Make new contacts
Joining an interdisciplinary, cross-departmental team with colleagues from a range of organisations, disciplines, roles and seniorities, during the project you’ll build relationships with partners across government and beyond.
Gain new skills and expertise
Researching and developing a data project, and presenting your findings to senior leaders from across government, you’ll develop new skills in fields such as digital project management, data technologies, evidence-gathering, business planning and public speaking.
Make a difference
We aim to find smart, deliverable ideas; collect the evidence to demonstrate their value; and secure the backing of senior leaders, giving them the best possible chance of implementation – so you could see your project rolled out, helping to improve the tools used by public servants and the services received by citizens.
Raise your profile
Public servants will pitch ideas to the judges, champions and sponsors, giving presentations and answering questions. Whether you’re submitting an idea or joining a team, the program’s champions will write to your manager to thank them for your contribution to the project.
Information for participants
The Data/AI Challenge has two sets of goals:
- We want to draw out public servants’ ideas on how government could make better use of data and AI, providing the best of those ideas with the resources, expertise, guidance and leadership required to move towards implementation.
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We want to support the career development of participating public servants, helping you develop your skills, experience, and contacts across government.
It is open to all serving federal public service employees: you can submit an idea, apply to join one of those teams, or both.
Vanessa is a Senior Solutions Architect at NVIDIA, specializing in helping the Canadian ecosystem adopt AI platforms. She holds a master’s degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto and has 14 years of hands-on experience in high performance computing. Her expertise is centered around the deployment of deep learning models for latency-critical applications, with a focus on optimizing software-hardware co-design to maximize performance and efficiency.
Kate is the new Director of Data Science at Infrastructure Canada. Graduating with a Master’s degree in Economics, Kate has over a dozen years in the public service, first at Statistics Canada where she developed a passion for analytical programming and innovation. Leveraging her experience in establishing enterprise-wide strategic adoption of R and Python, modernizing scalable and reproduceable data analytics, Kate joined Infrastructure Canada’s Data Science Team to lead the acceleration of the department’s data strategy and use of data science to better leverage data and analytics for decision making.
Dr. Ranjana Sharma is Natural Resources Canada’s Chief Scientist and serves as the department’s Chief Scientific Data Officer.
Erika-Kirsten Easton joined Transport Canada in August 2023 as the Director General of Service and Data Modernization and the Chief Data Officer.
Robert is responsible for advancing the department’s enterprise data and AI agenda. He has played a pivotal role in shaping and implementing a modern, integrated approach to data, digital, and artificial intelligence—delivering secure, scalable solutions that support Canada’s diplomatic, trade, and consular priorities. Known for his ability to drive complex transformation and align diverse stakeholders, Robert is a strong proponent of cross-government collaboration.
Nadia Ahmad is Director General of Data and Evaluation at Global Affairs Canada. In this capacity she serves as Chief Data Officer and Head of Evaluation for the department. Having held a number of executive positions, Nadia is committed to building and nurturing diverse and inclusive teams and contributing data-derived insights to inform decision-making and foster more impactful policies, programs and services. Nadia holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Toronto, a Juris Doctor from Michigan State University and a Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa.
Mr. Dufour is Director General, Innovation Branch at the Department of Natural Resources Canada. He is responsible to advance a departmental strategy to support innovation in the natural resource sectors and provide policy guidance on development and deployment of clean technologies. He leads the Clean Growth Hub – a whole-of-government focal point, composed of 17 departments and agencies, focused on providing front-line support to clean technology companies to navigate federal programming and clean tech regulations. Mr. Dufour is also responsible to develop international partnerships and in advancing international collaboration in clean technology R&D and innovation. He leads the management of the department’s intellectual property portfolio and services. Finally, he is the Head of the NRCan Digital Accelerator, looking at the application of innovative digital technologies to enhance the Department’s ability to conduct research and analysis, and provide evidence-based policy advice supported by advanced analytical techniques.
Celio Oliveira is the Chief Data Officer at the Department of Finance Canada and a recognized authority in data, digital strategy, and ethical, human-centered AI governance. Named among the Global Top 100 Innovators in Data, Analytics and AI in 2025, he has also been a finalist for the Public Service Data Challenge and the U.S. Automation Awards. A Fellow at the Future Government Institute, he is regarded as one of Canada’s leading voices on evidence-based innovation in complex institutional settings.
Elise was appointed Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Chief Data Officer in the summer of 2021. She leads a small, passionate team of policy and IT professionals dedicated to both harnessing and unleashing the power of data to improve service delivery and support the sector’s sustainable growth. 
Ms. Loignon was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) in August 2016. As CIO, Ms. Loignon leads the Digital Strategy implementation and the Information Management (IM) and Information Technology (IT) initiatives and operations that enable the delivery of ECCC programs and services. Among her strategic objectives, Ms. Loignon is responsible for the delivery of modern IM/IT solutions and practices, for the implementation of the ECCC project management center of excellence and to position the IM/IT team to embrace challenges of the future. As ECCC’s designated official for cyber security, Ms. Loignon is responsible in providing leadership, coordination and oversight for departmental cybersecurity management activities.
Together with NRCan’s Chief Information Officer and Chief Science Advisor, Daniel works with data leaders across the department and the Government of Canada to help everyone continuously improve the use of data as a strategic asset for the achievement of Departmental priorities, including through the development and implementation of the Departmental data strategy. 
Jason Reid joined Natural Resources Canada on July 27, 2020. He has more than 25 years professional experience working within the Government of Canada (GC), the majority of which has been in fields of Information Management and Information Technology. He has held positions of increasing responsibility including being the Executive lead of two GC transformation projects. Jason was named to the EX cadre in 2007, he was awarded the Queens Golden Jubilee medal in 2002 and is a graduate of the Executive Leadership Development Program and the Career Assignment Program. He holds bachelor degree in Social Science with a concentration in Economics from University of Ottawa.
Joann Shields is an innovative leader with over 25 years in Information Management / Information Technology (IMIT) and Organizational Change across both the public and private sectors. 
Mélanie Robert is the Executive Director of Open Government at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS). She leads the Government of Canada’s efforts to open data and information and to increase accountability and citizen participation, and manages Canada’s Open Government and Open Data Portal (open.canada.ca) as well as the Online Access to Information Request Service.
Elizabeth is the Senior Director of Research and Experimentation in the Office of Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat, Government of Canada, where she is responsible for leading advancements in innovation to improve outcomes for people management initiatives across the Government of Canada. Before starting this role in March 2020, she was Senior Lead, Behavioural Science, at the Impact and Innovation Unit at the Privy Council Office, where she oversaw the application of behavioural science to public policy challenges. Prior to joining the Government of Canada, Elizabeth held several senior leadership positions, including leading the Behavioural Insights Unit in the Government of Ontario, where she was instrumental in creating and building Canada’s first behavioural science team in government. To date, Elizabeth has successfully completed trials dealing with public health, financial decision-making, regulatory compliance, digital adoption and modernization, and service delivery. She provides advice and guidance on the application of behavioural science to public policy, recently supporting the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as a member of the External Advisory Committee for Capacity Development. 
Vidya ShankarNarayan is the Assistant Deputy Minister, Information Systems Branch and CIO at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. She is a forward-thinking and creative leader implementing the Digital and Data strategy to advance the growth, sustainability and competitiveness of the agriculture and agri-food sector. She plays an active leadership role in championing innovation within the agriculture sector, the Government of Canada and with international associations such as the OECD.
James Van Loon is Health Canada’s Chief Data Officer and also serves as the department’s Chief Scientific Data Officer. He has a passion for innovating programs and delivery from the ground up in cooperation with partners across government, nationally, and internationally. Most recently, James led efforts of Health Canada, the Public Health Agency, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Statistics Canada and other partners to create a dynamic model of pan-Canadian supply and demand on Personal Protective Equipment. As a Director General on the COVID-19 Task Force, James was instrumental in leading the development of analytic tools for the Critical Drug Reserve, as well as the Testing and Vaccine Secretariats. With over 20 years of experience in developing and managing federal regulatory programs, James is recognized as an action-oriented leader who has advanced key files at Health Canada and Environment Canada.
Taki Sarantakis has been President of the Canada School of Public Service since July 2018, having previously served as Associate Secretary of the Treasury Board at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Mr. Sarantakis spent most of his career at Infrastructure Canada, including as Assistant Deputy Minister of Policy and Communications.
André Loranger is an experienced senior public official, having worked at Statistics Canada for 26 years, leading large and complex statistical programs covering all aspects of the Canadian economy. He has previously served in various senior leadership positions in the Agency including Assistant Chief Statistician for Economic Statistics and Assistant Chief Statistician for Strategic Data Management, Methods and Analysis. In that capacity, Mr. Loranger was also Statistics Canada’s Chief Data Officer responsible for the overall stewardship of the organization’s information data holdings.
In March 2022, Stephen Burt was appointed Chief Data Officer for the Government of Canada, at the Treasury Board Secretariat. His mandate is to provide leadership across government on information and data governance and integration, privacy modernization, and data-enabled digital services and programs. He is also responsible for providing enterprise level guidance on instruments and performance linked to the digital agenda, in the fields of service, security and access to information.