Global Advantage has been here, there and everywhere recently.
| May 28, 2019 | Before the Bell: Defence Procurement at the National Arts Centre, Ottawa |
| May 29, 2019 | Lazaridis Scale Up Tour 2019 at OneEleven, Ottawa |
| May 29 & 30, 2019 | CANSEC annual defence event at EY Centre, Ottawa |
| May 30, 2019 | Impact AI at Algonquin College, Ottawa |
| May 31, 2019 | A Conversation with the 44th President of the United States Barack Obama at the Canadian Tire Centre, Ottawa |
| June 5, 2019 | Transitions in Government presented by GRIC and IPAC-NCR at the Ottawa Art Gallery, Ottawa |
| June 6, 2019 | ICTC funding announcement by the Honourable Patty Hajdu at Bayview Yards, Ottawa |
| June 6, 2019 | Economics Club of Canada Breakfast Panel Discussion on Exports at the Westin, Ottawa |
We found all events enjoyable and relevant to what we do at GA; however, with so much to write about, we have chosen our three top favourite events of the past two weeks and summarized them below.
1.CANSEC
On May 29 and 30, Global Advantage toured the largest innovation and trade conference in Ottawa – CANSEC 2019. Billed as one of the world’s largest defence shows, CANSEC adapted to the growing tide of change in the defence industry with a new addition – an Innovation Hub focused on cyber defence. As global conflicts shift into cyberspace, Global Advantage had the opportunity to see what the leading Canadian companies in this area have been developing in their R&D departments.
Root 9B, BlackBerry, LS Telecom, Kepler Space, Keysight Technologies, CryptoMill, Isara and many others were on site to demonstrate their latest software packages’ capabilities in areas such as electronic warfare, signals intelligence, and cyber security forensics, as well as to discuss the opportunities and challenges in supplying their products to the federal government.
In addition, CANSEC’s numerous conventional defence booths featured the latest in defence and security innovation, ranging from the micro (semiconductors, materials, optics etc.) to the macro (armaments and vehicles). The actual products developed by the companies’ innovation teams were also on display and available to visitors to test out, a rarity for a conference.
Be sure to drop by the Global Advantage booth next year at CANSEC 2020.
2.Economics Club of Canada Breakfast Panel on Exports
On June 6, Global Advantage attended the breakfast panel discussion on Canada’s exports at the Economic Club of Canada. Featuring the Honourable Minister Mary Ng, and EDC President and CEO Mairead Lavery, the panel emphasized the importance of supporting small and medium size businesses in exporting their goods and services to global markets. Canada has access to 1.5 billion customers worldwide through 14 trade agreements including the USMCA, CPTPP and the CETA; however, only a small portion of Canadian SMEs (12%) are exporting. As noted by the panelists, we need to increase awareness of SMEs about the opportunities and support provided by the Ministry of Small Business and Export Development, EDC, and BDC with respect to financial programs and capital support, and advisory and technical services — such as client attraction, contracting, market regulations, intellectual property rights, corporate management and structure. The second main takeaway is to be more agile, practical, and accessible in supporting SMEs from the perspective of financial institutions and government departments and agencies. Lastly, both panelists drew special attention to providing women entrepreneurs with leadership skills, capital and advice in creating start-ups, scaling up and exporting worldwide which will hugely contribute to the Canadian economy.
3.Impact AI
On May 30, Global Advantage attended Impact AI conference at Algonquin College. This year’s theme was artificial intelligence and humanity – ethics, equity, empathy. The event was well hosted and attended, featuring AI leaders, influencers, and practitioners such as Alish Campbell, Chief Trade Commissioner of Canada and Assistant Deputy Minister of Global Affairs and Manoj Saxena, executive chairman of ConitiveScale.
Several AI and humanity subthemes were explored with the fireside chats, panel discussions, and keynote speakers. All combined there was main message that resonated after the conference: AI will be transformative of all work activities. Governments need to understand the technology behind AI to regulate it public interest. AI applications are not inherently good or bad but there potential to be destructive needs to be anticipated and constrained.
