Greg Fergus

Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of Treasury Board
Government of Canada

Greg Fergus is the Member of Parliament for Hull–Aylmer since October 2015.

Since 2021, Greg serves as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and to the President of Treasury Board. He previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Digital Government and to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, and was a member of the Standing Committee on Finance.

He is also a founding member of the Parliamentary Black Caucus, as well as the Liberal Black Caucus, both of which he co-chaired until April 2022.

Greg remains very involved in his community. He encourages people to invest themselves in causes that are important to them, and to work together to create a stronger sense of belonging. Passionate about long-distance running, politics, and jazz, he is proud of his community and everything it has accomplished.

Greg has a strong background in federal politics. Previously, he worked as a policy advisor and senior policy advisor in a number of ministerial offices. He has also worked at all levels of the Liberal Party of Canada, including as National Director, where he introduced change and innovation that made their operations and outreach stronger, helping restore it to today’s modern appeal. Greg has two bachelor’s degrees—one in social science and one in international relations. He also studied international relations at the graduate level.

Over the past 30 years, he has worked in the private and public sectors, with not-for-profit organizations and the academic sector. He and his wife are the proud parents of three adult children and doting grandparents to two grandsons.

Colton LeBlanc

Minister of Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services
Government of Nova Scotia

The Honourable Colton LeBlanc was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as the MLA for Argyle-Barrington in a by-election in 2019 and was re-elected as the MLA for Argyle in 2021.

Originally from Quinan, in southwestern Nova Scotia, Mr. LeBlanc understood from a young age the importance of being actively involved in his community and preserving Acadian culture and the French language. After obtaining a Bachelor of Science from Université Sainte-Anne, he received his primary care paramedic training at Medavie HealthEd and started his career. Mr. LeBlanc furthered his studies and obtained his advanced care paramedic certification at Holland College.

A paramedic and an active volunteer in his community, Mr. LeBlanc was formerly president of the Conseil acadien de Par-en-Bas and is a past member of the board of directors of the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse and Université Sainte-Anne’s alumni association. He also worked as a substitute teacher in Conseil scolaire acadien provincial schools in the Argyle area.

Kaleed Rasheed

Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery
Government of Ontario

The Honourable Kaleed Rasheed is Ontario’s Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery, working to make Ontario a world-leading digital jurisdiction that leverages technology and innovation to deliver simpler, faster, and better services for people and businesses.

First elected in 2018, he is the Member of Provincial Parliament for Mississauga East—Cooksville and has previously served as Ontario’s first Associate Minister of Digital Government.

As a long-time champion of Canada’s tech industry, he brings extensive private sector experience to the table that spans across the banking, services, and telecommunications sectors.

Driven by the need to deliver exceptional customer service for Ontarians, Minister Rasheed is dedicated to making Ontario the best place for people to raise a family, live work, and for businesses to grow.

Minister Rasheed holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Guelph-Humber, as well as an MBA from the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom.

A strong community advocate, Minister Rasheed likes to spend his spare time volunteering and participating in local initiatives with his wife Sofiya and their five children.

Mark McLane

Minister of Finance
Government of Prince Edward Island

Mark was first elected as the MLA for District 16 Cornwall-Meadowbank in a November 2021 byelection and appointed the Minister of Finance in July 2022. Mark had previously served as a member of the Education and Economic Growth Legislative Standing Committee.

Mark had served as the Executive Director of Golf PEI from 2012 until 2021 and was the past president of the IT company, iWave Information Systems and was the founder and owner for more than 10 years of PrinterWorks which was purchased by the Datarite group of companies in 2001.

Mark has held many volunteer leadership roles. He was chair of Island Waste Management Corporation, a board member with Big Brothers Big Sisters of PEI and the Stars for Life Foundation, and a coach and manager for the Charlottetown and PEI ringette associations. He also volunteered countless hours for field hockey
and soccer.

Mark graduated from UPEI in 1993 from the Bachelor of Business Administration program. Mark’s career included being an award-winning entrepreneur who received the 1999 Business Development Bank of Canada Young Entrepreneur Award at the age of 29 for his company.

Mark and his wife Margie live in Cornwall along with their three children Maria, Bethany, and Katherine.

Eric Caire

Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology
Government of Québec

Eric Caire was appointed Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology on January 1, 2022. He was the first politician to head the Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique (MCN) and, between January 2021 and October 2022, he was also the Minister responsible for Access to Information and Privacy, in addition to serving as Deputy Government House Leader. In October 2022, Mr. Caire was reappointed as Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology and has proudly represented the riding of La Peltrie as an MNA since March 2007.

Mr. Caire is well versed in the issues facing this new ministry, having served simultaneously, from October 2018 to January 2022, as Minister for Government Digital Transformation and Vice-President of the Treasury Board.

A member of the Quebec National Assembly since 2007, he was the spokesperson for the second opposition group on the efficiency of public administration for four years. In addition, he has served on several committees, including the Committee on Public Administration.

A computer scientist by profession, Mr. Caire has many years of experience as a programmer-analyst and as a college computer science teacher. His professional background has made him a seasoned minister who is always on the lookout for technological developments.

Lori Carr

Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement
Government of Saskatchewan

Lori Carr was elected MLA for Estevan in the 2016 provincial election.

Living in Estevan with her partner Bart, Lori spent 20 years working as a licensed assistant in a financial planning office. She is very active in the community as a board member for the Air Cadet League, Sun Country Health Region and Ducks Unlimited. Lori also spent ten years serving on Estevan City Council.

She has served as Minister of Highways and Infrastructure, Minister of Government Relations, Minister of Social Services, Minister responsible for First Nations, Métis and Northern Affairs, and Minister responsible for the Provincial Capital Commission. She currently serves as Minister of SaskBuilds and Procurement and Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission, the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority, and the Global Transportation Hub.

Prior to this, Lori was a member of the government’s leadership team as Deputy Whip and had served as a Legislative Secretary to both the Minister of Finance and the Minister responsible for SaskPower.

Lori has raised three children and is a very proud grandmother.

Nils Clarke

Minister of Highways and Public Works and Minister of Environment
Government of Yukon

The Hon. Nils Clarke was first elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in the general election for the 34th Legislative Assembly on November 7, 2016. He was re-elected in the general election for the 35^th Legislative Assembly on April 12, 2021.

The Hon. Mr. Clarke was appointed to the Executive Council of Yukon (cabinet) on May 3, 2021. He is currently Minister of Highways and Public Works and Minister of Environment.

The Hon. Mr. Clarke was elected the 25^th Speaker of the Yukon Legislative Assembly on January 12, 2017. As Speaker, he was also Chair of the Members’ Services Board.

CJ Ritchie

Associate Deputy Minister of Citizens’ Services & Government Chief Information Officer,
Government of British Columbia

CJ Ritchie is a recognized change leader who has served as British Columbia’s Associate Deputy Minister and Government Chief Information Officer since January 9, 2018. CJ currently leads the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) in the Ministry of Citizens’ Services where her primary focus is improving government services with the development of a corporate strategy for Digital Government in B.C.

CJ has a deep understanding of government and its services, having built her career working in both strategic and operational roles. Since 2008, she has held various Assistant Deputy Minister posts including in the Office of the Premier; Ministry of Jobs, Economic Recovery and Innovation; and Ministry of Citizens’ Services. 

Most recently, CJ led the OCIO’s COVID-19 response, resulting in a seamless transition to remote work for B.C.’s Public Service in the midst of the global pandemic. The OCIO’s COVID-19 response enabled digital services that otherwise would not have been available to be utilized in a fraction of the time to meet the emerging needs of the public and government service providers.  This response resulted in the Business in Vancouver awarding CJ, Chief Information Officer of the Year for 2020.

Catherine Luelo

Deputy Minister at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and the Chief Information Officer of Canada
Government of Canada

Prior to her appointment as CIO in July 2021, Catherine was the Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer at Air Canada, where she was responsible for the Information Technology systems that support and enable Air Canada’s global business. In this role, she additionally led innovation in the artificial intelligence space while managing the security and reliability of Air Canada’s worldwide systems in an operational landscape that substantially shifted during the global pandemic.

From 2001-2017, Catherine held senior management and executive roles at major Canadian companies, including Enbridge Inc., WestJet Airlines Ltd., and TELUS Communications.

Catherine holds an MBA from Athabasca University in Alberta and a BSc from the University of Alberta.

In June 2022, she was appointed to the MaRS Discovery District Board of Directors – North America’s largest innovation hub – located in downtown Toronto. In line with her deep interest in cleantech, she also became a member of the Climate Economy Strategic Council – advocating the importance of cleantech adoption to lead in the climate economy.

From 2018-2021, she served on the Board of Directors for scale ai, the Montreal-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) supercluster that aspires to increase competitive advantage for Canada globally in AI. She has also served as a Board Member for Creative Destruction Labs, as well as serving as Chair for Health Canada’s Industry Advisory Roundtable on COVID-19 Testing, Screening, Tracing and Data Management.

Catherine is a proud mother of two children and is a fierce advocate for mental health. In March 2020, she was appointed to the Board of Directors for the Center for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) Foundation and participates regularly as a panelist and speaker on Mental Health in the workplace.

David James

Deputy Minister, Technology and Innovation
Government of Alberta

David James was appointed Deputy Minister of Technology and Innovation in October 2022. The new ministry is responsible for making technology and innovation the driving force behind Alberta’s economic diversification and growth.

Before the latest appointment, David was Deputy Minister of Service Alberta where he led the team to deliver a wide range of crucial programs and services to Albertans, including provincial registries and consumer protection.

He was also an Associate Deputy Minister of Natural Gas and Electricity with Alberta Energy, where he led the public service’s efforts to advance Alberta’s natural gas and electricity sectors. 

Previously, David was the Assistant Deputy Minister for Strategic Policy with Alberta Energy, responsible for leading strategic energy policy for the province. He also served as the Assistant Deputy Minister for Electricity and Sustainable Energy, where he was responsible for electricity policy within Alberta.

Before joining the Government of Alberta in 2011, David served as a telecommunications officer with the Canadian Forces, providing deployed and static telecommunications support for Army operations in Canada and overseas. 

David holds an undergraduate degree in Chemical and Materials Engineering and a Master’s degree in Business Administration, both from the Royal Military College of Canada. A dedicated family man, he loves to spend time with his wife and three teenaged children. 

Scott Sinclair

Deputy Minister of Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services
Government of Manitoba

Scott Sinclair is currently the Deputy Minister of Labour, Consumer Protection and Government Services.  Prior to assuming his current role Scott was Deputy Minister of Central Services and prior to that Deputy Minister of Crown Services and Deputy Minister of Infrastructure.  Scott has held other senior roles as the Associate Deputy Minister of Finance | Central Services and Assistant Deputy Minister, Advanced Learning Division in the department of Education and Advanced Learning.  Scott has worked in the public sector since 1999 at both the Provincial and Federal levels with experience in a number of departments and portfolios including agriculture, transportation, education, health, social services, economic development and the labour market.  Scott’s expertise is in the area of public sector administration and policy and program development and is a champion of evidence informed decision making through research and evaluation methodologies.

Scott is also a faculty member in the department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba where he teaches a variety of courses including Research Methods in the Study of Politics, Multivariate Research Methods and Managing Modern Government.

Scott has degrees in economics and mathematics from Brandon University and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Victoria.

Liz Byrne-Zwicker

Assistant Deputy Minister, Office of the Chief Information Officer
Government of New Brunswick

Liz Byrne-Zwicker is the Chief Information Officer and Assistant Deputy Minister at Finance and Treasury Board and has had the opportunity to serve New Brunswick in various capacities since 1990. Over the course of her career, she has held various senior management roles within the Government of New Brunswick including her previous role as Chief Digital Officer for the province.

Liz is a keen advocate of a collaborative, citizen-centric approach to transforming government services in New Brunswick.

Key focus areas for the Office of the CIO include digital transformation, privacy and access to information, cybersecurity, rural telecommunications infrastructure strategy, IT strategy and policy, provincial archives, and records management. The Office has successfully advanced several strategic initiatives through the Digital NB Strategy, Cyber Strategy, and Information Highway 2.0. 

Sean Dutton

Deputy Minister, Digital Government and Service NL
Government of Newfoundland & Labrador

Sean Dutton is the Deputy Minister of Digital Government and Service Newfoundland and Labrador, a position he has held since April 28, 2021.

Mr. Dutton started his career with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1994 and became a Deputy Minister in 2004. He has served as Deputy Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs, Intergovernmental Affairs, Digital Government and Service NL, Procurement, Transportation and Works, Environment and Climate Change, and Municipal and Provincial Affairs, as well as Chief Executive Officer of Fire and Emergency Services, Chief Procurement Officer and Deputy Registrar General.

Mr. Dutton has Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and Master of Arts degrees from Acadia University, both in Political Science.

William MacKay

Deputy Minister of Finance
Government of Northwest Territories

William MacKay is the Deputy Minister of Finance and Secretary to the Financial Management Board for the Government of the Northwest Territories. Mr. MacKay was appointed on September 1, 2021. Prior to this, Mr. MacKay served as Deputy Minister of Executive and Intergovernmental Affairs and Secretary to Cabinet for the Government of Nunavut for two years after serving for four years as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General for the Government of Nunavut. Mr. MacKay also served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Senior Legal Counsel for the Government of Nunavut.

Mr. MacKay has extensive experience in government administration and legal advisory work. In addition to his years of service and experience as a senior manager, Mr. MacKay has acted as legal counsel, negotiator and advisor with both the Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories as well as in the private sector.

He has a Bachelor of Arts, LLB and LLM from the University of Calgary and has a certificate in International and Comparative Law from Cornell University and Université Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne.

Joanne Munro

Deputy Minister, Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services
Government of Nova Scotia

Joanne joined the Government of Nova Scotia in 2014 after a 20-year career in the financial services industry. Joanne held senior roles in commercial banking, retail banking, operations, human resources and talent management, corporate finance and strategic planning and execution. 

As Deputy Minister of SNS-IS, Joanne leads a team of over 1700 employees located across the province, who design and deliver a variety of government programs and services to citizens, businesses, as well as other government departments and public sector partners. As part of this work, Joanne oversees the Nova Scotia Digital Service – a team that is leading digital transformation across the public service.  A lot of time and effort is being spent on making it easier and faster for all Nova Scotians to access the government services they want and need. 

SNS-IS also has a significant legislative mandate, with 37 pieces of legislation. There is a keen focus on modernizing both legislation and regulation and reducing regulatory burden.

Her team also provides government-wide services including financial services, internal audit services, procurement services, insurance and risk management, business continuity management, public safety and field communications, and geographic information services.

Joanne is incredibly proud of the Service Nova Scotia and Internal Services team who have repeatedly demonstrated resilience and a solid commitment to deliver inclusive, high quality and accessible programs and services to Nova Scotians.

She’s a results-oriented leader, with a collaborative style and a focus on coaching and mentoring.

Joanne holds a Master of Business Administration from Dalhousie University and a Bachelor of Arts in Administrative and Commercial Studies from the University of Western Ontario.

Natasha Clarke

Associate Deputy Minister & Chief Digital Officer
Government of Nova Scotia

Natasha has over 20 years of experience leading initiatives for the public sector. Since joining the Government of Nova Scotia in 2009, Natasha has supported and led multiple service delivery initiatives for government. Initiatives have focused on providing excellent service experiences for Nova Scotians.

Natasha is a strategic leader. She’s passionate about making a difference for Nova Scotians through partnerships and collaboration, and by empowering teams.

Renu Kulendran

Deputy Minister, Public and Business Service Delivery
Government of Ontario

Renu Kulendran was appointed Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery in June 2022. Over a career spanning more than three decades in the Ontario Public Service, Renu has gained experience in diverse policy, regulatory, licensing, enforcement and program delivery environments across several ministries, including Education, Labour, Training and Skills Development, Cabinet Office and, most recently, the former Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.

Throughout her leadership journey, Renu has continuously strived to embed diversity, inclusion and anti-racism into organizational practices. She holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History and English literature from the University of Toronto and has completed the Executive Development Program through Queen’s University. She is married with two children and has a very active Corgi named Jet.

Cindy Harris

Secretary to Treasury Board
Government of Prince Edward Island

Cindy Harris was appointed into the Deputy Minister role of the Secretary to Treasury Board for the Province of Prince Edward Island in May 2019. She joined the Provincial Government from the private sector, bringing with her over 20 years of experience from a variety of specialties, specifically drawing from her education in the fields of human resource management and industrial relations, marketing, and public policy.  

Cindy began her career in commercial banking, while also contributing in areas such as marketing and business development. She used these skills in transitioning into the growing IT sector on PEI, and over the next 16 years as a member of the senior management team proudly contributed to its expansion and continued success. Prior to joining the Provincial Government, her public sector experience included corporate engagement with Veterans Affairs Canada and managing funding programs across Atlantic Provinces with Canadian Heritage.

She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Saint Mary’s University, and a Master of Business Administration as well as a Master of Public Administration from Dalhousie University. Cindy enjoys participating in many fundraising activities, leading efforts for both sport and community organizations across PEI. In her free time, she regularly practices her negotiation skills (through her three teenage girls), and lives by the rule “Don’t tell me what you can’t do…tell me what you can do”.  

Pierre Rodrigue

Deputy Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology
Government of Québec

Pierre E. Rodrigue has served as Deputy Minister and Chief Information Officer at the Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique since January 1, 2022.

Since joining the Gouvernement du Québec in 1989, he has held various positions at Revenu Québec, Services Québec, the Ministère du Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, the Ministère de la Justice, and the Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor.

A lawyer by training, he has been involved in information technology management and digital transformation for a number of years. He was appointed Chief Information Officer on June 23, 2020, by the Québec Cabinet.

Jason Wall

Assistant Deputy Minister, Information Technology Division
Government of Saskatchewan

Jason Wall first joined the Government of Saskatchewan in 1986 moving to the private sector from 1991 to 2010 and then continued his career supporting the provincial government from 2010 to present.

Professionally, Jason has extensive business and information technology experience. Jason worked in the information technology industry from 1993 to 2010 in addition to owning his own .com company between 1999 and2009 at which time it was sold. 

Jason is currently working on various initiatives to transform the Information Technology Division within the Government of Saskatchewan, focusing on a one government approach, enhancing citizen services and supporting the Saskatchewan Growth Plan. As part of the One Government focus, Jason is leading group of Chief Information Officers across the Government of Saskatchewan to enhance security, purchasing, providing better services to citizens and knowledge sharing.

In addition to his current role, Jason has served as Senior Advisor to Premier Scott Moe as well as being a Chief of Staff to the Ministers of Highways, Environment, Parks Culture and Sport, Economy and Central Services. 

Catherine Harwood

Deputy Minister, Highways and Public Works
Government of Yukon

Originally from Mayo, Catherine Harwood started with the Yukon government in 1995 as a casual engineer-in-training before becoming a bridge engineer in the transportation engineering branch. In 2004 she moved to the transportation maintenance branch, as the Superintendent of Maintenance and Planning, and in 2008 she took on responsibility for special projects, including the Dawson wastewater treatment plant.

In 2013, based on her experience with tendering law and procurement, Harwood was tasked with the creation of the Yukon government’s procurement support centre and led the team at the centre before moving into the role of Assistant Deputy Minister for Corporate Services for the Department of Highways and Public Works in 2018. In this leadership role she collaborated with Yukon First Nation partners to write and implement the new Yukon First Nations procurement policy.

Harwood is an active volunteer, serving as President with Engineers Yukon and as a Director for Engineers Canada. Harwood has a Bachelor of Engineering degree with First Class Honours from Monash University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in French.