Powerhouse Canadian women leading the way at this time of uncertainty
Canada is grappling with some of its biggest challenges seen in a generation. On top of the most pressing issue — the geopolitical and trade uncertainty that’s the focus of governments and businesses across the country — there are dozens more that require attention if we are to ensure a prosperous future for all Canadians.
A newly complex relationship with our largest trading partner demands a new kind of economic imagination. From innovation, healthcare, the energy transition, online harms, national security, a stable supply chain and more, women are taking the lead on addressing what comes next.
On International Women’s Day on March 8, we’re profiling 13 women who are leading in their fields and bringing unique solutions to growing Canada’s economy.
Steely resolve and a hockey mom’s touch: JANICE CHARETTE’s trade toolkit
She has run Canada's public service twice, represented the country in London through the upheaval of Brexit, and counselled prime ministers through some of the most complex policy challenges of a generation. Now, Janice Charette has been handed what may be the most consequential assignment of her nearly 40-year public service career: leading Canada’s trade negotiations with the United States at a moment of historic economic uncertainty.
A life on the docks: MEGAN OWEN-EVANS on leading Neptune Terminals into a new era
Resilient supply chains, investment in infrastructure improvements to promote growth and labour stability are essential to economic growth, says Megan Owen-Evans, President of Neptune Terminals. At a time when the government is looking for new international trade partners in order to strengthen the country in the face of what Prime Minister Mark Carney calls a “rupture,” Owen-Evans’ job becomes particularly vital.
Not just the right thing, but the smart thing: RECHIE VALDEZ on the business case for inclusion
When Prime Minister Mark Carney named Rechie Valdez to cabinet, he gave her not one portfolio but three: Minister of Women and Gender Equality (WAGE) and Secretary of State for Small Business and Tourism. Far from viewing the combination as a stretch assignment, Valdez sees the overlap as precisely the point.
Stop letting foreign firms harvest the IP developed by ‘beautiful Canadian brains,’ RAQUEL DANCHO urges
Raquel Dancho, the Conservative Kildonan–St. Paul, Man., MP who serves as the Shadow Minister for Industry, says through programs like the SR&ED tax credits and tri-council university funding, the federal government channels significant public investment into research but has consistently failed to ask a critical question: what happens to that innovation next?
AGNES AUGUSTIN on why our children can no longer be a policy afterthought
Early research findings on the digital media landscape show that children believe they can tell the difference between AI-generated content and reality. Often, however, they cannot. That gap between confidence and competence is at the centre of a growing policy concern for Rocket Fund President and CEO Agnes Augustin, a fierce advocate for the Canadian children's media sector who says government and industry are failing to move fast enough on artificial intelligence literacy and online safety for young Canadians.
DANIÈLE HENKEL: Women’s health isn't a cost—it’s an economic powerhouse
As a champion for women’s health, Danièle Henkel is reshaping the national healthcare conversation from the heart of Canada’s Senate. The Montreal-based entrepreneur, senator and cancer-survivor has become a driving force behind Bill S-243 — a landmark proposal to create a national framework for women’s health. Henkel’s leadership is galvanizing policymakers and advocates alike as she seeks to redefine the landscape of healthcare for women across the country.
Canada risks losing its quantum head start to risk aversion, STEPHANIE SIMMONS warns
As Chief Quantum Officer of Photonic Inc., the Coquitlam, B.C.-based quantum computing company she co-founded in 2016, Stephanie Simmons has spent nearly a decade turning a scientific conviction into a commercial enterprise that is now drawing international attention and investment. “We’re building the foundation for technologies that will shape the next century,” she says.
How SHANNON STERLING is turning rivers into carbon removal machines
For Dr. Shannon Sterling and her team, the discovery that restoring rivers could also remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere was an accident. Sterling is the co-founder of CarbonRun, a Halifax-based startup developing river-based carbon removal technology. If scaled up, the technology could remove tens of thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide in the coming years.
Cybersecurity as core infrastructure: HEATHER BLACK on modernizing Canada’s defence strategy
As cyber threats grow increasingly sophisticated — from ransomware to AI-enabled attacks — the organizations that underpin Canadian public life face mounting pressure to modernize their defences. For Heather Black, Regional Vice President of Canadian Public Sector at Palo Alto Networks, navigating that challenge is a daily reality.
Charting a new course: Why JULIE GASCON swapped a spreadsheet for the St. Lawrence
When Julie Gascon took the helm of Montreal Port Authority in February 2024, she stepped into one of the most strategically important roles in Canadian trade. As President and Chief Executive Officer, she now oversees a gateway that handles tens of billions of dollars in goods annually, and connects central Canada to more than 140 international markets.
NIKI HARRIS: Why youth must be at the centre of tech policy decisions
Niki Harris’s journey into technology policy began at the Department of National Defence, where she worked as an AI policy analyst. She was often the youngest person in meetings, and one of the few representing the generation that will be most affected by today’s technology decisions. “I realized I was in rooms with people deciding the future, and oftentimes, there were no young people. This is a future that we’re meant to inherit, so it’s not very sustainable if we’re not involved in that decision-making process at all,” Harris says.
CHANA MARTINEAU sees a seat at the table for Indigenous owners in every major project
Canada’s push for energy security and economic growth is creating new opportunities for Indigenous ownership in major projects. At the centre of that shift is Chana Martineau, CEO of the Alberta Indigenous Opportunities Corporation. Government-backed loan guarantees are helping to generate long-term economic benefits and advance economic reconciliation.
ZITA COBB: Why Canada’s tourism sector is stalled on the tarmac
Zita Cobb, whose Fogo Island Inn is a test case for how local assets can drive sustainable growth, says Canada should commit to expanding regional air access if it wants to grow its lacklustre tourism sector.
