NATIONAL DAY

HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS

For attendees travelling to Ottawa, a block of guest rooms has been reserved at the Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre at a preferred conference rate.

CAHR National Day Meeting
Start Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2026
End Date: Thursday, November 26, 2026

Conference Hotel
Delta Hotels Ottawa City Centre
Group Rate: CAD $349.00 per night (plus applicable taxes and fees)
Reservation Deadline: Wednesday, November 4, 2026

Rooms are available at the special conference rate until November 4, 2026, or until the room block is sold out, whichever occurs first. We encourage attendees to reserve their accommodations early to ensure availability.

Reserve your room:
Click here to book your group rate for the CAHR National Day Program.

AGENDA

8 am NETWORKING BREAKFAST 

8:50 am WELCOME & HOUSEKEEPING 

Emcee: Bill Dempster, 3Sixty Public Affairs

9 am KEYNOTE

Set the stage with a global scan of the pricing and access environment, including how larger markets, trade pressures and evolving reimbursement expectations are reshaping launch strategies and market prioritization. His keynote will examine what these shifts mean for smaller markets like Canada, where policy choices on pricing, review timelines and access conditions can directly affect whether, when and how new medicines are brought to patients.

Speaker: Neil Grubert

9:45 am From Task Force to Action: Next Steps for Canada’s Life Sciences Sector

This panel will review the work and recommendations of the Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences Sector Task Force, with a focus on what comes next for government, industry, researchers and health system partners. Panelists will discuss how Canada can translate the Task Force’s advice into concrete policy action, strengthen the conditions for investment and innovation, and ensure that the next phase of life sciences strategy supports both economic competitiveness and timely patient access.

Speakers:

Michelle Boudreau, former Associate Assistant Deputy Minister, Health Policy Branch, Health Canada

Paul Petrelli, Vice President and General Manager, Gilead Sciences Canada

Dre Stéphanie Michaud, President and Chief Executive Officer, BioCanRx

Moderator: Kimberley Hanson, Breakthrough T1D Canada

10:45 am NETWORKING BREAK 

11:05 am From Health Innovation to Strategic Advantage: Preparedness, Biosecurity and Trade

As health technologies become central to national resilience, economic security and global competitiveness, Canada faces an opportunity to connect its life sciences strengths more deliberately to broader industrial, preparedness and trade policy. This panel will explore how domestic innovation capacity, regenerative medicine, biomanufacturing, health emergency readiness and regional life sciences ecosystems can be positioned as strategic assets, and what policy choices are needed to ensure Canada can compete, collaborate and respond in an increasingly fragmented global environment.

Speaker: Cate Murray, President & CEO, Stem Cell Network

Moderator: Dr. Jason Field, President and Chief Executive Officer, Life Sciences Ontario

12:00 pm LUNCH 

1:00 pm Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Healthcare

This panel will examine how artificial intelligence is beginning to reshape healthcare delivery, administrative efficiency, evidence generation and patient access. Bringing together perspectives from industry, academia and government, the discussion will explore where AI can help reduce system burden and improve decision-making, while also considering the policy, governance and trust frameworks needed to support responsible adoption in Canada’s health and life sciences sectors.

Speakers: Lindsay Williams, Vice President, Health, Calian Group

Moderator: Brad Millson, General Manager, Head of Real World Evidence Product Development, IQVIA

2:00 pm NIHB UPDATE

This session will provide an update on the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program’s evolving role in supporting access to medicines and pharmacy services for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients. The NIHB will share current priorities in pharmacy policy, benefit coverage and program modernization, including how NIHB is responding to broader access pressures while maintaining a focus on equity, appropriate use and timely patient care.

Speaker: Karen Fortin, Executive Director of Pharmacy Policy, Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, Indigenous Services Canada 

2:30pm Networking Break (20 mins)

2:50pm Bear Pit with Canada’s Drug Agency and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance

In this interactive “bear pit” session, a candid discussion with the leaders of Canada’s Drug Agency and the pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance on the latest developments in health technology assessment, pharmaceutical review, price negotiation and reimbursement policy. The conversation will explore how both organizations are responding to pressures around access, affordability, evidence requirements and negotiation timelines, with audience members invited to pose direct questions on the future of Canada’s drug access pathway.

Speakers:

Suzanne McGurn, President and Chief Executive Officer, Canada’s Drug Agency

Mauro Chies, Chief Executive Officer, pan-Canadian Pharmaceutical Alliance

Moderator: Gerry Jeffcott, Senior Associate, 3Sixty Public Affairs

3:50 pm The Global Health / Life Sciences Reset: What It Means for Canada

The global life sciences sector is entering a period of profound reset. U.S. most-favoured-nation pricing is accelerating changes in global pricing, launch sequencing and market access, but it is only one part of a wider transformation. Governments are tightening budgets, trade tensions and tariffs are reshaping supply chains, industrial policy is driving investment and manufacturing decisions, and countries are reassessing how they balance affordability, resilience, innovation and patient access. In a current-affairs roundtable moderated by Tessie Sanci, panelists will connect these forces, identify what is structural rather than temporary, and debate the choices Canada faces as global rules, domestic regulations, capital and market priorities shift around it.

Speakers: 

Ken Chan, Partner, Optimus SBR and former ADM, Ontario Health

Gail Attara, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Gastrointestinal Society

Moderator: Tessie Sanci, Deputy Editor and health policy journalist, The Hill Times

4:50 pm Closing Remarks

Emcee: Bill Dempster, 3Sixty Public Affairs

A limited number of special discounts are available to patient groups and students. Please contact the CAHR office to obtain a code.

Code of Conduct: CAHR is committed to providing a safe, respectful, and harassment-free environment. All attendees, speakers, sponsors, and staff are expected to follow our Code of Conduct.

Program Changes: CAHR reserves the right to modify speakers, sessions, or the
event schedule without prior notice. We are not liable for any resulting changes.

CANCELLATION POLICY: For cancellations two (2) weeks or more in advance, delegates will receive a 75% refund. For cancellations made less than two (2) weeks in advance, no refunds are given. Delegate substitutions will be accepted at no cost.