From Listening to Action: What Your Input Changed at DXC 2026

In the lead-up to planning this year’s national DemocracyXChange Summit, we launched a listening tour to connect with our ecosystem of partners and participants. We asked for your feedback on DemocracyXChange and how we can continue evolving the platform to better engage our community.

We truly valued these conversations and learned a great deal from each one. If we haven’t had the chance to connect yet and you’d like to share your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you.

We also want to share how your input is shaping DemocracyXChange this year, because this is what democracy in action looks like.

Here’s what’s new for DXC 2026:

Advancing Business and Economy as Pillars of Democracy

We recognize that the strength of a nation’s business and economic systems is fundamental to the health of its democracy. That is why this year we are placing a focused emphasis on the economic pillar of democracy through our summit theme, Side by Side: Building an Economy that Serves Democracy.

We are proud to spotlight influential business and economic thinkers, including business leader and social entrepreneur Zita Cobb and Nobel prize laureate and economist Daron Acemoglu.

The summit will feature a range of sessions exploring the intersection of economy and democracy from multiple perspectives. These include Is Innovation Canada’s Superpower?, Igniting the Indigenous Economy, Building an Economy that Works for People, Sovereignty by Design, and more. For the full schedule, visit here.

Together, these conversations aim to bridge business leadership and democratic values by advancing an economy that is not only productive and secure, but also equitable and inclusive.

If you are part of the business sector and want to participate in the conservation of how we can create an economically prosperous democracy together, we invite you to connect with us. You can join our Community Partnership program to access discounted bulk virtual ticket purchases and become part of this important dialogue. Please note that in-person tickets have now SOLD OUT, but you can still get virtual tickets to catch the main stage talks.

DXC Mixer & Great Democracy Trivia Networking Night

You told us you’re looking for more interactive ways to connect with fellow attendees, so we’re bringing you both a mixer and a trivia night for democracy enthusiasts.

Join us at the Great Lakes Brewpub on Friday, April 17, 2026. The evening kicks off with a mixer from 5:00PM to 7:00 PM, followed by trivia from 7:00PM to 9:30 PM hosted by Brass Facts Trivia. 

Form a team, test your knowledge, and connect with fellow attendees over a bite. There’s limited capacity, so get your team in early. Register here to participate.

Inaugural Francophone Panel: L'avantage économique des Francophones au Canada / Canada's Francophone Economic Advantage

You emphasized that for DemocracyXChange to be truly Canada’s premiere democracy summit, it must include meaningful Francophone participation and representation. 

While we’re working toward a fully bilingual (English and French) summit for the future, this year, we’re proud to introduce our first Francophone panel happening on April 18, 2026 from 10:00AM to 10:50AM titled L'avantage économique des Francophones au Canada / Canada's Francophone Economic Advantage.

The session will feature a diverse group of leaders working on Francophone economic development across Quebec, Ontario, and across Canada. The panel will be conducted in French. Learn more here.

Community-Driven Programming

Many of you shared thoughtful ideas for programming. This year, we have incorporated more community-driven content by inviting existing partners to propose speakers and workshops.

While we recognize there is still room to improve the proposal process and expand community representation, we are excited to feature sessions at this year’s summit that were directly shaped by your input. Learn about all the sessions here.

Enhanced Youth Opportunities

Youth leaders highlighted the need for stronger representation and meaningful inclusion of young people at DXC, and we agree. Young people are essential to the resilience of our democracy.

In response, we have launched a Youth Community Partner program to bring more youth and students into the summit. Participating organizations include Brown Citizen Circle, Students for a Free Tibet Toronto, Urban Minds, Young Politicians of Canada, Vote16, CityHive, Go Green Youth Centre, Lifelong Leadership Institute, The Starfish, Society of Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities, Youth Climate Lab, and more.

If you are part of a youth organization interested in partnering or attending, we encourage you to reach out to partner to access our virtual tickets for main stage talks as our in-person tickets have sold out.

Emerging Leaders Workshop Returns with Exciting Additions

We are also excited to present our signature Emerging Leaders: Making the Future workshop on Friday, April 17, 2026. The program brings together emerging leaders from Generations A to Z to examine how today’s economic pressures and political realities are reshaping democracy—and how young people are building new pathways for leadership, participation, and impact. The workshop will feature a special Freestyle Social hosted by CBC’s The Nature of Things Anthony Morgan. Together, these programs are designed to strengthen the capacity of young changemakers and support their leadership journeys.

New this year, participants who complete the Emerging Leaders workshop will receive a LinkedIn and resume-ready, transcript-enabled certification endorsed by DemocracyXChange, allowing you to showcase your participation and professional development, and all the experts you've spent time with. This certification is powered by Readocracy, the Canadian ethical tech platform enabling a world where learning beats likes.

Introducing DXC+: Bringing DXC across the country

Democracy is built locally, through community dialogue that contributes to a broader national conversation. Building on the success of more than half a dozen DXC summits since 2016, we are expanding across the country with regional events called DXC+.

In this inaugural year, we are launching in two regions, Ottawa and Vancouver. To learn more and attend an event, visit here.

We plan to continue the democracy dialogue year-round across the country. Want to bring DXC+ to your community? Reach out and start a conversation.

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These are just some of the ways your feedback is shaping DemocracyXChange this year. Thank you for your continued engagement and contributions.

We look forward to seeing you in person at DXC 2026 and across the country at DXC+.