Investing in Canada’s Shared Future: Pathways to Possibilities
November 24-25, 2025
Halifax Convention Centre, Halifax, with a Remote Option
Monday, November 24, 2025
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM AST
Welcome and Opening; Indigenous Welcome by Jude Gerrard; Jean McRae Legacy Award (Video)
Our opening ceremony will feature Jude Gerrard, Member of the Millbrook First Nation and current Director of Indigenous Content and Connections at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. Jude will welcome attendees to his territory and share an educational reflection aligned with the conference’s purpose, followed by a smudging ceremony and a prayer prepared for the event.
We are also pleased to present the third annual Jean McRae Legacy Award for a Newcomer Youth to Tamana Haidari, who was nominated by the Association for New Canadians and is a student at Memorial University. Tamana was selected from among 37 applicants for this award.
- Jude Gerrard – Member of the Millbrook First Nation and current Director of Indigenous Content and Connections at the Royal Canadian Geographical Society
- Victoria Esses – Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Professor, Western University
- Carolyn Whiteway – Interim Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Executive Director, Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (ARAISA)
- Tamana Haidari – Student, Memorial University
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM AST
Keynote Address – Navigating Uncertainty by Planning for Multiple Futures (Video)
Greg Landry is an expert in strategic foresight and a member of the international Association of Professional Futurists. He currently works with the Office of Learning and Transformation at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) and is the founder of ARP Strategic Futures. Previously, Greg served as the Government of Nova Scotia’s Strategic Foresight Lead, where he built capacity to help leaders navigate change and develop resilient, future-ready policies. Greg is also a strategist, economist, and planner with over 25 years of experience in public service. He is passionate about fostering innovative approaches that position communities for long-term success in a complex and rapidly evolving world.
- Greg Landry – Founder, ARP Strategic Futures (Download Presentation)
- Victoria Esses – Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Professor, Western University
Sponsored by: Calgary Catholic Immigration Society
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM AST
Plenary: Shaping the Future of Immigration – Global Trends, Labour Market Needs and Public Attitudes (Video)
Chair: Paula Knight – Chief Executive Officer, Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS)
Exploring possible futures requires careful attention to change drivers most likely to shape them. In this plenary, we will focus on three factors that are likely to impact the future of immigration to Canada: the demographics of Canada and global trends, labour market needs in our communities, and evolving attitudes toward immigrants and immigration. The speakers in this session have been asked to include a future-oriented focus in their presentations, considering how these dynamics may evolve over the next 10 to 15 years and what they could mean for migration to Canada. The goal is to be able to anticipate a number of plausible futures so that we can prepare for them in a more proactive way.
- Canadians’ Take on Immigration: Public Opinion Today, Social Norms and What’s to Come (Download Presentation)
Keith Neuman – Senior Associate, Environics Institute
- From Narratives to Numbers: Using Scenario Planning to Strengthen Migration Projections (Download Presentation)
Michaël Boissonneault – Professor, Department of Demography, University of Montreal
- Designing Possibility: The Path to an Economically Inclusive Future (Download Presentation)
Shamira Madhany – Managing Director, Canada and Deputy Executive Director, World Education Services
Sponsored by: Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS)
Tuesday, November 25, 2025
9:30 AM – 10:45 AM AST
Plenary: Drivers of Change in a Digital Era – AI, Information Flows and Immigration (Video)
Chair: Louisa Taylor – Executive Director, Refugee 613
This plenary continues to explore change drivers, focusing on how emerging technologies are influencing, and will continue to influence, immigration and settlement in Canada. The session will look at advances in AI and digital tools and their impact on: immigration decision-making and processes, the way in which information is accessed and used, and the delivery of services to newcomers. As in the previous plenary, the speakers have been asked to include a future-oriented focus in their presentations, reflecting on how these dynamics may evolve over the next 10 to 15 years in response to the increasing use of digital technology. The goal is to be able to anticipate a number of plausible futures so that we can prepare for them in a more proactive way.
- Digital Distrust and Automated Assumptions: Examining the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Canadian Immigration Decision-Making (Download Presentation)
Mario Bellissimo – Founder & Lawyer, Bellissimo Law Group PC
- Exploring Emerging Technologies in Language Learning: Examining the Role of Instructors, Learners, Content, and Technologies (Download Presentation)
Rayan Batlouni – Program Manager, Syrian Canadian Foundation; Elizabeth Coulson, Professor, Education Studies and Language Studies, University of Toronto Mississauga; and Paul Alexander – Lecturer, Education Studies and Language Studies, University of Toronto
- Fractured Facts: How Misinformation Shapes Immigration Stories (Download Presentation)
Philip Mai – Senior Researcher and Co-Director, Social Media Lab, Toronto Metropolitan University
Sponsored by: Pre Arrival Canada – YMCA of Greater Toronto
5:00 PM – 5:30 PM AST
Closing Ceremony (Video)
- Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia (ISANS) Vocal Band
- Carolyn Whiteway – Interim Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Executive Director, Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies (ARAISA)
- Victoria Esses – Co-Chair, Pathways to Prosperity Partnership and Professor, Western University
