Impact Talks

Impact Talk by Jon Tirmandi Tommy Douglas said Medicare would come in two phases: remove the financial barrier, then reorganize how care is delivered. Canada built phase one in the 1960s. Phase two never started. Watch Jon Tirmandi, CEO of Normative, lay out five foundational shifts—drawn from Estonia, the Netherlands, Finland and right here at…

Impact Talk by Mike Cloutier Universality is a story Canadians tell ourselves. In practice, access still depends on geography, demography and financial means—and honest reform has to start by admitting that. Watch Mike Cloutier, former CEO of AstraZeneca Canada, draw on nearly 50 years in life sciences to propose three design choices—automatic attachment to care,…

Impact Talk by Zayna Khayat Canada’s healthcare system isn’t struggling because the promise of universal care is wrong. It’s struggling because we’re trying to run 2026 healthcare on 1984 infrastructure. Watch Zayna Khayat, health futurist and healthcare innovation leader, challenge Canada’s assumptions about the healthcare system and unpack what it would take to rebuild. This…

Impact Talk by Ryan Clarke Advocacy fails not because people don’t care, but because messages aren’t designed for the systems — and decision-makers — they’re trying to move. Watch Ryan Clarke, Executive Director of Advocacy at Noviscend, unpack concrete advocacy frameworks, including why some efforts succeed while others stall. This Impact Talk was presented live…

Impact Talk by Vass Bednar Canada’s most consequential trade barriers aren’t borders — they’re the digital platforms that quietly control market access, visibility, and economic power. Watch Vass Bednar, Managing Director at the Canadian SHIELD Institute, walk through specific data and real examples showing how platform fees, ad spend, and algorithms materially raise costs for…

Impact Talk by Gaétan Houle As cyber incidents become routine, Canada’s greatest digital risk is no longer technical failure, but fragmented leadership and unclear ownership. Watch Gaétan Houle, Enterprise Chief Information Security Officer at Fortinet, trace real-world breach scenarios to show how cyber risk cascades through systems — and what it takes to design accountability…