Join 400+ campaigners, advocates, and innovators in Toronto’s landmark venue, The Carlu.
Expect one day of inspiring speakers, impactful networking, and the latest insights at the intersection of politics, advocacy, and technology — with a special focus on the fast-approaching 2026 Ontario municipal elections, where data, AI, and innovation will define the winning edge.
Thu, Jan 15, 2026 | The Carlu, Yonge St, Toronto, ON
Be there!
Founder & CEO of Rubicon Strategy and Campaign Manager for the Ontario PCs (2018-2025 Elections)
Kory Teneycke is the co-founder and CEO of Rubicon Strategy. With over 30 years of experience in politics, lobbying, public relations and media, he has advised federal and provincial governments, led multiple winning election campaigns and co-founded the Sun News Network. Kory is a highly sought-after political analyst, providing razor-sharp insights on current political events and strategy in podcasts, radio and television outlets across Canada.
Former MP for Eglington-Lawrence (2015-2025), Federal Minister (2019-2023) & Chief of Staff to the PM (2025)
Marco Mendicino is a Canadian lawyer, former Member of Parliament for Eglinton—Lawrence (2015–2025), and seasoned political leader. Over the course of his career, he served as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (2019–2021), Minister of Public Safety (2021–2023), and most recently as Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Mark Carney. A former federal prosecutor, Mendicino has been at the forefront of Canadian politics and public service, shaping policy on immigration, national security, and government leadership at the highest levels.
Member of Parliament for Burlington
Ontario's Minister of Transportation & MPP for Brampton South
Prabmeet Sarkaria is a Member of the Provincial Parliament for Brampton South and Ontario's Transportation Minister.
Prabmeet worked as a corporate and commercial Associate at Miller Thomson LLP before being elected. He has a law degree from the University of Windsor and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Wilfrid Laurier University where he majored in Finance. Before going into law, he worked at TD Securities.
Vice President, McMillan Vantage and Former Deputy National Campaign Manager for the Conservative Party of Canada
Laura brings substantial experience in public affairs, campaigns, and advocacy. She supports clients in a wide range of industries including financial services, transportation, labour, healthcare, energy, and clean technology.
Prior to joining McMillan Vantage, Laura served in a senior role at another Ottawa-based public affairs firm. She has held several roles with federal and provincial Conservative parties, including at Conservative Party headquarters and as an Issues Manager in the Prime Minister’s Office. Most recently she was Principal Secretary to former Conservative Party Leader and Leader of the Official Opposition, Hon. Erin O’Toole, and served as Deputy National Campaign Manager for the Conservative Party of Canada during the 2021 federal election.
In her spare time, Laura serves on Laurentian University’s board of governors. From 2018-2022, she served as an elected member of the Ontario PC Party Executive as 8th Vice President. In 2017, she was named one of PR in Canada’s Top 40 Under 40.
Laura holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Political Management from Carleton University.
Founder & President, Westbridge Strategies and long-time TV Personality
Travis Dhanraj leads Westbridge Strategies with more than two decades of front-line experience in Canadian media and communications. Having held senior roles at CBC, CTV, Global News, and CP24, he has reported on and anchored coverage of the most significant political, economic, and public interest stories of the last 20 years—most recently as CBC’s Senior Parliamentary Correspondent in Ottawa and host of Canada Tonight. He is also the co-host to the new podcast, Can't Be Censored, delivering unfiltered conversations on politics, culture and technology.
Political Commentator on CBC’s Power & Politics, (Past) Director of Operations, Outreach, and Planning, PMO
With over 15 years of experience in politics and advocacy, Vandana Kattar has been at the forefront of driving meaningful change in Canada’s political landscape.
A key leader in rebuilding the Liberal Party of Canada, Vandana played a pivotal role in Justin Trudeau’s successful leadership bid and the party’s historic victory in the 2015 federal election. Most recently, Vandana served as a senior strategist on Mark Carney’s 2025 campaign, further solidifying her reputation as a powerhouse political strategist.
Beyond campaign work, Vandana is a respected political commentator, offering insightful analysis on CBC’s Power and Politics every week.
After years in politics, she found fulfillment in returning to TD, bringing her leadership and strategic acumen full circle. Vandana currently serves as Head, Global Diversity, Inclusion, Sustainability, and Corporate Citizenship.
Outside of professional endeavors, Vandana is deeply committed to community engagement, volunteering with organizations such as the Tamil Community Centre and the Canadian Muslim Vote. She is passionate about her engagement in the grassroots advocacy space, consistently championing policies and initiatives that drive equity and representation.
Partner, Westbridge Strategies and long-time TV Host and Political Communications Advisor
Karman Wong has more than 20 years of experience as a communications professional, with the unique perspective of being on both sides of the camera.
Karman worked as a television reporter and anchor for Toronto’s 24-hour news channel, CP24. Previously, Karman spent over ten years as a senior communication advisor to the Premier of Ontario, several cabinet ministers and on federal, provincial and municipal campaigns.
As a communications consultant, Karman has led strategic communications initiatives across sectors including education, energy, policing, and non-profits. She has advised organizations of all sizes—from grassroots cultural groups to multinational corporations—on media and communications strategy, issues and reputation management. She is also the co-host of Can't Be Censored, a podcast profiling high-profile interviews and topics. With Westbridge Strategies, she's developing content for campaigns, organizations and individuals, while continuing to consult on strategic communications.
Interim Executive Director of Equal Voice
Lindsay Brumwell is the Interim Executive Director of Equal Voice, a national, multi-partisan charity dedicated to increasing the representation of women and gender-diverse individuals in Canadian politics. A seasoned strategist with a deep personal commitment to advancing gender equity in political leadership, Lindsay brings extensive experience in public affairs, risk mitigation, and stakeholder engagement.
Throughout her career, Lindsay has worked at the intersection of politics, policy, and community engagement, advising organizations and industry leaders on navigating complex environments. She has a proven track record in building strategic partnerships, designing impactful advocacy campaigns, and fostering mutually beneficial solutions.
Former Producer and Director at CTV News. Current Director of Communications at Social Capital Partners.
A seasoned media and communications strategist, Katherine spent over two decades advancing high-profile brands and issues within the scientific, health and social impact sectors before joining SCP in 2024. A former investigative journalist at CTV News, Katherine’s work has been recognized with several journalism and cause marketing awards. A self-professed word nerd, she writes, edits and develops award-winning PR, communications and marketing campaigns that are rooted in evidence and tell meaningful stories. She consistently delivers messages that cut through the noise, resonate with diverse audiences and inspire community action. Katherine holds a degree in English from Queen’s University and a Master of Arts in Journalism from Western University.
Director of Sales, Canada, at StackAdapt and an expert at helping political campaigns reach target audiences with advertising.
Brandon Langevin is the Director of Sales for Canada and LATAM at StackAdapt, where he focuses on client services. StackAdapt provides programmatic advertising solutions for political campaigns, enabling candidates, advocacy groups, and political organizations to reach targeted audiences across multiple digital channels with speed and scale.
Former Advisor to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Current Founding Partner at Nexus Strategic Consultants.
Brett Thalmann is a founding partner of Nexus Strategic Consultants with over 20 years of experience as a leading political advisor, strategist, and community organizer in Canada. He brings over seven years of experience in the Prime Minister's Office in his senior leadership role as Executive Director of Planning, Administration and People. In the 2015, 2019 and 2021 elections, Brett led national campaign efforts to target key communications to specific audiences in swing ridings through digital advertising, earned media and direct voter contact by phone, mail, and door-to-door.
Former Chief of Staff to two Ontario Ministers and the Mayor of Brampton. Current CEO at Armer Consulting.
Haz Punia is an astute leader with over a decade of extensive senior management experience serving as Chief of Staff to both a provincial Minister and Mayor of a large urban Canadian municipality. Haz has served as a senior advisor and mentor for numerous campaigns across Ontario and has been instrumental in leveraging modern technology for voter contact, GOTV and ethnic reach.
Digital Strategist for over 100 political campaigns across Canada and Managing Principal, EOK Consults.
Harneet is a seasoned political strategist with over 15 years of digital marketing experience. He is the Managing Principal at EOK Consults - one of Canada's leading political digital marketing agencies with over 100 successful political and advocacy campaigns across all levels of government.
Widely recognized for his expertise, Harneet has been featured in national and local media outlets for his insights on political marketing and digital advertising. He is a pioneer in using high-precision online advertising to win elections and influence grassroots campaigns.
Executive Director at Progress Toronto
Saman Tabasinejad is the Executive Director at Progress Toronto. She has degrees in Political Science and Anthropology. She is particularly interested in how large policy decisions affect everyday lives. Saman knows that meaningful change cannot be achieved unless actions that address and remove systemic barriers are taken.
In 2018, Saman ran for office in North York. She worked at the DUKE Heights BIA, at the Downsview Advocate, and has served on the board of the Iranian Canadian Congress. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Platform, a civic leadership platform for Black, Indigenous, and racialized young women and gender-diverse youth. Saman has also served on the executive of Roofs for Refugees, pairing newly arrived refugees with homes, and has spent time organizing with immigrant communities.
Saman is dedicated to building a progressive city and making room for women, especially young racialized women, to take space, influence policy-making and run for office.
Executive Director at Youth Without Shelter
Steve Doherty has over 30 years of experience in the fields of children and family mental health, developmental services, youth addiction treatment, and youth shelter operations. Steve is currently the Executive Director of Youth Without Shelter (YWS) in Etobicoke.
YWS has a long history of supporting youth experiencing homelessness. YWS’s one-of-a-kind Stay in School (SIS) program allows youth in high school, post-secondary, or apprenticeship programs to advance their education while living in a safe and supportive environment. YWS strongly embraces and personifies the idea of equality of opportunity through targeted supports, including tuition support, mental health and addictions treatment services, wrap-around case management, housing supports, and employment and life skills services.
Steve has guided YWS through unprecedented growth over his 6 years as Executive Director.
President, Data, Digital & Design at Earnscliffe Strategies
Megan leads Earnscliffe’s data-driven digital, research, and creative services, translating complex policy and brand narratives into high-impact campaigns across paid and organic media. With deep experience in government relations, election strategy, and commercial-sector advocacy, she integrates strategic research, advanced audience targeting, and emerging technology to deliver measurable results.
Earlier in her career, Megan worked for several federal Cabinet Ministers, and more recently has provided digital and research expertise to provincial and federal election campaigns
Senior Account Manager and Digital Campaign Strategist at Data Sciences
Gabe is a Senior Account Manager and digital campaign strategist at Data Sciences. He’s spent much of his career in federal politics, at the Liberal Party of Canada and at the Prime Minister’s Office.
At DS, Gabe helps political, nonprofit, and corporate clients use campaign strategies to achieve their goals — with full-funnel campaigns and integrated research strategies.
A unique gathering where tech innovators, advocates, and changemakers meet the strategists and leaders shaping Canada’s political and advocacy campaigns.
1Gain insights from leading voices across politics, technology, and data — experts driving innovation in political campaigning, policy, and the nonprofit sector.
2Build meaningful connections with peers, partners, and potential collaborators to advance your impact in the political and advocacy space.
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