In this fireside chat, Deb Pimentel, President of IBM Canada, and Scott Jones, President of Shared Services Canada, will discuss how organizations can responsibly integrate AI, leverage hybrid cloud, and strengthen collaboration to drive meaningful outcomes for Canadians. The conversation will highlight practical lessons, emerging opportunities, and the leadership needed to accelerate digital transformation in government.
Speaker:
Deb Pimentel, President and General Manager, Technology, IBM Canada
Scott Jones, President, Shared Services Canada
Supported by:
9:55 AM – 10:45 AM
How to Rewire Government to Achieve True Digital Transformation
True digital transformation of government can ensure timely, accessible, and high-quality services that meet user’s needs.
However, transformation goes beyond new tools: it requires reshaping the processes, mindsets, and incentives embedded in public institutions. This session will explore how to redesign policy, operations, and organisational architecture to make the most of the potential for technology to unlock lasting change. Drawing on international best practice and the Canadian government’s own transformation initiatives, speakers will examine what it takes to drive whole-of-government agility, and how to leaders can accelerate reform.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Dr Louise Maynard-Atem, Deputy Director, Data & Insight, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Yuriy Matsyk, Advisor, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ukraine
Stéphane Le Bouyonnec, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Cyber Security and Digital, and Chief Information Officer, Government of Québec
Kim Steele, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Transformation Officer Human Capital Management, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Charlie Cattran, Partner, Federal Public Sector, IBM Canada
Moderator:
Siobhan Benita, Event Moderator, Global Government Forum
Supported by:
10:45 AM – 11:10 AM
Networking Break
11:10 AM – 12 PM
[Location: Challenge Stage]
The Future of Public Sector HR and Pay
Governments are transforming at unprecedented speed—modernizing legacy systems, connecting data, and reimagining how work gets done. This session explores how innovation, artificial intelligence, and human-centered design are reshaping public sector operations and workforce experiences.
Join Carl Hurtubise and Dayforce for a demonstration of the future payroll/HR Solution for the Canadian Public Sector. This session will feature introductory remarks from the Government of Canada, followed by a live demo of the solution
Walk away inspired and equipped with actionable ideas to accelerate innovation in your own organization—no matter where you are in your transformation journey.
Speakers:
Carl Hurtubise, Director General, PSPC
Micha Kindarji, Dayforce Solution Advisor
Supported by:
Workforce of the future: Reskilling for a digital, sustainable public service
The success of digital transformation initiatives hinges on people. This session will explore how the Canadian public service can build a digitally savvy workforce by understanding and addressing skills gaps, reskilling employees to meet them, and fostering a culture of continuous learning.
Drawing on success stories from Canada and other governments, the panel will highlight strategies for large-scale upskilling, recruiting digital talent, and aligning workforce development with sustainability and inclusion goals.
The session will also set out the development of digital competencies in government, and provide practical insight for public servants on where they should prioritise their own learning and development.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Nadia Ahmad, Chief Data Officer & Head of Evaluation, Global Affairs Canada
Liz McKeown, Executive Director, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Frances McRae, Deputy Minister, Women and Gender Equality Canada
Ryan Alvin R. Acosta, Commissioner, Civil Service Commission, Republic of the Philippines
Chris LaBossiere, CEO & Founder, We Know Training
Moderator:
Siobhan Benita, Event Moderator, Global Government Forum
Supported by:
Procurement power: How buying canadian can accelerate innovation
Public procurement is one of government’s most powerful tools – and it’s being reimagined to support sovereignty and innovation. This session will explore how updated procurement strategies can support Canadian firms, strengthen supply chains, and accelerate adoption of emerging technologies. Learn how procurement can be a lever for economic development and digital transformation.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Arianne Reza, Deputy Minister, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Christiana Cavazzoni, Chief Digital Officer, Fisheries and Oceans Canada
Eduardo Aggio, President, Detran-SP, Brazil
Stephen Karam, Partner, Canadian Public Sector, Levio
Moderator:
Amira Musse, Director of Financial Management Integration, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Supported by:
Understanding – and boosting – digital resilience
Boosting digital resilience is vital to building a strong and secure public sector. Digital resilience involves recognizing and managing risks, strengthening systems, and understanding how to measure the resilience across the supply chain.
Key priorities for digital resilience include identifying threats and vulnerabilities, knowing how to access help when problems arise, adapting systems and processes to become more resilient, and recovering quickly when things go wrong.
Around the world, government leaders are increasingly focused on enhancing digital resilience to deliver more reliable and secure public services. In addition to cyber security threats, many legacy systems lack adequate protection, underscoring the need to strengthen resilience at scale.
This session will explore how governments are defining key elements of digital resilience, developing strategies to strengthen it, and sharing lessons learned with peers across the public and private sectors.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Santo Scarfo, Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, Information Technology Branch (ITB), Canada Revenue Agency
Sonia Brar, Chief Technology Officer, City of Toronto, Canada
Joanna Murphy, Director General, Canada Sovereign Technology Strategy, Chief Technology Office Branch, Shared Services Canada
John Walsh, Field Chief Technology Officer, Critical Sectors, IGEL
Moderator:
Alexandra Dykes, Director, Performance and Oversight, Information and Data Governance team, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Supported by:
12 PM – 1 PM
Lunch and Networking Break
1 PM – 1:50 PM
From hype to delivery: Implementing Canada’s ai strategy for the public service
Canada has launched an AI Strategy for the Federal Public Service 2025-2027, setting out a vision to serve Canadians better through responsible AI adoption. This session will explore the strategy for operationalizing AI across departments, addressing issues such as governance, procurement, and workforce capacity.
Panellists will discuss what comes next on implementation – how to move beyond cautious pilots and embed AI tools in everyday workflows while upholding public service values.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Liam Wilkinson, Head of AI Incubation, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Kara Beckles, Executive Director, Privacy and Responsible Data, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Elise Legendre, Chief Data Officer, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Christine Jackson, Executive Director, Public Sector Canada, SAS
Moderator:
Siobhan Benita, Event Moderator, Global Government Forum
Supported by:
Boosting the health of government’s technology
The Government of Canada’s digital ambition has set out the challenges faced by legacy technology. According to the analysis, only 28% of the Government of Canada’s information technology systems – the software or digital tools used to deliver services online to Canadians and improving the government’s internal processes – are considered healthy.
Out-of-date technology can cause additional costs and security risks, and this session will look at how the government can make progress on addressing its legacy technology. The session will explore how organisations can make investments to improve the performance of government systems, and will also look at how government can understand – and improve – digital resilience across government by understanding threats and weak points in their system, and how to address them.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Shannon Kenney, Director General Worker Technology Services Shared Services Canada
Dugald Topshee, A. Chief Service and Digital Officer, Transport Canada
Luc Gagnon, Chief Technology Officer for the Government of Canada, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Marc Coyle, Director of Technology – City of Belleville, Treasurer of MISA Canada, Vice President – MISA Ontario, Canada’s representative to the Pan-Canadian Public Sector Chief Information Officer Council (PSCIOC), Canada
Kalan Comba, Chief Technology Officer – Americas, Workday
Moderator:
Lauren Hunter, Director, Talent Policy and Platforms, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Canada
Supported by:
Ready for change: How to manage transformation across government
The Canadian government’s federal budget sets out plans to reduce the size of the public service while also taking action to make public services “faster, simpler, and easier to access”.
This means that public servants across the federal government will be developing new approaches to delivering public services – and will place a premium on managing change across services and organisations.
This session will bring together public servants from across Canada and beyond to discuss how public service organisations can manage change – both by empowering public servants to do things differently, and working with organisations across government to help make change happen.
Speakers:
Tim St-Jean, Chief Information Officer, Shared Services Canada
John Ostrander, Business Lead, Benefits Delivery Modernization and Information Technology, Employment and Social Development Canada
Dr Louise Maynard-Atem, Deputy Director, Data & Insight, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Miquel Estapé, Chief Executive Officer, Open Government of Catalonia, Spain
Tony Meredith, Digital Transformation Director, Global Relay
Moderator:
Meagan Collins, Chief, Enterprise Information Management, Corporate Services Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Supported by:
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
2 PM – 2:50 PM
Data sovereignty in an age of AI and fragmentation
Data is central to sovereignty in the digital age. This session explores how governments can retain control over critical data infrastructure, ensure secure cross-border flows, and build domestic capacity in cloud and AI. Drawing on global trends and Canada’s challenges, it will examine how to design data strategies that are inclusive, secure, and future-ready.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Hayden Lansdell, Associate Deputy Minister and Government Chief Information Officer, Government of British Columbia
Ima Okonny, Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Data Officer at Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC)
Ross Ermel, Assistant Deputy Minister (Digital Services) and Defence Chief Digital Officer, Department of National Defence, Government of Canada
Jordan Zed, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for the AI Secretariat, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Nihar Dalmia, Public Sector Data, Analytics and AI Leader, Deloitte
Moderator:
Michael Wernick, Former clerk of Canada’s Privy Council and secretary to the cabinet
Supported by:
Removing friction: How to enable a seamless service delivery
Navigating public services can be complex for users. They may be entitled to services that cross departmental boundaries, meaning they have to deal with lots of different departments.
In Canada, plans have been developed to restructure government to create “one point of access for Canadians in how they interact with government programmes.”
The aim is to help drive public services that meet user expectations of online and personalized services, and this session will explore how governments around the world have developed more integrated systems around services to create seamless user experiences. With examples from Canada and abroad, the discussion will focus on interoperability, digital ID, data standards, and the infrastructure needed to support one integrated service ecosystem.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Martin Boucher, Director of Government Digital Communications, Ministry of Executive Council, Government of Québec
Michael Goit, Executive Director & Chief Architect, Digital Credentials, Canadian Digital Service / Employment and Social Development
Erica Ren, Chief Data Officer, Shared Services Canada
Andrew Trossman, Chief Technology Officer, DXC Canada
Moderator:
Amira Musse, Director of Financial Management Integration, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Supported by:
G7 AI Network – AI Implementation Panel
Canada, as 2025 G7 President, launched the G7 GovAI Grand Challenge (Nov 17-Dec 1). With support from a G7 AI network (GAIN) of AI adoption experts, we challenged G7 and European Union residents to help advance the responsible use of AI across public services worldwide. Teams or individuals from across these countries tackled real public sector challenges by developing practical, scalable AI solutions that can be adopted across governments. This session will highlight the results to date of the Challenge and speak to the successes and opportunities of AI adoption and implementation in four G7 countries.
Speakers:
Kara Beckles, Executive Director, Privacy and Responsible Data, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Christopher Wodtke, Federal Ministry for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, Germany
Liam Wilkinson, Head of AI Incubation, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Moderator:
Somaieh Nikpoor, Senior Analyst, AI secretariat, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
2:50 PM – 3:10 PM
Networking Break
3:10 PM – 4 PM
How artificial intelligence can lead to greater productivity: sharing best practice from the Government of Canada and beyond
AI is already helping parts of the Government of Canada reduce administrative burden, improve analysis, and accelerate service delivery — but its potential is far greater.
This session will bring together leaders from across the federal public service to share case studies of how AI is improving productivity, from automating repetitive tasks to enhancing policy analysis and fraud detection.
Discussion will focus on lessons learned in responsible deployment, balancing efficiency with accountability, and scaling solutions across departments. International perspectives will provide additional insights into how governments can harness AI to do more with less while maintaining trust and transparency.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Nadine Boudreau-Brown, Director General, Transformation and Modernization Services, Information Systems Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Dr Carlos Santiso, Senior Adviser on Digital Government and Artificial Intelligence in Government, OECD
Janak Alford, Deputy Minister of Technology and Innovation, Government of Alberta, Canada
Romina Kostani, Director of Digital Agenda Coordination and Foreign-Funded Projects for e-Government, National Agency of Information Society (NAIS), Albania
Daniel Nagle, Global SVP of Solutions Engineering, Quantexa
Moderator:
Siobhan Benita, Event Moderator, Global Government Forum
Supported by:
Cyber security for all: Addressing the evolving threats
The threats that governments face are constantly evolving, with the Government of Canada’s Enterprise Cyber Security Strategy setting out how the cyber threats affecting Canadians are constantly evolving.
This session will examine the key pillars that the strategy sets out for boosting national cyber security, and how they can be implemented. The session will also examine how governments around the world are undertaking whole-of-society engagement, and how to implement agile practices to enable governments to respond to emerging risks as they occur.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Po Tea-Duncan, Chief Information Security Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Dany Bernier, Chief Technology Officer, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Serge Caron, Deputy Chief Electoral Officer, Digital Transformation Sector, Officer of the Chief Electoral Officer (Elections Canada)
Dan Conrad, Field CTO, Commvault
Moderator:
Mike MacDonald, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Supported by:
How to build digital public infrastructure
Modern societies are built on digital public systems, and governments are increasingly focused on building digital public infrastructure to ensure that everyone around the country is able to access modern digital services.
The key building blocks of digital public infrastructure are digital identity systems, digital payment systems, and data exchange systems that enable the flow of information between public and private sector organizations.
This session will examine the how the Government of Canada and international peers are developing digital public infrastructure, including how governments are exploring using open source software to increase transparency, boost security, and enhance digital self-reliance.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Honey Dacanay, Director General, Digital Policy, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
Dr Inshan Meahjohn, Chief Executive Officer, National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (iGovTT), Trinidad and Tobago
Alessandro Moricca, CEO, Pago.PA, Italy
Paul Wagner, Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Digital Service, Canada
Ben Piercey, Chief Technology Officer, AffinitiQuest
Moderator:
Meagan Collins, Chief, Enterprise Information Management, Corporate Services Sector, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Canada
Supported by:
4:10 PM – 4:20 PM
Keynote Address
Speaker:
Warren Roy, CEO & Founder, Global Relay
Session supported by:
4:20 PM – 5:10 PM
From Vision to Action: What Comes Next for Canada’s Digital Future
Canada’s Digital Ambition sets out the need to improve the government’s digital services to ensure we can deliver services in the modern, digital age.
The Ambition sets out long-term objectives for how the government will put people, policy, and technology first to deliver for Canadians, with a focus on four specific outcomes:
- Services are user-centric, trusted and accessible.
- Data and information are foundational to service delivery and informed decision-making.
- Technology empowers innovation, efficiency and security.
- The workforce is digitally savvy and adaptable to the digital landscape.
This session will set out details on how the Government of Canada will measure progress against these outcomes, and will share international best practices on how to use milestones to drive progress.
Panel discussion followed by audience Q&A
Speakers:
Dominic Rochon, Deputy Minister and Chief Information Officer of Canada
Raj Thuppal, Executive Vice-President, Shared Services Canada
Karen Myers, President and CEO, Blueprint
Moderator:
Siobhan Benita, Event Moderator, Global Government Forum
Session supported by:
5:10 PM – 5:15 PM
Summary and Thank You
5:15 PM – 6 PM
Networking Reception
Welcome remarks by Jonathan Drover, AVP, Business Development – Public Sector, Interac
Supported by:
6 PM
Conference Ends
THE AI AVENUE
The Government of Canada has developed an AI strategy for the federal public service, while public service organisations are developing plans to make use of artificial intelligence in their operations and public service delivery.
At AccelerateGOV, the AI Avenue exhibition and showcase space will provide an opportunity to hear from public service innovators from across the Canadian public service and beyond on how they are developing – and deploying – artificial intelligence in their work.
The AI Avenue will provide a series of short, impact-led sessions on how organisations are making artificial intelligence work for them, and insight from innovators on how organisations can embrace the potential of the technology.
Join us for insights and inspiration on how to deploy AI to drive better, more effective public services.
GET INVOLVED – If you have been involved in a project that has harnessed AI to deliver results, we would like to hear from you using this form.
**Selected submissions may be featured as part of our main conference sessions or included in the AI Avenue, a showcase of the best AI innovations in government. This will be a unique feature where attendees can see, experience, and interact with real-world AI tools in action.
Partnered by:
10:45 AM – 11:05 AM
AI and Ministerial Correspondence – A Canadian Heritage Case Study
Amid the rapid rise of Generative AI, Canadian Heritage set out to separate substance from hype. In 2024, we launched a bold experiment: could AI draft ministerial correspondence more quickly, and as effectively, as human writers? Using a control group, blind assessments, and rigorous analysis, we uncovered revealing insights into the real capabilities and limitations of Gen AI in a government environment. Join us for an honest look at what we learned, and what it could mean for the future of public sector work.
Speaker:
Cedric Jean-Marie, Manager of Enterprise Architecture, Canadian Heritage
Miska Tetu, Canadian Heritage
11:15 AM – 11:35 AM
From Prediction to Action: AI-Driven Approaches to Climate Resilience and Emergency Management
This session explores the revolutionary potential of AI in transforming our approaches to climate-driven emergencies and emergency management
Speaker:
Chantal Ritcey, AltaML
Supported by:
11:45 AM – 12:05 PM
Discover how the power of AI can streamline and structure information on Canadian laws and regulations for quicker analysis
The Regulatory Platform was launched in June 2025 across the Government of Canada to help federal regulators manage the regulatory stock and reduce red tape. It is a web-based tool that uses AI to identify regulatory burden in federal regulations, classify regulatory provisions by industry, and provide semantic search functions. It enables advanced analysis, such as determining how regulatory burden on industry sectors has evolved over time.
Speakers:
Marie-Anne Dromaguet, Transport Canada
Julie Schnaithmann, Transport Canada
12:15 PM – 12:35 PM
GCtranslate: The Translation Bureau New AI-Powered Linguistic Tool
The Translation Bureau AI journey leading up to GCtranslate, an AI-powered translation tool developed in-house to modernize linguistic services for the Government of Canada. A shift toward artificial intelligence that reflects the government’s commitment to modernizing its services while generating overall efficiencies across government.
Speaker:
Jean-François Lymburner, CEO, Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada
12:45 PM – 1:05 PM
Streamlining Public Service Delivery: Effective and Meaningful Value Realization
In this session, learn how AI is actively being used in other jurisdictions to drive efficiencies in public sector service delivery. Learn how to address common barriers to implementation and how to use different value realization frameworks to capture and quantify the impacts of AI projects.
Speaker:
Paul Longo, AltaML
Supported by:
1:15 PM – 1:35 PM
AI-Assisted Bilingual Slide Translation for Government Workflows
This session showcases a practical AI-assisted tool designed to streamline bilingual PowerPoint translation workflows across the Government of Canada. The system automatically translates slides (English ↔ French) while preserving layout, adjusting text overflow, and maintaining formatting — all running fully locally with no data leaving the environment. The session will highlight how AI can reduce repetitive manual work, improve consistency, and support faster communication across bilingual teams.
Speaker:
Jason Hao, Business Analyst, Employment and Social Development Canada
1:45 PM – 2:05 PM
Accelerating the GC’s Geospatial Intelligence and AI Factory
Geospatial artificial intelligence (AI) comprises foundation models, deep neural networks, machine learning, and generative AI that identifies, extracts, and presents data and information about a location in space and time. Advancements in geospatial AI are transforming the speed at which we extract meaning from complex imagery and datasets to feed into analyses and problem-solving. GeoAI is advancing policy and solutions for economic, social, and environmental issues, and focusing expert human intervention on using outputs to drive analysis and action.
The Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation (CCMEO) has invested in geospatial AI since 2018. Leveraging vast geo-data holdings including the National Air Photo Library and Canada’s largest collection of Earth Observation (EO), broad and inclusive procurement strategies, and growing expertise in AI to extract and identify change or movement in Canada’s land, water, and infrastructure. The CCMEO GeoAI Factory produces high-quality data on past, present, and projected changes across Canada’s land, infrastructure, and water, aiding in delivery of NRCan’s mandate for producing national foundational geospatial data, and, through multiple partnerships and collaborations with other federal departments, informing evidence-based decision-making for a wide range of Government of Canada priorities, including sovereign and secure borders, hazard management, emergency response, safe housing, climate mitigation, Northern/Arctic development, and more.
CCMEO is recognized (CIOC Innovation Award 2023, PCO AI Secretariat AI Signature Initiative 2024) as a Government of Canada leader in GeoAI innovation. CCMEO shares our wealth of expertise with Canada’s federal, provincial, and territorial governments, and partners with Global Affairs Canada to undertake Technology Assistance Partnership projects with ODA eligible countries to help them level up quickly in GeoAI to address their own pressing climate and hazard related issues.
Speaker:
Alexandre Beaulieu, Senior Director, GeoBase Division, Natural Resources Canada
2:15 PM – 2:35 PM
Intelligence for Impact: The Role of AI-Driven Earth Observation in Shaping a Safer, More Resilient Future
This presentation will demonstrate a scalable method for dealing with data scarcity in satellite images. Drawing from past and current work applying this technique to the identification of NARWhales, AltaML demonstrate a practical and repeatable method that can extend to almost any remote sensing application. This work will enable engineers, builders, and regulators to execute with speed on Nation Building Projects in remote areas of Canada.
Speaker:
Paul Longo, AltaML
Supported by:
2:45 PM – 3:05 PM
Empowering Public Servants Through Innovation: Generative AI in CRA Communications
How can generative AI transform the way public servants communicate and deliver value to Canadians? Join us for an inside look at the Canada Revenue Agency’s Communications Directorate’s journey to integrate generative AI tools into their workflows. From fostering experimentation and gathering employee feedback to addressing concerns and implementing targeted training, this session will showcase how CRA is shaping the future of human-AI collaboration.
Speaker:
Daniel Hebert, Special Advisor, Canada Revenue Agency
3 PM – 3:35 PM
RCMP Policy Assistant – Enhancing Information Accessibility using AI
In September 2025 RCMP launched its first enterprise chatbot solution. Through a natural language chatbot interface employees can quickly locate relevant content from official policy documents, reducing search time and enhancing efficiency. Join this session for an overview and to learn more about the implementation and operational benefits.
Speakers:
Jeremy Arndt, Manager, Canadian Royal Mounted Police
Peter Roumeliotis, Canadian Royal Mounted Police
10:50 AM – 11:10 AM
Accelerate AI innovation securely with AI-SPM.
As organizations increasingly migrate to the cloud, the landscape of cybersecurity is evolving at a rapid pace. The Advent of AI brings both unprecedented opportunities and challenges, making it imperative for cloud security strategies to advance accordingly. In this session hear from Wiz why organizations are adopting AI-SPM into their CNAPP strategy and how you can effectively secure AI workloads in the cloud while accelerating AI innovation securely.
Supported by:
Accelerate Enterprise Transformation with AI Orchestration
Join us to discover how AI orchestration can evolve your automation strategy into a catalyst for innovation and growth. We will demonstrate how orchestrated AI agents and automated workflows accelerate decision‑making, optimize resources, and enhance both employee and customer experiences. Seamless integration across enterprise applications allows organizations to scale automation securely and responsibly. You’ll also learn how governance and transparency frameworks ensure AI adoption remains compliant, trusted, and aligned with strategic goals.
Speaker:
Chinmay Tulapurkar, AI Technical Specialist, IBM Canada
Supported by:
You’ve Met ChatGPT. Now Meet the AI That Gets Things Done.
You’ve heard the AI talk. Now it’s time for action. Agentic AI isn’t about dashboards and chatbots—it’s about AI that actually executes, working alongside teams to automate decisions, resolve issues, and drive services forward. In this provocative session, we’ll explore how Agentic AI is giving public sector operations a high-performance upgrade—turning reactive service models into proactive, autonomous ecosystems. If you want fewer tickets, faster services, and a digital partner that doesn’t sleep, this 15-minute session could change how you think about AI forever.
Speaker:
Keith Yim-Lim, Principal Solutions Engineer, BMC Helix
Supported by:
11:20 AM – 11:40 AM
Enabling Secure and Resilient Government Services in the Age of Cloud and Agentic AI
As governments and private organizations accelerate digital transformation, delivering secure, resilient, and citizen-centric public services has become a top priority. Kyndryl explores how the convergence of cloud computing, agentic AI, and digital sovereignty is redefining modern service delivery. This session will showcase how technology designed around transactional workflows can create secure, scalable, and resilient environments while agentic AI enhances continuity, automation, and responsiveness across the public sector.
Speaker:
Shawn McGuire, Director, IT Strategy Consulting – Resiliency, CBCP
Shawn McGuire is a Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) with over 25 years of experience with public and private sector clients across Canada. He leads Kyndryl Canada’s Resiliency practice.
Supported by:
How the Benefits Delivery Modernization program is leveraging AI to improve services to citizens
Description coming shortly.
Speakers:
Shannon Kot, Partner, Deloitte CA Federal Government team
Dave Rama, Partner – Technology & Transformation, AI & Data, Deloitte
Supported by:
Beyond the Hype: Secure, Sovereign AI
“Beyond the Hype: Secure and Sovereign AI” is for public sector leaders who are under pressure to use “AI” but can’t afford to get it wrong. In 15 minutes, you’ll get a clear, non‑salesy framework for deploying AI in government. Understand the three dimensions : AI interaction modes, sovereignty, and security. If you’re tired of buzzwords and want to ask sharper questions to your CIO, vendors, and teams, this session is for you.
Speaker:
Muthanna Subbaiah, MBA, Vice President Digital Transformation & AI, Oxaro
Supported by:
11:50 AM – 12:10 PM
From Data to Decisions: Making Digital Transformation Deliver for Canadians
Digital transformation isn’t just about technology—it’s about improving people’s lives. Too often, the vast data generated from digital services goes unused. Blueprint’s unique approach integrates policy insight, evaluation, and analytics from the start, ensuring transformation leads to measurable improvements. This session shares practical ways to embed rapid feedback loops, translate service data into actionable next steps, and avoid unintended harms. Participants will leave with concrete strategies to design services around user needs, use data to strengthen citizen trust, and ensure digital investments truly improve outcomes for Canadians.
Speakers:
Edmond Farah, Director, Advisory Services, Blueprint
Molly Doan, Director, Inclusive Practice, Blueprint
Supported by:
Cyber Resiliency at Scale: Why Identity Is the Foundation of Government Continuity
Government agencies are facing an unprecedented wave of identity-driven cyberattacks that are faster, more destructive, and increasingly automated. While prevention and detection remain essential, recent Canadian incidents have made one reality clear: the true measure of cyber readiness is how quickly an organization can restore trust and recover its identity systems after a breach.
This session examines the evolving threat landscape through a government lens and highlights why Active Directory and Entra ID remain the operational control plane for authentication, access, and continuity across ministries, departments, and shared services architectures. We will explore why identity compromise is so devastating, what makes recovery uniquely challenging in government environments, and the technical and organizational failures that commonly prevent agencies from restoring services quickly.
Attendees will learn the foundational principles of identity resilience, how clean-room recovery and automated orchestration change the recovery timeline, and why practice and repeatability are critical components of a modern cyber-resilient strategy. The session will conclude with practical guidance and proven approaches—drawn from real recovery engagements—to help government teams build confidence, reduce downtime, and make identity recovery a core element of their cyber resilience program.
Speaker:
Dan Conrad, Field CTO, Principal Technologist, Commvault
Supported by:
Modernizing Financial Operations with the PSC AI Agent for Travel
The PSC AI Agent for Travel is the PSC’s first virtual policy advisor, developed by Accounting Operations within PSC using the secure Microsoft 365 Copilot environment. It simplifies travel guidance by delivering fast, accurate answers on procedures AND reimbursements. seamlessly connects key resources such as the NJC Travel Directive and the financial policy. The Agent not only provides clear direction but also explains the reasoning behind it. Thoroughly tested for reliability, it represents a significant leap in using AI to streamline processes and strengthen compliance across the PSC.
Speaker:
Emile Wandji, CPA, MBA, DCFO and DG, Finance and administration, Corporate Affairs Sector, Public Service Commission, Canada
12:20 PM – 12:40 PM
How Data & AI Drive Savings and Efficiency: Public Sector Examples
This session covers real-world public sector use cases showing how SAS reduces costs and improves operations.
Speaker: Thomas Hindle, Data Scientist, SAS
Supported by:
See real examples of government hiring transformation in action today, then learn how to safely integrate AI tools within Canadian regulatory frameworks. We’ll share a practical roadmap for adopting AI-enhanced recruitment while maintaining transparency, fairness, and full compliance with Government of Canada requirements.
Supported by:
12:50 PM – 1:10 PM
Maximizing public value through digital payment innovation
In Canada and around the world, governments today face mounting pressure to deliver more with less. Rob Walls of Visa will discuss how digital innovation is essential to meeting the challenge —and how modern payment infrastructure can be a critical enabler. The session will examine concrete opportunities across revenue collection, expense management, and benefit disbursements, illustrating the potential impact in terms of cost, speed, accessibility, and citizen experience.
Speaker:
Rob Walls, Global Head of Products & Solutions, Visa Government Solutions
Supported by:
Securing Canada’s Digital Transformation: Zero Trust, NIST CSF2, MITRE ATT&CK, and Digital Sovereignty…
Canada’s public sector is accelerating digital modernization across federal, provincial, and critical service environments — this introduces new challenges in securing data, ensuring sovereignty, and maintaining compliance across increasingly interconnected IT and OT systems. As the attack surface expands, frameworks such as NIST CSF2, Zero Trust, and policy-driven security models are becoming essential to safeguard trust, enable resilient service delivery, and sustain operational continuity.
This session will examine key considerations for secure government digitalization, including the role of adaptive, unified endpoint management, immutable operating environments, and continuous, identity-aware policy enforcement across devices, networks, and applications. We will explore how converging IT and OT operations within a common, certified security architecture can simplify compliance, reduce complexity, and support data protection mandates within Canada’s evolving digital sovereignty landscape.
Attendees will gain practical insights on:
• Aligning modernization initiatives with compliance and cyber-resilience requirements
• Applying Zero Trust principles across multi-domain environments
• Enabling secure, centralized management of diverse endpoints
• Supporting mission-critical operations while reducing operational risk and cost
This discussion offers an actionable approach for government and public-sector leaders advancing secure, scalable digital transformation across Canada
Speakers:
John Walsh, Field Chief Technology Officer, Critical Sectors, IGEL
Supported by:
1:20 PM – 1:40 PM
How combining HR and Finance can change your outcome
Speaker:
Yves Charron, New Business Senior Account Executive – Public Sector, Unit 4
Supported by:
Quantum-Ready Now: How to Protect Citizen Data Before It’s Too Late
Most leaders think quantum computing is a problem for the future. It’s not. Quantum computing is coming faster than most realize, and when it does, today’s encryption won’t stand a chance. This talk cuts through the hype to explain why and how to deploy Post-Quantum Cryptography today—without new hardware or waiting for the future. Walk away knowing what actions to take in the next 6 months to keep your citizens’ data safe for decades. You don’t need a quantum computer to fight the quantum threat—you just need to start.
Speaker:
Richard St. Pierre, Senior Sovereignty Advisor, Levio
Supported by:
1:50 PM – 2:10 PM
From Vision to Value: Responsible AI Implementation in Public Sector Services
Learn how organizations can embed Responsible AI principles in applied AI projects to transform public sector services for the greater good.
Speakers:
Chantal Ritcey, Public Sector Industry Lead
Supported by:
2:20 PM – 2:40 PM
Digital Credentials in Action: Enhancing Service Delivery at Transport Canada and IRCC
Digital credentials are driving innovation across Canada’s public service. This session explores Transport Canada’s ICAO-compliant Digital Personnel Licenses, leveraging secure Bluetooth digital credential exchanges to modernize aviation licensing and IRCC’s W3C-based Digital Temporary Resident Visas that streamline international travel. Discover how interoperable credentials strengthen security, protect privacy, and deliver faster, more efficient, user-centric government services.
Supported by:
AccelerateERP with Workday: Mastering the Migration from Legacy GC ERP Systems to the Sovereign Cloud
Join this high-impact, fast-moving session to navigate the complexities of modernizing public sector finance. For civil service leaders facing the challenge of moving from on-premise GC financial systems, this presentation offers tangible examples and a clear roadmap for secure migration. We will demystify the concept of “Sovereign Cloud”, explaining what it means for data governance and public sector assurance, and provide practical strategies to avoid the common challenges associated with lifting and shifting legacy ERP systems into a cloud environment. This concise, 20-minute session is designed to prompt further conversation and equip you with the insights needed to ensure a successful, secure, and innovative ERP cloud adoption.
Supported by:
From Data to Insights: Enabling AI Success through Secure Data Management
AI success depends on high-quality, trusted data and the infrastructure that makes it secure, scalable, and accessible. Warren Roy (CEO & Founder Global Relay) will explore how organizations like governments, large banks, and pharma can treat their data as core intellectual property—their business, their customer relationships, and their competitive edge. He will highlight how strong data management and readiness enable real-time decision-making, support agentic AI, and drive large-scale, responsible innovation.
Speaker:
Warren Roy, CEO & Founder, Global Relay
Supported by:
2:50 PM – 3:10 PM
One AI please – Demystifying AI Adoption in the Public Service
AI is powerful—but it’s also complex, and adoption in the public sector can be hard. Between legacy systems, fragmented data, stringent security and compliance, and evolving workforce skills, organization face a maze of decisions on where to start and how to scale. Join us for discussion from Dell and NVIDIA on the complexities of AI and how to cut through the complexity and accelerate outcomes—safely, cost‑effectively, and at speed
Supported by:
3:20 PM – 3:40 PM
Human-Centred AI in Action: Rethinking How Entrepreneurs Start and Grow in Canada
AI in government isn’t just about automation—it’s about empathy. This session explores how Corporations Canada is using human-centred design to prototype an AI-Assisted Business Discovery Service that transforms the startup journey. By integrating data from BizPaL, Nuans®, and MRAS, the prototype acts as a conversational assistant that guides entrepreneurs through naming, registering, and complying with regulations—all in plain language. You’ll see how this experiment blends design thinking and AI technology to make government services smarter, simpler, and more human. Walk away with lessons on how to apply human-centred AI in your own organization—starting today.
Speaker:
Stephen Karam, Levio
Round table discussions
As part of the event and additionally to the core agenda, we curated a series of roundtable discussions for senior leaders to explore specific topics with colleagues from across government and the public service. The roundtables provided an opportunity for leaders to exchange their views and experiences and hear from colleagues tackling similar issues.
To apply to join any of these roundtables, please email [email protected].
10:50 AM – 11:50 AM
Advancing sovereign AI across the Government of Canada
The Government of Canada has prioritized the development of powerful computing resources in Canada in order to drive innovation, create new opportunities and ensure Canadian competitiveness in the global AI race.
This focus on sovereign AI capacity is intended to ensure that AI development is focused on the needs of Canadians, and ensure that the country has the capacity to meet future technological developments.
Join Dell, NVIDIA and Cohere to discuss Sovereign AI – what it means, why it matters, and how it will evolve as policy, culture, and technology shift. This conversation will focus on key considerations for Government’s use of AI and how innovation, trust, and control can drive Canada’s AI mandate.
This roundtable, part of the AccelerateGOV event programme will discuss:
- Considerations for sovereign AI and how to balance sovereign solutions with infrastructure requirements.
- How public sector organisations can benchmark against definitions of sovereignty and meaningful contributions to the Canadian economy.
- How can – and should – organisations across the Government of Canada and wider public sector engage with industry to understand how to build sovereign AI capabilities?
Session supported by:
12:40 PM – 1:40 PM
Enabling enterprise observability: Exploring the potential of AIOps in government transformation
Governments and public sector organisations need to simplify complexity and drive operational efficiencies in their IT estates, but often they lack the full stack visibility and resources to truly drive transformation. Like the saying goes: “You can’t fix what you can’t see.”
Establishing an AIOps platform and strategy enables IT teams to proactively address issues through actionable insights generated from curated telemetry data. AIOps enterprise observability is further strengthened by the integration of automation and AI-led solutions for rapid incident resolution and continuous improvement. This is especially critical for the delivery of essential public services that are hosted on legacy infrastructure or diverse IT environments, and in need of modernization.
This roundtable, part of the AccelerateGOV event programme and held in partnership with Kyndryl, will discuss the broad capabilities of AIOps platforms.
Together we will discuss the barriers and enablers to AIOps adoption across government organisations, and how to unlock its potential for transformation at scale.
Join the session to discuss:
- Best practices for public service organisations in getting AIOps-ready.
- Buy versus build’ for AIOps platforms.
- AI for IT operations use cases, including those involving GenAI and agentic AI.
- How governments can undertake organisational change management and prepare their workforce for new ways of working.
Session supported by:
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Developing Canadian talent solutions for Canadian public service skills needs
The Government of Canada’s 2025 Budget sets out plans for the consolidation of the public service, with a target set for a decline of about 40,000 officials.
Undertaking such headcount reductions in a way that maintains – or even improves – service delivery requires careful planning of the skills needs of departments. And plans to reduce the headcount comes at a time of government transformation – meaning plans need to be developed in a way that ensures the public service has the skills it needs to drive digital transformation and build capabilities for the future.
This roundtable discussion, part of Global Government Forum’s AccelerateGOV event and supported by knowledge partner VidCruiter, will discuss how government departments and agencies can ensure that they have the skills they need – both now and in the future.
In this session, we will also discuss how the government departments and agencies can use technology to forecast and plan their recruitment and skills needs – and the importance of developing Canadian skills and organisations to ensure the government can meet the sovereignty challenges it faces.
Jon this conversation to discuss:
- How the government can continue to deliver as the public service headcount is adjusted – and introduce tools such as artificial intelligence
- How government departments and agencies can fill skills gaps, even in a downturn.
- How departments and agencies can collaborate across government to share skills and reassign staff to make best use of the workforce we have.
- Case studies of how public service organisations have partnered with VidCruiter to unify recruitment processes and hiring practices across different offices, locations and technology infrastructure.
Supported by:
Public Service Data/AI Challenge Finale
AccelerateGOV is part of the Global Government Forum, Global Government Finance and Pendragon International Media portfolio of events.
Joanna Murphy, 
President, Detran-SP Oficial, Brazil
Chief Product Officer, Japan’s Digital Agency
Ministère fédéral allemand chargé de la transformation numérique et de la modernisation de l’administration, 
Analyste principale au Secrétariat de l’IA au sein du ministère de l’Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada (ISDE)
Directrice exécutive, la Division de la vie privée et des données responsables, Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada (SCT)
Advisor of the Digital Infrastructure Development, Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
Director of Digital Agenda Coordination and Foreign-Funded Projects for e-Government, National Agency of Information Society (NAIS), Albania
Andrew Trossman, Chief Technologist, DXC Canada
Sous-directeur général des élections, Transformation numérique, Élections Canada
Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada
Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada
Commissaire, Commission de la fonction publique, Philippines
Commissioner, Civil Service Commission, Philippines
Emploi et Développement Social Canada
Partenaire, IBM
Titulaire de la Chaire Jarislowsky en gestion du secteur public et leader du secteur public canadien
Former Clerk of the Privy Council and Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management
Sous-ministre adjoint principal, Secrétariat de l’intelligence artificielle, Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique, Gouvernement du Canada
Sous-ministre au ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique
Directeur de la technologie sur le terrain, Secteurs essentiels, IGEL
Président-directeur général, PagoPA, Italie
Sous-commissaire et Dirigeant principal de l’information, 
Assistant Commissioner and Chief Information Officer, 
Field Chief Technology Officer, Critical Sectors, IGEL
Sous-ministre adjoint (Services numériques) et dirigeant principal du numérique à la Défense Ministère de la Défense nationale / Forces armées canadiennes
Chief Service and Digital Officer, Transport Canada
Associate Deputy Minister and Government Chief Information Officer, Government of British Columbia
Head of AI Incubation, Government Digital Service, United Kingdom
Executive Director, Public Sector Canada, SAS
Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada
Chief Data Officer, Shared Services Canada
Vice-président, Conseil canadien des normes
Directeur de l’expérience numérique, Office of Management and Budget, États-Unis
Premier vice-président, Services partagés Canada (SPC)
Dirigeant principal de la technologie et de l’innovation, Commissions malaisiennes de la communication et du multimédia (MCMC)
Directeur général, Cyberdéfense, Centre canadien pour la cybersécurité
Cofondatrice, présidente et directrice générale de Blueprint
Chief Executive Officer, IDIKA SA (e-Government Center for Social Security), Greece
Chief Information Security Officer and Deputy CIO for Cybersecurity, Department of Energy, United States
Chef de service chez New Work, gestion du changement, gestion de projet, ministère fédéral du Numérique et des Transports, Allemagne
Directrice de l’Intégration, la gestion financière à Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada
Membre et scientifique de données en chef pour les Amériques, Intel
Directeur Exécutif, Division de la politique de l’accès à l’information et du gouvernement ouvert (DPAIGO), Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada (SCT)
Dirigeant principal des données (DPD) et Directeur général, Direction générale de la recherche stratégique, et l’innovation en matière de données, Services aux Autochtones Canada
Président de Services partagés Canada 
Données et analyses gouvernementales, responsable de l’industrie, SAS
Analyste en chef, directrice de la science des données, 10 Downing Street, Royaume-Uni
Dirigeante principale des données, Services partagés Canada
Directrice générale, Politique sur le numérique, Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada
Head of Data and Technology, Chief Digital Office, United Nations Development Programme
Président-directeur général, National Information and Communication Technology Company Limited (iGovTT), Trinité-et-Tobago
Directrice exécutive, Code for Canada
Cheffe, Gestion de l’information intégrée, Secteur des services intégrés, Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada
Assistant Deputy Minister and Chief Data Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada
Dirigeant principal de l’information et sous-ministre adjoint, Services numériques
Dirigeante principale des données & chef de l’évaluation, Affaires mondiales Canada
Director, Performance and Oversight, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, Canada
Chief Executive, Government Digital Service, Cabinet Office, United Kingdom
Directrice exécutive, Gestion de la communauté numérique, Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor du Canada, Canada
Directeur général, Rwanda Information Society Authority, Rwanda
Modératrice de l’événement, Global Government Forum
Sous-ministre et dirigeante principale de l’information (DPI) du Canada