The LiveWorkPlay Inclusive Employment Champion Award presented to Janelle Wright and the team at Finance Canada, at Make A Buzz Ottawa 17 April 2026
Award presented live at Make A Buzz Ottawa 2026, LiveWorkPlay’s 31st Anniversary Celebration, April 17, at Bayview Yards
Inclusive Employment Champion – Janelle Wright, and the team at Finance Canada
Introduction by Anna Nelson, Director of Employment Supports, presnted by Mary Gusella, Volunteer Chair, Federal Employment Strategy Group (FESG)
Good evening,
In past years, we have recognized departmental leadership in the public sector through an Inclusive Employer Award, celebrating the many incredible departments and agencies doing important and impactful work to deliver inclusive employment.
We are thankful to have with us tonight a few of our past recipients, including Deputy Minister of Indigenous Services Canada, Michelle Kovacevic, and her Chief of Staff, Daniel Carleton, who were instrumental in Finance Canada receiving this award in 2023.
We also want to especially recognize Laurie-Eve Bergeron, Head of Human Resources at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, who has continued to show strong leadership at ISED, building on the department’s success as a 2024 recipient of this award.
And we are delighted to have the RCMP here with us tonight—you’ll be hearing more about them soon.
This year, instead of focusing on a department, we are going to recognize an individual whose leadership has helped move this work forward in a meaningful and lasting way.
I also want to say how genuinely excited I am about this year’s recipient. It has been such a pleasure to get to know her work and witness her leadership in action.
The Inclusive Employment Champion Award recognizes a champion who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to advancing inclusive employment for people with intellectual disabilities and autistic persons, and who is helping to influence change within their organization and beyond.
It is my pleasure to now introduce our esteemed guest presenter to continue with the presentation.
Mary Gusella has been recognized at the highest levels for her distinguished career in Canada’s federal public service, including receiving the Prime Minister’s Outstanding Achievement Award for her contributions.
In retirement, she continues to make a significant impact as the volunteer Chair of the LiveWorkPlay Federal Employment Strategy Group, where her leadership advances inclusive employment opportunities for Canadians.
Mary, I know I speak for all of us when I say how grateful we are for your ongoing commitment, your insight, and the care you bring to this work. Please join me in warmly welcoming Mary Gusella to continue with this presentation.
Thank you Anna.
It is always a privilege to be part of this celebration, and to take part in this unique opportunity to highlight the work of our public service by celebrating an individual leader.
As many of you know, LiveWorkPlay has been working alongside the federal public service for over a decade, supporting hundreds of hires across dozens of departments. What we have learned through that work is that meaningful change does not happen by accident. It happens because of leadership.
Leadership that is intentional. Leadership that is consistent.
And leadership that recognizes talent and creates the conditions for people to succeed.
This year’s recipient is someone who truly embodies these qualities.
We were introduced to Janelle Wright in the fall of 2024 by another inclusive employment champion, Daniel Carleton, who is here with us tonight.
And what followed was not a long, drawn-out process, but rather thoughtful and decisive action.
By January 2025, six individuals had already been hired to digitize departmental records, contributing to important work that supports automation and efficiency within Finance Canada.
That kind of momentum speaks volumes.
But what makes Janelle’s leadership especially impactful goes far beyond those numbers.
Despite the demanding schedule and responsibilities of an Assistant Deputy Minister role, Janelle Wright is connected to the work of the entire Finance Canada team.
As noted by Robert Olsen, Inclusion Specialist with LiveWorkPlay: “She is approachable, thoughtful, and consistently focused on the well-being and success of departmental staff at all levels. Her leadership contributes to an atmosphere of trust and respect that is felt by all employees.”
She is also a long-term thinker, someone who looks beyond the immediate moment and considers what is best not only for her branch, but for Finance Canada and the entire public service.
And she acts on what she sees. Recognizing the success of short-term, high-impact work, she has supported continuing and building on those opportunities to create lasting value.
Her impact also extends well beyond her own department. Janelle has shared her leadership and insights through presentations at our Federal Employment Strategy Group, has helped connect this work to the Human Resources Council of the federal public service, and consistently opens doors to new relationships and opportunities.
She is not only advancing inclusive employment within Finance Canada but helping to move it forward across the Public Service.
What’s clear in all of this is that Janelle is not just supporting inclusive employment, she is strengthening it, embedding it, and helping it grow.
Janelle, we want you to know that we see the way you lead, the way you show up for your team, and the impact you are making. It truly matters, and we are deeply grateful.
To help us celebrate this moment, I would like to invite Tahanee McKnight, Executive Director, Human Resources Policies, Strategies and Programs, and Superintendent Darryl Dawkins, Director, Anti-Racism, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Secretariat from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, last year’s recipient of the 2025 Public Service Inclusive Employer Award, to join us in presenting this award.
Please join me in congratulating Janelle, Assistant Deputy Minister at Finance Canada, recipient of the 2026 Inclusive Employment Champion Award.