FMF 2025 Keynote Speakers

Dr. Alika Lafontaine has been at the epicentre of healthcare system change for almost two decades. He is the first Indigenous physician and the youngest doctor to lead the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) in its 156- year history, and the first Indigenous physician to be listed on The Medical Post’s 50 Most Powerful Doctors. As an experienced health leader, Lafontaine speaks eloquently and passionately on the politics of healthcare, implementing and scaling equity, effective advocacy, and redesigning health systems.

Working at the intersection of advocacy and implementation, Lafontaine has held both provincial and national medical leadership positions. From 2013-2017, he co-led the Indigenous Health Alliance, growing it into one of the most ambitious Indigenous health transformation projects in Canadian history. At its peak, the Alliance represented more than 150 First Nations and successfully advocated for $68 million in funding. In 2017, the Alliance was recognized by the Public Policy Forum, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau presenting Lafontaine with the inaugural Emerging Indigenous Leader award.

Drawing on the work of the Alliance and his own personal experiences, Lafontaine went on to found Safespace Networks, an anonymous learning platform for reporting racism and healthcare harm. It’s grown to include reporting networks in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Ontario, providing protection for patients and families and assisting them with navigating fragmented and confusing health reporting processes.

During his presidency year at the CMA, Lafontaine was the driving force behind securing the largest nominal Federal investment in healthcare since 2004, breakthrough changes in physician credential recognition in several provinces (including a first-of-its-kind Atlantic physician registry), and strong commitments to national collaboration in managing health data and health human resources between provincial, territorial, and national governments. The CMA also adopted a long-term Indigenous health goal and began an apology process related to Indigenous patient maltreatment in Canada’s healthcare systems, which Lafontaine continues to lead today.

Dr. Jillian Horton is an Associate Professor of Internal Medicine at the Health Sciences Centre and the University of Manitoba. She is a graduate of McMaster medical school and completed her residency and fellowship in general internal medicine at the University of Toronto. Dr. Horton has completed a longitudinal internship in teaching Mindful Practice (at the University of Rochester) and Chief Wellness Officer training at Stanford University. Her writing about medicine and medical culture has appeared regularly in the LA Times, the Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, Maclean’s, and a variety of American news outlets by syndication. She is a sought-after speaker and teacher of mindfulness for clinicians, both nationally and internationally. In April 2020 she was awarded the Gold Humanism award by the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada for her national contributions to compassion in clinical care and her leadership in the field of humanities in medical education. Her first full-length book, We Are All Perfectly Fine: A Memoir of Love, Medicine and Healing" was released by HarperCollins Canada in February, 2021 to critical acclaim, and is a national bestseller.  It is currently being adapted for television, furthering her mission to increase understanding that the wellbeing of healthcare workers and patients are interdependent. In 2024 she was awarded an honorary doctorate from Wilfred Laurier University for translating the experiences of healthcare workers and patients for the public.

Peter Katz, a Juno Award- and Canadian Screen Award-nominated singer-songwriter, has been hailed as "a thunderbolt for the soul" by many of his fans and speaking clients. Fluently bilingual in English and French, he is a master at creating experiential environments that inspire connection and foster a shared vision where one may have not existed before. His “conversational choreographies” are designed with the purpose of encouraging employees to harness a renewed energy to the importance of their work that ties more deeply to their own values. He frames much of his keynotes around his devotion to service, using it as a springboard to convey an underlying message that trusting in process will lead to amazing outcomes.

 Katz has cultivated a unique perspective on what it means to be truly connected to your work and clients over his 15-year career touring and speaking globally. He has crafted stories and strategies that are rising above the noise and truly helping leaders and employees at every level create new opportunities for connection and elevation.

 A four-time TEDx fellow, Katz has delivered highly customized “keynote concerts” to numerous companies and organizations across various industries, including Bell, Johnson & Johnson, Xerox, Royal Lepage, American Express, Sick Kids Hospital, Sun Life, Mars, Trillium Health, and Royal Bank.  His in-person events have been praised as “transformational,” and he is recognized as a pioneer in creating highly engaging virtual experiences. Katz has performed for over 150,000 people virtually from his state-of-the-art broadcast studio, including being invited to address the House of Commons of Canada. 

 As an acclaimed musician, Katz is beloved in his home country of Canada and has inspired many with his songs. CBC radio host Tom Power has praised his music as "one of the most heartfelt, beautiful, and vulnerable records of the year, an astonishing record." Katz’s music has been streamed over 30 million times, and his music videos have over 26 million views on YouTube, with his cover of Beyonce’s “Halo” garnering over 20 million views alone. His music is regularly featured in films and on television, including CBC Television's 2016 Rio Olympics/Paralympics coverage.