Shaping Public Policy in Canada

Featured Participants

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  Dominic Barton

  Chairman, Rio Tinto

  Biography

  Dominic Barton

  Dominic is Chair of Rio Tinto and Chair of LeapFrog Investments, an impact-investment firm focused on emerging markets; he has also been appointed as the new Chair of Asia House, the London-based think tank, effective September 2025. He is also a Senior advisor and partner at Radical Ventures, a leading AI investment firm, and an Advisory Board Member of the Olayan Group, a private family-owned company. Dominic concluded his tenure as the Chancellor of the University of Waterloo in 2024. Previously, Dominic was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and served as Global Managing Partner for 3 terms from 2009 to 2018. Dominic completed his role as the Ambassador of Canada to the People’s Republic of China in 2021, appointed by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019. He was the Chair of the Canadian Minister of Finance’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth and was Chair of the Seoul International Business Advisory Council. He served as Chairman of Teck Resources and Non-Executive Director at the Singtel Group (Singapore) and Investor AB (Sweden), was a Senior Trustee of the Brookings Institution, a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board’s International Advisory Council, and a member of the boards of Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City and the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. He is one of the founders of FCLT Global (Focusing Capital on the Long Term), has co-authored four books, including Talent Wins, published in 2018 and is also an Adjunct Professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing. Dominic is the recipient of 8 honorary doctorates from the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and the University of Edinburgh, among others. He graduated from the University of British Columbia with a BA Honours in economics and has a M.Phil in Economics from Oxford University, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar.
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  Andrew Graham

  Co-founder and CEO, Borrowell

  Biography

  Andrew Graham

  Andrew is the co-founder and CEO of Borrowell. With a passion for finance and public policy, Andrew is dedicated to helping Canadians make safe decisions about their finances. He was named an EY Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2019 award winner in Ontario. In his free time, Andrew enjoys spending time outdoors and with his family.
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  Simon Kennedy

  former Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science & Economic Development

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  Hon. Jason Kenney

  Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones

  Biography

  Hon. Jason Kenney

  The Honourable Jason Kenney served as the 18th Premier of Alberta, where he led the development and diversification of the province's energy sector, built partnerships with Indigenous communities and created new opportunities for businesses to grow and attract investment. He served for more than 25 years in Canadian federal and provincial elected office. Jason provides an extraordinary combination of leadership, vision and public policy experience to Bennett Jones clients. As Premier, he led the creation of Alberta's Recovery Plan, Natural Gas Vision and Strategy, Hydrogen Roadmap and the first-of-its-kind Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation. From 2007-15, he served as Canada's Minister for Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism; Minister of Employment and Social Development; Minister of National Defence; and Chair of the Cabinet Operations Committee. He was first elected a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1997 and was re-elected six times. Jason was the President of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation in the 1990s before starting his political career.
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  Lucas Matheson

  CEO, Coinbase Canada

  Biography

  Lucas Matheson

  Lucas Matheson is Coinbase's Canadian Country Director. He is committed to helping create a more equitable financial system in Canada through the power of blockchain. Lucas has always believed in Coinbase’s mission. He opened his Coinbase account back in 2014, long before joining the company. In his role, he ensures Coinbase is built for Canadians and with their interests in mind. Working with partners, government and regulators, he is making crypto more accessible to Canadians. Prior to Coinbase, he was the founder and CEO of Pinshape (exit Formlabs), and Senior Director at Shopify leading various operational and finance teams. Lucas is passionate about entrepreneurship. He spends his spare time advising entrepreneurs and founders on how they can grow and scale, and actively invests in web3 projects and infrastructure.
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  Anne McLellan

  Co-chair, Coalition for A Better Future

  Biography

  Anne McLellan

  Honourable A. Anne McLellan, P.C., O.C., A.O.E. served four terms as the Liberal MP for Edmonton Centre, during which she was Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, Minister of Health, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Minister of Natural Resources. Ms. McLellan serves on the board of Invest Alberta Corporation as vice-chair. Among her many community commitments, she is chair of the board of the TELUS Edmonton Community Board. She also serves on the boards of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the Institute of Corporate Directors. Ms. McLellan is Co-Chair of the Coalition for a Better Future, a diverse group of over 140 organizations working together to focus on sustainable, inclusive economic growth. In 2022, Ms. McLellan was appointed Honorary Lieutenant-Colonel for the 41 Combat Engineer Regiment (41 CER), a Reserve unit of the 41 Canadian Brigade-Group (41 CBG). In July 2009 Ms. McLellan was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada and in October 2013 she received the Alberta Order of Excellence. From 1980 – 1992 she was a professor in the University of Alberta's Faculty of Law and served as both Associate Dean (1985 – 1987) and Acting Dean (1991 – 1992) of the Faculty. Ms. McLellan holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Law degree from Dalhousie University and a Master of Laws degree from King's College, University of London.
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  Marc Miller

  MP, Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs, Québec

  Biography

  Marc Miller

  Born and raised in Montréal, The Honourable Marc Miller was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs in October 2015. In 2019, he was re-elected and appointed Minister of Indigenous Services by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Following further re-election in 2021, Marc was appointed Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Marc is a devoted community leader who has always believed in the power of public service. He has been a strong advocate for middle-class families in Montréal, working hard to increase federal investments in affordable housing, public transit, and the Canada Child Benefit. Before politics, Marc was a practicing lawyer with international experience in Montréal, Stockholm, and New York City, specializing in mergers and acquisitions. Marc has been involved in several charitable and pro bono legal initiatives and has authored articles on constitutional and human rights law. He previously served as an infantry soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces. Minister Miller is a graduate of the Université de Montréal, where he earned a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. He also graduated from McGill University with degrees in Common Law and Civil Law. As a Member of Parliament, Minister Miller made history in 2017 when he delivered a statement in the House of Commons entirely in Mohawk, marking the first time the language had been spoken in either the House of Commons or Senate since Confederation. He is a strong advocate for the rights of Indigenous peoples. Marc continues to work hard every day to bring the voices of families, workers, and businesses in Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Sœurs to Ottawa. Together with Prime Minister Trudeau and the Liberal team, Marc believes in building a Canada where everyone has a fair shot at success.
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  Mike Moffatt

  Founding Director, Missing Middle Initiative

  Biography

  Mike Moffatt

  Dr. Mike Moffatt is the founding Director of the University of Ottawa's Missing Middle Initiative (MMI) and co-host of the Missing Middle Podcast. Prior to joining MMI, Mike served as the Chief Innovation Fellow for the Government of Canada, advising Deputy Ministers on innovation policy and emerging trends. Mike has worked with politicians and policymakers of all political stripes in several countries to craft more effective public policy. From 2013 to 2015, Mike served as an economic advisor to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau.
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  Dawn Nakagawa

  President, Berggruen Institute

  Biography

  Dawn Nakagawa

  Dawn is the President of the Berggruen Institute which was launched in 2010 and today has offices in Los Angeles, Beijing and Venice. The mission of the organization is to deepen understanding of the profound transformations of our time and develop social, economic, and political institutions adapted to them. The key projects of the institute include the Renovating Democracy, Future Humans, and the Planetary. Special initiatives include, the Berggruen Prize, The Berggruen Essay Competition, Noema Magazine and the podcast, Futurology, for which Dawn is the host. The main format of much of the work of the institute involves gathering diverse groups of experts, leaders and thinkers into working groups to work on policy development projects or ideation around emerging themes or new solution spaces. In addition, she has organized citizen engagement processes in various parts of the world on topics from climate to community policing to urban planning. Prior to joining the Berggruen Institute, Dawn was worked for McKinsey & Company where she developed growth strategies for Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries, including high tech, biotech and healthcare. She transitioned to policy as the Executive Vice President of the Pacific Council on International Policy, a global affairs organization based in Los Angeles. Dawn holds an MBA from University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the McGill University. Dawn sits on the boards of BES, the Athens Democracy Forum, The Thomas Mann House in Los Angeles as well as the advisory boards of the Center for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University. She lives in Hermosa Beach California with her husband Gene and two children, Ty and Jada.
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  Marc Etienne Ouimette

  Affiliated Researcher, Cambridge Bennett Institute

  Biography

  Marc Etienne Ouimette

  Marc E. Ouimette is a consultant advising global firms and governments on the intersection of AI, public policy, and industrial strategy. As the head of global AI policy at AWS, Marc worked closely with senior leadership to develop strategic policy positioning for the company and led engagements with numerous governments and multilateral bodies. He notably sat on the B7’s advisory committee, was a member of the OECD network of experts, was board chair of the Global Partnership on AI’s Centre of Expertise, and is on the policy advisory board of the Partnership on AI. He has given talks on AI policy for the Club de Madrid, SXSW, for the Rockefeller Foundation, the Global AI Summit, G7 Ministerial meetings, the InterAmerican Development Bank, and others. Before AWS, he served as the Head of Public Policy at Element AI, a global AI product company headquartered in Montreal, Canada; as a general counsel representing Canadian universities; and as a corporate lawyer in one of Canada’s major firms.
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  Nadir Patel

  Senior Strategic Advisor, Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

  Biography

  Nadir Patel

  Nadir Patel is senior strategic advisor in our business law group. He provides strategic advice on regulatory affairs, global government relations, ESG-related matters, and doing business in international markets. Prior to joining us, Nadir held a series of high-level government positions over a distinguished career in Canada's public service. Most recently, he served as Canada's high commissioner for the Republic of India, where he oversaw Canada's largest embassy abroad with eight offices across the country. He managed Canada's presence and programs in India and the nearby region, including political and diplomatic relations, security and defence ties, public affairs, consular, migration, and developing one of Canada's fastest growing commercial relationships where he addressed complex market access issues, advised on two-way market entry and investment strategies with Canadian and Indian CEOs, their executive teams and senior government leaders. Prior to his arrival in India, Nadir served as assistant deputy minister and chief financial officer for Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development, where his mandate included strategic planning, finance, human resources, labour relations, information technology, risk management, contracting, procurement, and real property. In 2009 to 2011, Nadir was Canada's consul general in Shanghai, managing Canada's presence in Eastern China, facilitating trade, investment and political relations, and promoting Canada's participation in World Expo 2010. Prior to that, Nadir held a series of high-level government positions, including chief of staff to the national security advisor to the prime minister, where he helped write Canada's first national security policy. He also served as senior policy advisor to the Clerk of the Privy Council and secretary to the Cabinet, and subsequently became Canada's chief air negotiator, negotiating an unprecedented 43 international airspace treaties, including a groundbreaking open-skies agreement with the European Union. Nadir began his career as a tax auditor at the Kitchener-Waterloo offices of Revenue Canada, and subsequently served in progressively senior positions in the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency's offices in Montreal and Ottawa, including senior departmental assistant to the minister of national revenue, director of ministerial services, and corporate secretary. Nadir is managing director at Fairfax Consulting, strategic advisor to the president of Huron University, and on the boards of Canadian Tire Corporation and Jumpstart Charities. He has served on several private, Crown corporation, and not-for-profit boards, and is a frequent speaker/presenter.
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  Patrick Rogers

  CEO, Music Canada

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  The Hon. Mélanie Joly

  Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions

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  Sonia Verma

  Global News

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  Rana Sarkar

  Consul General of Canada in San Francisco

  Biography

  Rana Sarkar

  Mr. Rana Sarkar was appointed as Consul General of Canada in San Francisco Silicon Valley in 2017, with accreditation for Northern California and Hawaii. He is also a member of Canada’s NAFTA Advisory Council. Sarkar previously served as National Director for High Growth Markets at KPMG Canada, and co-chairman of the advisory board at the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. From 2009 - 2013, he was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canada-India Business Council. In 2005, Sarkar co-founded Content Partners, a global content agency (sold in 2009), and, in 2001, the advisory firm Rawlings Atlantic Limited. He began his career as a consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in London and Munich and helped establish Roland Berger in India. He also served as a visiting lecturer at the London School of Economics and the CASS Business School at the University of London. He attended the London School of Economics, Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, and the INSEAD Executive Program in France. He is a member of the advisory council of the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation, Canada2020, and The Literary Review of Canada and a Distinguished Fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto.
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  André Beaulieu

  Chair of the Board, Public Policy Forum

  Biography

  André Beaulieu

  André Beaulieu is a senior business executive and Board member. From 2015 to 2024, he was Senior Vice-President, Corporate Services for BCE, responsible for one of the largest procurement portfolios in Canada, and the Strategic Business Transformation team which leads all major restructuring initiatives as well as the integration of BCE acquisitions. He was also in charge of Real Estate operations, Corporate Security — including cyber-security and corporate responsibility, including ESG, for BCE. Between 2012 and 2015, André served as Senior Vice-President for Wholesale, a business unit serving 700 telecommunications customers in 180 countries. During the same period, he was President of BCE Nexxia, the entity that owns and manages Bell’s network in the U.S. Between 2007 and 2011, André occupied a series of executive functions, including VP Corporate Strategy. Before joining Bell, André was a strategy consultant with Kearney and Bain & Company in Paris and Boston. His main areas of client service were in private equity investment on the buy side and strategy for large technology companies. Previously, André worked with the Privy Council Office of the Government of Canada and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. He sits on the Boards of CORIM, Equitas, the Azrieli Foundation and the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
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  Janice Charette

  Former Clerk of the Privy Council and Secretary to the Cabinet of Canada