We see Canada together

I’m Leigh, and I can’t believe I ever thought I was straight.

My experience as a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community underpins my commitment to my clients in government. The work I do aims to ensure people can live, work, and love as their authentic selves.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is foundational to enhancing and modernizing government and public service delivery. I focus on enabling governments to drive systemic change for a more equitable and inclusive Canada. I am a proud member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community, and am humbled by the support I
received when I came out during my first year in Canada. My lived experiences here and in Australia have helped me understand the importance of representation, community, and safe spaces. It’s allowed me to work with clients and the firm to identify barriers to DEI and develop strategies to overcome them. I want to ensure that Canada is a place where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and that our government services are delivered in alignment with that vision.

I’m Dean from Cold Lake First Nation, Alberta.

Growing up, I couldn’t understand why we were treated so differently.  Canada’s reconciling its past; I’m dedicated to helping Indigenous communities chart a path of self-determination for the future.

Working in our government and public service practice allows me to provide an Indigenous perspective when addressing issues of reconciliation, social justice, and the economic empowerment of Indigenous peoples in Canada. Growing up in Alberta's Cold Lake First Nation, I witnessed a lot of unnecessary suffering. That's why I'm passionate about working with Indigenous peoples and communities to create meaningful and positive changes in their lives, families, communities, and nations. In the past five years, Canada has made significant improvements in its relationship with Indigenous peoples. But the journey isn’t over. By creating diversity, equity, inclusion, and reconciliation inside Deloitte, our creative and intelligent people can work with all levels of government to address the many public policy challenges our country faces. I believe the best of Canada is still to come.

I’m Elnaz, and I now call Canada home. As an immigrant, I often doubted myself—everything from my wardrobe to my deep personal beliefs. But trust is built from the inside out, despite our differences. That’s how we create a digitally safe ecosystem for Canadians

When I moved to Canada as a student, it felt like I was thrown into a totally different world. I was in a constant battle, forcing myself to be like others and being true to myself. It took me a while to realize that my differences are my strength. We all must own our uniqueness proudly. That’s something I bring to every client interaction. I try to relate to their problem, not as a professional service provider but as a person first. I try to be open to listening and learning about them. That's the foundation our government and public services practice is built on. As a senior manager in our artificial intelligence practice, I help my clients use their most valuable asset—their data—safely, effectively, and efficiently. A strong data integrity, cyber, and risk regime ensures continuous, ethical business practices and upholds trust. And trust is vital if we're going to create an innovative and progressive future for Canada.

I’m Alia, and I’m what Canadian looks like.

My family roots are in South Asia and have spread to Africa, Britain, and Canada. The climate is not contained to one place, either—collaborating to secure a safe future for everyone is my passion.

I lead the Government of Canada (GoC) Climate Change Centre of Excellence at Deloitte, from which we help the GoC plan and implement its climate change objectives. It’s a mission that involves collaborative and integrated approaches between government departments and the private sector. Most importantly, it requires an open mind—something Canada has in abundance. We’re a country filled with different traditions, beliefs, and cultures. I grew up in a family whose roots are in South Asia and now span Africa, Britain, and North America. In this interconnected world, mobilizing against the climate emergency is a shared challenge. I’m passionate about securing a climate future in Canada to help make the world safe for generations to come.

I’m Brian, and I’m motivated by the diversity around us.

Government operations must be fair and representative for all communities. If we can reduce the barriers our peers face so everyone is able to reach their potential, we all succeed.

As a manager in our public sector transformation practice, I help Canadian organizations define and realize their mandates for creating a positive impact on society. Specifically, I work with municipalities, provincial ministries, and Crown corporations to reshape them into regulators of the future, ones that will help mitigate the disproportionate impact that vulnerable populations face. We help clients undertake simple measures, such as updating the language and terminology of regulations, and more substantial changes, such as implementing online and transparent processes. Values like accountability and inclusiveness must be embedded throughout all touchpoints between Canadian citizens and their regulators, and Canada has an immense diversity of cultures to include in those touchpoints. If public sector organizations listen to as many of those different perspectives as possible, they can make fully informed decisions.

I’m Giselle, an immigrant twice over.

My identity has been dynamic, as I’ve lived in three countries. I know first-hand that our ID paperwork doesn’t tell the full story of who we are. The ID we hold should better represent us and give us equal access to thrive.

I came to Canada from the Middle East, where my family had moved to from India. This journey involved fleeing war and losing a lot of our belongings in the process. So I know first-hand that paperwork, or lack thereof, doesn’t tell a person’s whole story. A digital identity promises to be a real enabler for people, businesses, and things in a digital economy—it’s an access key that allows everyone to benefit from what Canada can provide. As the government and public sector leader for digital identity, I work to help Indigenous communities and our provincial/territorial, federal, and public sector transformation programs modernize responsibly, protecting individuality and privacy. As we progress on this opportunity for Canada, it is imperative that we put control back in the hands of people.

I’m Hitesh, and I’ve learnt that different is an asset.

I’m South Asian, raised by a single mother, and an immigrant. Such varied backgrounds reflect the country we live in, and must be core to modernizing government for Canadians.

As the national leader for modernizing government operations, my role is to bring the best of our firm to serve government clients across the country. I’m especially excited about what we’re calling the future of service. We believe the future of service is more than just modernizing technology infrastructure—it’s focusing on the end-to-end life events of Canadians and reimagining how government interacts with people and delivers exceptional service seamlessly. To do this, we need to listen to the voices of all Canadians and embed what they tell us in services, design, and delivery. By harnessing the strength of our diverse teams at Deloitte to help advance priorities like the future of service, we achieve better outcomes that are more representative of all Canadians. Our team is a model of intersectionality and unique voices. That’s something I’m super proud of.

I’m Jaimie, and I believe that inclusion is power.

Inclusion isn’t just the right choice—it’s the smart one if we want to build services, governance, and processes that are sustainable, accountable, and impactful for all.

As the firm’s national digital government leader, I work with government clients across Canada to modernize their technology and deliver great services. The digital arena has often been male-dominated. But that’s changing, as it’s been made sensitive to the importance of building diverse, inclusive teams. And since our team’s goal is to help drive digital government services into the future—building governance and processes to help make those services inclusive, sustainable, and accountable for all people across Canada—we also need to build equal representation into our world-class teams in order to succeed. It isn’t just the right choice—it’s the smart one. We create better, more effective services when our teams look like the diverse people we and our clients serve.

I’m Mieka, and sometimes I’m the only woman in the room.

We need all voices at the table to get infrastructure right and build a Canada where all of us can thrive. So, every day I strive to bring diverse perspectives.

I work across the public and private sectors to rethink how we build infrastructure with stakeholders in each impacted community. Our country’s toughest policy challenges—such as designing the capital projects that will serve all in the future and mitigating and adapting to climate change—require inclusive and collaborative solutions. A united Canada has the power to do great things, and our national infrastructure will be the backbone of any such progress. But it must be grounded in inclusivity, resiliency, productivity, and sustainability to ensure it’s a future where all Canadians, Indigenous peoples, and newcomers can thrive.