Who We Are and What Motivates Us
OUR MISSION
We are dedicated to finding creative ways for government to empower Canada’s entrepreneurs and innovators to solve important national problems and implement globally competitive solutions. Driven to solve challenges and to deliver scalable, effective and cost-efficiency solutions, Canada’s entrepreneurs and innovators help position Canada as the leader in building the world’s most productive, sustainable, and inclusive economy.
Yet, today, they face needless challenges that prevent them from delivering their full value to Canadians across all sectors of our economy. These challenges include one of the heaviest regulatory burdens in the OECD, extraordinarily complicated government procurement processes, shrinking investment markets, uncompetitive taxations regimes and a public sector culture that manages risk in ways that all too often creates it.
As geopolitical, economic, technological and environmental threats intensify at an increasingly alarming and disruptive pace, the status quo is not an option. Decades of declining productivity and competitiveness underscore the urgency for change.
Our team is committed to advancing policies and best practices that catalyze innovation across our economy, ensuring every entrepreneur and innovator has the opportunity to succeed. We believe that by addressing these challenges, Canada can begin to unlock the ability of Canadian innovators to improve the quality of life and prosperity of all Canadians.
If we want an innovative economy, we need an innovative government.
OUR TEAM
Senator Deacon and his team are committed to finding solutions that challenge the status quo. Specifically, we are looking for ways in which Canada’s diverse and innovative communities can be empowered by building an inclusive culture of entrepreneurship.
The Honourable Colin Deacon
Independent Senator, Nova Scotia
Senator Colin Deacon (he/him) was appointed to represent Nova Scotia in the Senate of Canada in June 2018. A lifelong entrepreneur, he passionately believes that we must build a more inclusive economy if we want a more resilient economy. As a result, Senator Deacon believes that entrepreneurship is a tool to not just enable economic empowerment in communities across our country, but to create positive social change. Recently, he is most focused on harnessing the digital economy, improving Canada’s public and private sector competitiveness, and incentivizing and empowering the private sector to aggressively address climate change.
For press inquiries, Senator Deacon's official biography and photo can be found here. A profile of the Senator can also be found here.
David Dlab
Director of Parliamentary Affairs
(2020 - )
David (he/him) is a corporate finance professional with close to ten years of private sector experience before joining Senator Deacon's office. He has held key positions at George Weston , Finning International, and ExxonMobil, gaining exposure to the retail, mining, maritime and energy sectors. His roles in the treasuries of these companies focused on capital structure, corporate liquidity management, credit analysis and M&A.
David is passionate about finding market-based solutions to the challenges facing Canadian society and the global economy. He speaks four languages and has lived in various cities across Canada, as well as in Europe and Asia.
David holds a MBA from the UBC Sauder School of Business and a BSc in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Montreal.
Mikayla Ozga
Parliamentary Research Assistant
(2026 - )
Mikayla (she/her) is an public service professional with experience at Global Affairs Canada and Public Safety Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Political Science from Queen’s University (2022) and a Master of International Affairs (2024) from the Norman Patterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University, where she specialized in Intelligence Studies.
Mikayla brings over five years of research experience with Queen’s University’s Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, with a focus on global financial crime and financial regulation. Her academic and professional work reflects a strong interest in the intersection of economic policy and national security.
In the office of Colin Deacon, Mikayla supports committee work, stakeholder engagement, and strategic planning initiatives. She approaches her work with a collaborative mindset and a commitment to thoughtful, evidence-based policy development.