“Design is not just about esthetics; it’s about intentional, data-based decision-making. It’s how we build systems that are more equitable, efficient, and accountable. Whether it’s rethinking housing, health care, immigration, or AI governance, the principles of human-centred design should be at the core of our next chapter,” writes Ana Serrano, president of OCAD University.

OPINION PIECE: Published in The Toronto Star.

Canada is at a crossroads. This federal election will be a critical inflection point for our country as our renewed sense of sovereignty reignites old questions and demands us to ask new ones: What values will define Canada in the decades ahead? What does digital control look like in an era of cloud monopolies and surveillance capitalism? How do we ensure that innovation and wealth creation don’t just widen the gap between rich and poor? What kind of partner do we want to be to the United States and our other allies around the world—and where do we need to stand our ground?

No matter which party wins the election, Canada is going to change. The question is: how, and into what?

In a time of intensifying polarization, there is no clear consensus. National pride remains a common thread, but our definitions of how that looks and how to define progress and prosperity are diverging. Generational rifts are growing, with boomers, millennials, and Gen Z expressing vastly different priorities—from housing and climate to healthcare and identity.

Canada needs a shared vision for the future—and we need to start building it now. Building this new shared vision for Canada means treating sovereignty not only as a geopolitical idea, but as a cultural and economic one. Canada can’t thrive by merely reacting to global forces. We must intentionally design systems, institutions, and strategies that reflect our values, elevate our assets, and support our people.

To do that, we need to broaden our understanding of what—and who—drives prosperity. Although very important, for too long, we’ve treated STEM and commerce as the main engines of growth, while underestimating the role of culture and creativity. Design, storytelling, and the arts are not luxuries, they are critical infrastructure. They shape how we think, connect, and imagine our place in the world, and are major economic engines. Canada’s arts, culture, and heritage had a direct impact on GDP of almost $61 billion in 2023. There were 645,900 full-time and part-time jobs. That includes not just film and music, but also interactive digital media, video games, museums, and publishing. These industries are both economic and civic engines. They help build community resilience, promote global recognition, and reflect Canada’s diversity back to itself. But creative talent remains underutilized in shaping public policy and innovation.

Canada’s capacity to translate big ideas into outcomes feels like it is shrinking, and its productivity is lagging behind peer nations. The Council of Canadian Innovators notes that we face a “generational opportunity” to turn Canadian innovation into sovereignty-building strategies. But to do so, we need more than patents—we need narratives, systems, and public imagination.

That’s where design leadership comes in. Design is not just about aesthetics; it’s about intentional, data-based decision-making. It’s how we build systems that are more equitable, efficient, and accountable. Whether it’s rethinking housing, healthcare, immigration, or AI governance, the principles of human-centered design should be at the core of our next chapter.

This week, leading thinkers, civil society leaders, artists and policymakers will gather at DemocracyXChange (April 3-5) to explore what this kind of systems-level change looks like in practice. Speakers include sociologist Musa al-Gharbi, Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow and historian Timothy Snyder.

Canada’s future isn’t inevitable. It’s designed. And right now, our democratic, cultural, and economic sovereignty all depend on how—and who—we empower to do that designing. Voting on April 28 is one step. But beyond that, we need to invest in the people, tools, and ideas that help us imagine—and implement—a Canada that’s successful and globally relevant.

Let’s stop seeing creativity as soft power and start recognizing it as nation-building. If we want to lead in the world, we must first design a Canada worth leading.