Canada is at an inflection point. AI, energy, and defence/space are reshaping global competition and the question is how do we turn this momentum into a national playbook? In this opening conversation, Heather Chalmers, and Brian Gallant will explore what it means for Canada to go “all in” on these three critical domains: making big bets, scaling what words, and competing to win.

This session will pick up directly from a BHER-RBC Summit on September 22 focusing on talent, tech, and creating a new economic order.

If AI is the brain of Canada’s next economy, energy is the backbone. In this deep dive session, Heather Chalmers, Michelle Harradence, and Nicolle Butcher will explore how Canada can go “all in” on energy by: unlocking the next wave of energy generation and grid modernization; aligning regulation, investment, and infrastructure with net-zero ambitions; and building the skilled workforce needed to deliver projects at scale

This session will surface concrete ideas and partnerships to turn ambition into action in one of Canada’s most critical sectors.

Canada’s post-secondary systems were built for a different economy. Demographics, productivity pressures, and new tech are exposing structural gaps in how institutions are funded, governed, and incentivized. 

This session will use Jack Mintz’s recent report for the Alberta government as a jumping-off point to ask a national question: what needs to change in higher education and how? Jack and other leaders will explore options around differentiation, accountability, funding, and stronger links to labour market outcomes, innovation, and long-term growth.

For decades, Canadian governments of all stripes have gone “all in” on post-secondary education and research, from big science funds and innovation agendas to skills and campus infrastructure. But many of those bets didn’t deliver the economic or productivity gains Canadians were promised, helping to explain some of today’s reluctance to double down again.

In this conversation, former prime ministerial advisors Tyler Meredith and Sean Speer will bring a historical government lens to today’s challenges, exploring, focusing on what worked, what fell short, and why as well as what it would take to rebuild confidence in going “all in” again.

From AI and genomics to space and advanced materials, some of the most important breakthroughs today have both civilian and defence applications. The question for Canada is how to back dual-use research at scale. In this session, Melanie Woodin, Dave Williams, and Rob Annan will explore how Canada can go “all in” on dual-use research. 

This session will zero in on: how to build world-class research pipelines that serve both security and societal needs; how to design governance, IP, and partnership models that unlock investment; and how to develop the talent, infrastructure, and institutions to move discoveries from lab to market.

Space is no longer a niche science project. It’s a fast-growing arena for climate solutions, communications, security, and new industries we haven’t imagined yet. The question for Canada is whether we treat space as a side bet or a core platform for talent, research, and innovation.

In this session, panelists will explore what it takes for Canada to go “all in” on space: building world-class talent pipelines, turning breakthroughs into missions and companies, aligning public and private investment, and positioning Canada to lead, not just participate, in the next wave of the space economy.

AI is moving from lab demo to core infrastructure, reshaping how Canadians work, learn, and connect. The question now is what it takes to go “all in”: not just piloting new tools, but rewiring strategy, operations, and talent around AI.

This session, hosted by TELUS, will explore how Canadian companies can move from scattered experiments to scaled deployment: building AI-ready data foundations, redesigning jobs and workflows, managing risk and trust, and developing the skills and leadership needed to turn AI into a durable productivity advantage for Canada.

Following fast-changing geopolitical realities, emerging technologies, and major defence commitments in Budget 2025, Canada’s defence training system is at a pivotal moment. It must rapidly modernize and redefine agility under pressure.

In this session, leaders will explore how procurement, technology, and workforce strategies can modernize Canada’s military training enterprise, tackling recruitment and retention challenges, integrating tech-enabled learning, and building an agile, data-driven, future-read training ecosystem.