Speakers

Co-Founder and Co-Director, DemocracyXChange Summit; Karim is a public service leader who has worked for a better democracy...

Olivia Chow is the 66th Mayor of Toronto, the first person of Asian descent to serve as Mayor, and the first woman since the six municipalities of Metro Toronto...

Dr. Emile Dirks is a Research Associate at the Citizen Lab at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto, where he explores state surveillance...

The Hon. Elizabeth Dowdeswell is a public servant who has dedicated her career to a more democratic and sustainable country.

Camille Étienne - joining virtually - is a 25-year-old social and climate justice activist. She is particularly active against seabed mining in France...

Mia Gaviola is the COO of TheNerve Canada, specializing in analyzing data to generate powerful insights, including disinformation campaigns.

John was named the 25th Clerk of the Privy Council in June 2023. He believes the values of the public service are the cornerstone of our democracy...

Justin Hendrix is CEO and Editor of Tech Policy Press, a nonprofit media venture concerned with the intersection of technology and democracy.

Clara Kallich is deeply passionate about two issues: strengthening liberal democracy and fostering...

Dr. Arne Kislenko is a history professor at TMU and an instructor in international relations at Trinity College.

Lisa LaFlamme has been at the forefront of journalism for over 30 years tackling some of the biggest issues of our time, traveling the globe, delivering breaking news and bringing it back...

Chemi Lhamo is a Tibetan-Canadian human rights activist and a community organizer.

Libby Liu is an internationally renowned expert on human rights, press freedom, information operations and internet freedom.

Erin is the CEO & Co-founder of Indiegraf. She’s a journalist and entrepreneur who founded The Discourse where she led an award-winning...

Khadijah Morley's work is auto biographical, informed by her lived experience as a Black woman in Canada born of Jamaican immigrants.

Ekow Nimako is a Ghanaian-Canadian, internationally exhibiting artist, who crafts futuristic and whimsical sculptures using LEGO®.

Dr. Redbird is a pillar of First Nations literature in Canada and has practiced a number of art disciplines including...

Andrea has held several human rights related advocacy and research roles. She most recently completed...

Ashwini Selvakumaran is a South Asian youth and environmental activist and...

Lisa Deanne Smith's practice explores issues of voice, embodied...

Sarah/SGS (PhD) is Vice President of Programming at Arts Commons in Calgary. Prior to this, she was...

Christelle Tessono is a Technology Policy Researcher currently pursuing her graduate studies at the...

Sabiha Tursun is an undergraduate student at McGill University studying Political Science and East...

Michael Wernick's 38 year career in the federal public service culminated in his appointment in 2016 as the 23rd Clerk of the Privy Council...

Lilah Williamson is an award-winning climate activist, community organizer, and advocate for youth engagement.

Vass Bednar focuses on the intersection(s) between public policy and technology. She contributes to policy discussions in Canada...

Martin Regg Cohn writes on domestic and international issues for the Toronto Star and founded the TMU Democracy Forum. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Dais and...

Rocky Dobey has been installing street art in Toronto and other Canadian cities for five decades. Over the past 20 years, Dobey has developed a more formal public practice of...

Katie Drummond focuses on the future of work and how we can work with technology like AI, not against it. As the global editorial director of WIRED, one of the world’s most influential...

Eden Fineday is a nehiyaw iskwew (Cree woman) from the Sweetgrass First Nation in Treaty 6 territory. She is the publisher of IndigiNews...

Dr. Blythe K. George is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at UC Merced. A member of the Yurok Tribe, Dr. George is world-class expert on Indigenous...

Steven Hassan, PhD is an expert in undue influence tactics used by authoritarian leaders and the author of The Cult of Trump.

Hansel Igbavboa is a multi-disciplinary artist, a filmmaker, community organizer, advocate and researcher.

Vladimir Kanic is the creator of living algae sculptures that use spectators’ breath and carbon pollution as food and convert it into oxygen...

Kristin Kozar is a proud member of the Hwlitsum First Nation with familial ties to Penelekut, Lummi Tribe and...

Dr. Emily Laidlaw researches in the areas of technology regulation, cybersecurity and human rights...

Anita has over two decades of experience as a multi-platform journalist, having started...

Eric Lombardi is actively involved in Toronto's advocacy scene as the President of More Neighbours Toronto, a volunteer-run grassroots...

John currently serves as the Director of the Centre for Public Ethics...

Dr. Laurie Mulvey is the Director and Co-Founder of World in Conversation Center for Public Diplomacy at Penn State.

Taylor Owen is the founding Director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy at McGill University.

Daniel Roher's NAVALNY won Sundance’s 2022 Festival Favourite Award and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

Bruna - joining virtually - is a digital rights activist working on advocacy, regulation and policy-making...

Co-Founder and Co-Director, DemocracyXChange Summit; Ana is an award-winning visionary leader with more than 25 years of experience...

Toronto feminist painter, illustrator, cartoonist, and comics educator Fiona Smyth collaborated with sex educator Cory Silverberg on...

Tanya Talaga is a member of Fort William First Nation. She is an author, journalist and founder of Makwa...

Inga Kristina Trauthig (PhD) is the head of research of the Propaganda Research Lab at the Center for Media...

Leni Velasco is the co-founder and Secretary General of DAKILA, an artist-activist collective in the Philippines.

Leah West focuses on national security law, international humanitarian Law and cyber operations at Carleton University.

Tim Wu has long been one of the most influential thought leaders on the future of the information economy. During his time in the Biden administration...

Alyssa Brierley is a lawyer and public policy professional with more than a decade of experience in public policy, advocacy, engagement and...

A writer and intellectual historian, a translator and columnist, and the former director of the New York-based French Publishers' Agency, François Cusset...

Ilona is the Co-creator and Managing Director of the Youth & Innovation Project...

Amira Elghawaby, a journalist and human rights advocate, became Canada’s Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia in...

Aaron is the Research Lead of the Data Sovereignty Research Collaborative (DSRC) at the First Nations...

Christo Grozev is an award-winning investigative journalist writing for Spiegel and The Insider.

Frances Haugen - joining virtually - is an advocate for accountability and transparency in social media.

Fae Johnstone is an award-winning 2SLGBTQIA+ advocate and small business owner.

Mala Khanna joined the Privy Council Office on February 12, 2024, as Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet...

Victoria is an established public policy, and engagement professional focused on social impact.

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc represents the riding of Beauséjour.

Dr. Laura Mae Lindo is a respectful activist and educator who holds a Masters and PhD in Education. Committed to centering...

Wa Lone is a journalist for Reuters based in Toronto, where he reports Canadian politics, immigration, and general news.

Dr. Karen Mock, a founding member of the Pearson Centre, is a human rights consultant, educational psychologist and teacher educator. She is former Executive Director of the...

Amanda is the Executive Director of New Majority, a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to activating youth civic engagement through...

Danielle Paradis is a member of the Manitoba Métis Federation and an award-winning Indigenous magazine writer...

Amanda Roth oversees audience growth initiatives, digital product strategy and customer experience and product at The Logic.

As the Publisher & CEO of Discourse Community Publishing, Brandi leads a growing network of independent...

Seher is a national civic leader with 10+ years of experience working on Canada's most pressing civic challenges. Seher is also...

Sarita Srivastava is Professor of Sociology where her research areas...

Chris is the interim director of the University of British Columbia’s Centre for the Study of Democratic...

Rita Trichur is an award-winning journalist. She is a Senior Business Writer and...

Dr. Beatrice Wayne is an award-winning researcher, teacher and passionate advocate for participatory democracy.

Kelly Wilhelm is a bilingual executive and strategist with more than 25 years’ experience leading policy and innovation...