2021 Data Conference/Speaker Bio

French / français

Welcoming Remarks by Masters of Ceremonies

Name	Biography
Enrico del Castello	Director, Knowledge Mobilization and Partnerships, Research and Evaluation Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Most recently in this role, Enrico del Castello spearheaded the planning and execution of the International Metropolis Conference 2019 in Ottawa, drawing in 1400 delegates from over 60 countries around the globe. Prior to this, he planned and organized several international conferences including two G8 Experts roundtables on integration. With over 28 years of experience in the public service, Mr. del Castello has held various senior positions such as Director of International Relations with Canada Customs and Revenue, Director of Research and Outreach at the Public Service Commission of Canada. Mr. del Castello holds a Masters in Political Sciences from Carleton University, and a Post Graduate Degree in Public International Administration from the University of Quebec.
Liz McKeown	Faculty member, Canada School of Public Service, Digital Academy Elizabeth (Liz) McKeown joined the School's faculty at the Digital Academy in 2019. Liz has been involved in the information management and technology fields in various capacities for more than 30 years. She has largely focused on building technical, change, and leadership acumen at all levels, to promote organizational-wide digital modernization. Liz draws from her professional and personal experiences and applies them to her current work at the School, concentrating on developing a digital culture across the public service.

Indigenous Welcome

Name

Biography

Gilbert Whiteduck

(Anishinabe) Algonquin from the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation community Gilbert W. Whiteduck was elected Chief of the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg community and served from June 2008 to April 2015. He had previously been elected to the Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg Band Council at different intervals, for a total period of 12 years over the past 4 decades. Mr. Whiteduck was involved in the field of First Nations education for over 33 years. He has held many positions during this period including that of guidance counsellor, teacher, school principal and director of education. Mr. Whiteduck holds a B.S.W (Honours), a B.Ed, an M.Ed and an Honorary Doctorate which he received from the University of Ottawa in 1999 for his work in the field of education. Mr. Whiteduck remains active in his efforts to ensure that First Nation voices are not only heard but understood. He continues to seek balance through ceremony and connection to elders. He walks with an understanding of the historical past that guides him in respecting the present moments with humbleness and love. He believes that there remains much groundwork to be completed for some measure of reconciliation to be achieved but he remains hopeful for the present and future generations of youth that such will be achieved in their lifetime.

Welcome by Departmental co-hosts

Name	Biography
Catrina Tapley	Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Ms. Catrina Tapley was appointed Deputy Minister of IRCC on August 19, 2019. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations), Privy Council Office. Before joining the Privy Council Office, Ms. Tapley was with IRCC from 2010-2016, serving as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic and Program Policy and as Associate Assistant Deputy Minister. In 2011, as a part of the very Beyond the Border Working Group, Ms. Tapley played a senior role in the creation and negotiation of the Beyond the Border Action Plan – a Canada-United States agreement on economic competitiveness and perimeter security. Before joining IRCC, Ms. Tapley held numerous positions at the Treasury Board of Canada, Secretariat. As the Executive Director, Security and Justice Division, she was responsible for management and financial oversight of sixteen different federal departments and agencies in the Public Security and Justice portfolios.
Taki Sarantakis	Bio

PLENARY DISCUSSION – Data for Responsive Public Policy

Name	Biography
André Loranger	Assistant Chief Statistician for Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis, Statistics Canada André is also Statistics Canada’s Chief Data Officer responsible for the overall stewardship of the organization’s information data holdings. An economist with an M.A. (Economics) degree from the University of Ottawa, André began his career in the public service at Statistics Canada in 1997 where he spent most of his career compiling estimates of GDP. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Producer Prices Division (2008-2012) and the Director General of the Macroeconomic Statistics Branch (2012-2013). In recent years, André has been involved in international projects related to economic statistics. André is currently a member of the United Nations Global Working Group on Big Data.
Ima Okonny	Chief Data Officer, Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) Ima has over 20 years of experience in the field of data. She has extensive experience with building the evidence base through the development of analytical databases, building analytical tools, implementing departmental data reporting and release strategies, data management, data privacy protocols with forward-looking policy development and research. Ima has an educational background in Mathematics, Computer Programming and Public Management and during her time with the Government of Canada, she has received several nominations and awards for her leadership and results. She is passionate about developing and empowering multidisciplinary teams to unleash concrete business value from data.
Mireille Laroche	BIO Wording
Astrid Guttman	Professor of Paediatrics, Health Policy and Public Health at the University of Toronto, physician and Senior Scientist at the Hospital for Sick Children, and Senior Scientist and Chief Science Officer at ICES Astrid Guttmann is Chief Science Officer at ICES, Canada’s largest health services and policy research institute with extensive administrative data holdings. Her research aims to improve inequities in child and family health through population-based studies that inform or evaluate health and mental health system programs and policies. She sits on a number of scientific and policy advisory committees.
Kara Beckles	Bio wording

FIRESIDE CHAT – The Value of Data for an Innovative and Inclusive Public Policy

Name	Biography
Rohinton Medhora	Bio wording
Anil Arora	Chief Statistician of Canada Anil Arora was appointed Chief Statistician of Canada in September 2016, having worked at Statistics Canada for over 25 years, as well as leading senior policy and regulatory roles at Natural Resources Canada and Health Canada. Mr. Arora leads substantive international initiatives, working with the United Nations and the OECD, and has received numerous prestigious awards for leadership. Mr. Arora earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Alberta and holds a graduate certificate in Advanced Public Sector Management from the University of Ottawa
Dr. Vic Pant	Chief Scientist and Chief Science Advisor, Natural Resources Canada In his role, Vik is responsible for accelerating the creative application of innovative digital technologies including AI, to enhance NRCan’s ability to conduct research and analysis, as well as provide evidence-based policy advice that is supported by advanced analytical techniques. Vik works with counterparts from other science-based organizations to ensure that the management of federal policy and research activities align with Government of Canada priorities.
Natasha Kim	Assistant Deputy Minister of the Strategic and Program Policy Sector in Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). Previously, she held various positions at IRCC, Privy Council Office, Public Safety Canada, and Justice Canada. Natasha is the IRCC Champion for Multiculturalism, Diversity, and Employment Equity. She is passionate about making IRCC a more inclusive workplace, fostering an open and positive space for the Department’s diverse workforce, and advancing IRCC’s mandate. Natasha holds a Master of Laws from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University and majored in Women's Studies at the University of Alberta

The Implementation of Data Strategies across the Government

Name	Biography
Jamie Smith	Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Chief Data and Results Officer Mr. Jamie Smith began as Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Chief Data and Results Officer on July 6, 2020 and comes from a strong background in data management and analytics both within and outside the department. Mr. Smith has held various posts within the federal government including at Environment Canada, the Privy Council Office and the Treasury Board Secretariat. Mr. Smith returned to ECCC in 2008 supporting the Ministers office and has since concentrated on water, weather and climate data; earth observations; monitoring network planning; and collaborating with Provinces and Territories to establish agreements to share data before assuming his current position.
Tom Dufour	Bio wording
Daniel MacDonald	Director General, Strategic Policy, and Chief Data Officer at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) Daniel MacDonald is jointly responsible for data strategy development and implementation at NRCan with the Chief Information Officer and the Chief Science Advisor.
Julie McAuley [[|left|166x166px]]	Title Bio Wording
Alain Beaudoin	Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Results and Delivery Privy Council Office. In January 2018, Alain returned to PCO as Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Results and Delivery. Previously Alain was at FedDev Ontario where he was Vice-President, Policy, and subsequently Vice-President Business, Innovation and Community Development (2014-18). Alain has had a varied career beginning with a series of increasingly senior roles at PCO (Intergovernmental Affairs), Health Canada, Prime Minister’s Office and Industry Canada. Alain holds a Master’s degree in Arts & Sciences from the Université de Montréal.

Spotlight on CSAC Report: Towards a Stronger National Statistical System

Name	Biography
Gail McDonald left|187x187px	Bio wording
Howard Ramos	Chair of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology at Western University Dr. Howard Ramos investigates issues of social justice and equity in his research. He has published on ethnicity, race, income polarization, urban issues in secondary regional cities, social movements, human rights, Indigenous mobilization, and environmental advocacy.
Jan Kestle	President and Founder, Environics Analytics Jan Kestle has been a leader in data and analytics in Canada for decades – in industry and in government. An expert in using statistics and mathematics to solve social and economic challenges, she is a member of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council, the Board of Directors of the Canadian Marketing Association and the Ted Rogers School Dean’s Advisory Council. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in applied mathematics from Western University.
Céline Le Bourdais	Distinguished James McGill Professor of Sociology at McGill University Céline Le Bourdais is Distinguished James McGill Professor of Sociology at McGill University. Often motivated by public policy issues, her research examines the profound changes that families have experienced, using Statistics Canada’s rich survey and administrative datasets. A former Canada Research Chair in Social Statistics and Family Change, Céline Le Bourdais is a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. She is currently Vice-Chair of the Board of the Canadian Research Data Centre Network (CRDCN) and a member of the Canadian Statistics Advisory Council.

Data Defense in support GC COVID-19 Response

Name	Biography
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Eric Bisaillon	Director, Security Architecture Branch, Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (CCCS) In this role, Dr. Bisaillon focuses on the security architecture assessments and advice across a wide range of industries and technology applications. His professional interests include mitigation of threats stemming from virtualization, automation, machine learning, encryption, blockchains, privacy and ubiquitous computing devices. Dr. Eric Bisaillon holds more than 15 years of industry experience in the telecommunications technology field with a focus on agile IT security, Surveillance and Privacy, as well as Canadian Security and Intelligence policy. Dr. Bisaillon has held a variety of Engineering and Management positions at the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) as well as at the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS). He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
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Ensuring Data Quality through Data Stewardship

Name	Biography
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Crystal Sewards	Manager, Office of the Chief Data Officer, Statistics Canada Over 25 years experience working in the Federal Government with a background in data stewardship, data analysis and geomatics. Holds a degree in Human Geography from the University of Ottawa with a specialization in economics and statistics.
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Data Ethics and AI Innovation

Name	Biography
Benoit Deshaies	Acting Director of data and artificial intelligence at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). Benoit studied computer science at Carleton University in Ottawa. He is acting Director of Data and Artificial Intelligence at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). He directs the development of the Directive on Automated Decision-Making and the Algorithmic Impact Assessment (AIA). These policy tools ensure that Automated Decision Systems are deployed in a manner that reduces risks to Canadians and federal institutions, and lead to more efficient, accurate, consistent, and interpretable decisions.
Eric Rancourt	Director General of the Modern Statistical Methods and Data Science Branch at Statistics Canada Eric Rancourt has worked at Statistics Canada for 30 years where he has occupied several management roles within the organization and has been involved in multiple research and application projects related to data and related methods. He has been involved in many professional statistical associations and is an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. His current research work focuses on frameworks for optimizing privacy and information and on data ethics.
Michelle Mann left	Bio Wording
Patrick McEvenue	Senior Director in Strategic Policy Branch, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Patrick McEvenue has worked for IRCC since 2006. He is currently serving as the Senior Director in Strategic Policy Branch where he works on the policy implications of the use of AI and other technology in the delivery of Canada’s immigration programs. Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from Concordia University and common and civil law degrees from McGill University’s Faculty of Law.
Maryam Haghighi	Director of Data Science at the Bank of Canada Maryam Haghighi is the Director of Data Science at the Bank of Canada. She provides strategic leadership for data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning towards the Bank’s mandate. Over the past 15 years, she has successfully led diverse teams from academic environments to global enterprises and private partnerships, to solve complex data problems for multi-billion-dollar projects on the ground and in the skies. She holds a Ph.D. in Mathematics from the University of Ottawa.

Assessing Input Data and Resultant Model Accuracy

Name	Biography
Saeid Molladavoudi	Lead Data Scientist at Data Science Division in Statistics Canada Saeid Molladavoudi manages teams of data scientists in Statistics Canada to solve concrete business needs using machine learning solutions. His expertise in identifying opportunities and determining strategic and technical roadmaps helps bring together ideas, individuals and technologies to obtain valuable insights from large-scale data. Under Saeid’s leadership, a team of data scientists are exploring the applications of privacy preserving technologies to address some of the evolving privacy related needs of the organization.
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DAY 2: FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Resources

PLENARY DISCUSSION – Data Journalism: Truth Telling with Data Analysis and Visualizations for Public Interest

Name	Biography
David McKie	BIO Wording
Jocopo Ottaviani	BIO Wording
Lauren Klein 166x166px	Bio wording
Caroline Xavier	Associate Deputy Minister Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Caroline Xavier was appointed Associate Deputy Minister of IRCC in February 2020. Prior to this appointment, Ms. Xavier held the position of Assistant Secretary to the Cabinet, Security and Intelligence at the Privy Council Office, as of June 2017. Between 2007 and 2017, she has also occupied numerous key positions within the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), including Vice-President and Associate Vice-President of the Operations Branch. Before joining the CBSA, she held executive positions with the Communications Security Establishment Canada, Industry Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. Ms. Xavier has been with the public service for over 30 years. Caroline is a graduate of the University of Ottawa (Bachelor’s Degree in Administration, concentration in marketing and informatics) and of the Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia (Executive Master’s degree in Electronic Commerce).

FIRESIDE CHAT – Joys of Joining up: Bridging the Digital, Information Management and Data Worlds

Name	Biography
Rohinton Medhora	Bio wording
Stephen Burt	Assistant Deputy Minister (Data, Innovation, Analytics) (ADM-DIA) for the Department of National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces Stephen Burt is also the chair of the federal Chief Data Officer Council. As an organization, ADM (DIA) works to ensure that data are leveraged in all Defence programs to enhance capabilities and decision-making, and to provide an information advantage in military operations. He holds an undergraduate degree in history from the University of Ottawa, and a Master’s in Public Administration from Queen’s University.
Sandy Kyriakatos	Bio wording
Zaina Sovani	Assistant Deputy Minister of Transformation, Digital Solutions Sector and Chief Information Officer at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) In her current role at IRCC, Zaina Sovani is responsible for leading the department through a major transformational change program focused on improving client experience and service delivery enabled by agile techniques and digital technology. Ms. Sovani joined IRCC in 2017 from the Canada Border Services Agency where she was responsible for the Commercial Trade and Revenue Management Transformation Portfolio as Director General. Over the past 20 years, Ms. Sovani has held many other executive roles both in the public service and private sector, gaining the reputation of a builder and transformational leader.
Marc Brouillard	Chief Technology Officer for the Government of Canada Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat Marc Brouillard is the Chief Technology Officer for the Government of Canada, in the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) and is currently acting as the interim Chief Information Officer of Canada at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Marc also served as deputy departmental CIO and acting departmental CIO at Treasury Board Secretariat. Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Marc was VP of Business Development for a local eCommerce Services start-up. Prior to that, he spent 13 years at MONTAGE IT Services, a division of MTS/Allstream, where he held numerous positions in technology consulting and business development. Marc provides government-wide vision and strategic leadership in pursuing world class excellence in digital integration, information management and technology, and cyber security. He has had a long and successful career as a senior public and private sector executive in information management and technology.

Standards in Action: Emergence of Data Standards to Drive Business Outcomes

Name	Biography
David Barraclough	Bio wording
Benjamin Williams	Director of Data Governance and Exchange at Canada Mortgage and Housing Mortgage Corporation (CMHC) Our goal at CMHC is housing affordability and one of the key objectives for my team is to publicize housing data and insights to promote long-term affordability and sustainability. We have this as an objective because we believe that the more coherent, standardized and available the data, the better the chance that people will make better decisions as they relate to housing affordability.
Meline Nearing-Hunter	Director, Information Management Policy and Horizontal Engagement in the Office of the Chief Information Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Meline began her career in the public service in 2000 in Employment and Social Development Canada in various roles in employment programs, corporate planning, and information management. Meline joined TBS in 2017, where she is currently leading efforts to advance and evolve information and data management in the Government of Canada in support of a more modern and digital government.
Daniel Gillman	Senior research scientist at the Office of Survey Methods Research in the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Dan Gillman has over 25 years’ experience designing, developing, and implementing standards for data and metadata under DDI, SDMX, UNECE, ANSI, ISO, OMG, and W3C. His work with Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) dates to its inception (1995), Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) is a member of the DDI-Alliance, and he has and is guiding the adoption of DDI standards at BLS and the US Department of Labor.
Cory Chobanik	Director, Centre for Statistical and Data Standards at Statistics Canada. Cory has led significant transformational initiatives throughout his career, with experience and partnerships spanning all three levels of government, the private sector and international organizations, including the UN. He has led high-profile projects with a focus on metadata, information management and standards domains. In his current role, he is leading many transformation projects aligned to the FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reuse of data assets), with open data standards at the foundation, driving business outcomes around interoperability, innovation, harmonization, integration and digitization.

International Lens: How Open Data is Helping to Solve COVID-19

Name	Biography
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Mélanie Robert	Executive Director of Open Government at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) Mélanie Robert leads the Government of Canada’s efforts to open data and information and to increase accountability and citizen participation. She manages Canada’s Open Government and Open Data Portal (open.canada.ca) as well as the Online Access to Information Request Service. You can follow Mélanie on Twitter @MelRobrt

Data Partnerships and Infrastructures for Responsive Public Policy – case studies

Name	Biography
Donna Curtis Maillet left|187x187px	Bio wording
Gillian Dawson	Director, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Data, Products and Strategy, Health Canada’s COVID-19 Task Force Throughout her career at Health Canada, Gillian has architected solutions for complex problems across policy, programs, regulations and operations. Under her direction, the COVID 19 Task Force’s PPE Data, Products and Strategy team has partnered with Statistics Canada to develop a suite of data visualization products providing the latest PPE procurement data and demand forecasting to guide federal and provincial and territorial decision-makers as part of Canada’s response to COVID 19. With her leadership, they have leveraged domain knowledge, policy translation skills and deep interdepartmental partnerships to address some of the most wicked policy questions Health Canada has faced in its response to COVID-19.
Vedmani Sharan left	Bio Wording
Gabrielle Fitzgerald	Director, Data and Analytics Division, Policy and Results Branch, Infrastructure Canada Gabrielle has been managing data programs for the Government of Canada for over 12 years. Currently, she is leading the implementation of Infrastructure Canada’s Data Strategy and is responsible for key data programs to help measure the impacts of infrastructure investments, including oversight of Canada’s first ever national survey of public infrastructure. Prior to joining Infrastructure Canada, she oversaw the delivery of Canada's mineral and mining statistics program at Natural Resources Canada; and also led the design and implementation of anti-corruption legislation through the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act (ESTMA).

PLENARY DISCUSSION – Data Literacy Matters

Name	Biography
Taki Sarantakis left|187x187px	Bio wording
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