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About PPF

Good Policy | Better Canada

The Public Policy Forum (PPF) is an independent, non-partisan and non-profit think tank working to inject fresh thinking into Canadian policymaking. The public interest is our north star.   

Our Mission

We believe good policy is critical to building a better Canada — a country that’s cohesive, prosperous and secure.  

We contribute by: 

  • Researching the issues that challenge Canadians today; 
  • Convening frank, honest discussions with a wide range of participants — conversations that fuel fresh policy thinking; and 
  • Celebrating exceptional policy leaders who contribute to public policy excellence. 

How We Work

Born in 1987 of the belief that dialogue between leaders in the private and public sectors leads to better policy, PPF provides an independent space for collaboration among diverse voices to address the country’s most pressing challenges in governance and public policy.  

Our process is rigorous and inclusive. We believe bigger tables create better narratives and ultimately more resilient, practical policy. Our convenings bring together emerging thinkers with established leaders to ensure future-proof policy ideas.  

As a registered charity, PPF is funded by a mix of memberships, program partnerships, event ticketing and sponsorships, and philanthropic donations. Our network of members includes about 200 organizations spanning industry, federal, provincial and territorial governments, academic institutions, unions and the non-profit sector.   

What We Do

We:  

Our current work spans six major initiatives:

  1. Mission Canada: A policy umbrella for all our work, grounded in a vision of inclusive economic growth.  
  2. Build Big Things: After producing Canada’s most comprehensive review yet of the policies needed to accelerate major projects to final investment decisions, this project is undertaking deeper stakeholder engagement and targeted analysis in key sectors — from energy and critical minerals to infrastructure investment. 
  3. Build Big Talent: Designing a blueprint for a pan-Canadian Talent Strategy that fuels a prosperous, competitive future. 
  4. Healthy Canadians, Competitive Canada: An executive-level advisory body and research network delivering policy recommendations to strengthen the life sciences sector — addressing productivity, AI integration, talent, supply chains and commercialization. 
  5. The Atlantic Momentum Initiative: An exclusive Index measuring the Atlantic region’s economic and social progress, identifying key momentum factors and policy levers across labour, housing, infrastructure and health. 
  6. The Democracy Project: Investigating the crisis in local news and its links to polarization, trust, civic engagement and social cohesion. 

Our History

The Public Policy Forum was born in 1987 out of a concern that all too often business leaders and civil servants operated in different worlds. There was, in the words of PPF founder Shelly Ehrenworth, an “understanding gap” that that was leading to bad policy. A forum where leaders could gather and exchanges ideas could bridge that gap. Government would work better. Good policy would follow.

As former Clerk of the Privy Council Paul Tellier said, “Bridging the gap between the public and private sectors is important work, but it will always be a work in progress.”

PPF was established as a non-partisan think tank with a board made up of deputy ministers, business executives, labour leaders and academics, and quickly set about tackling some of the big issues of the day, from free trade and tax reform to immigration and education. The organization soon developed a reputation for its unique convenings, bringing together leaders and experts who would otherwise not be in the same room, having frank conversations that were on the record, but not for attribution. Within a decade, PPF had grown to include 180 members from the private and public sector.
In 1988 PPF held its first annual dinner to honour contributions to government and public policy. It has emerged as the biggest policy event of its kind in the country, drawing more than 1,500 attendees each year. In 1992 the Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism was added, followed by the Emerging Leader award in 2006.
PPF’s membership has grown to include about 200 organizations from business, federal, provincial and territorial governments, academic institutions, unions and non-profit organizations. We continue to convene and foster the policy conversations needed to make resilient policy that serves all Canadians.

As former Clerk of the Privy Council Paul Tellier said, “Bridging the gap between the public and private sectors is important work, but it will always be a work in progress.”

Transparency & Policies

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The Public Policy Forum strives to engage diverse perspectives in pursuit of resilient, practical policy for all Canadians.

In our early years, inclusion entailed gathering government, business, labour and civil society in the same room. Today, our mission is far more ambitious. We aim to incorporate a broader cross-section of participants and contributors — reflecting factors such as identity and geography — in our research, convening and learning processes.

PPF recognizes the existence of systemic racism in Canada. We are firmly committed to Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples — a guiding principle in our policy recommendations — and social justice for all communities. We subscribe to the 50-30 Challenge and the notion that bigger tables lead to better narratives and broader impact.

We recognize there is more progress to be made and that good policy outcomes for everyone mark the ultimate measure of a successful society. As Canada’s think tank about tomorrow, we take our responsibility seriously to use our work to illuminate inclusive and diverse policy pathways.

Generative AI Use Policy

Embracing innovation, upholding trust in ideas

As the think tank about tomorrow, the Public Policy Forum is embracing generative artificial intelligence both as a transformative technology requiring policy leadership and as a set of tools enabling us to work more effectively. Sound policies are essential to striking the balance between the considerable benefits of AI and mitigating the risks. We are committed to ensuring that PPF’s values, including trustworthiness and creativity, continue to permeate everything we do, including technological adoption.

PPF undertakes to embrace generative artificial intelligence within the following parameters:

  • Existing policies apply to the use of generative AI in all PPF activities. Importantly, this includes our commitment to protect the security and privacy of confidential information provided by our members and partners.
  • As with all our work, PPF maintains complete editorial control and oversight of AI produced or enhanced content. Any use of generative AI is attentively reviewed before publication. PPF staff are the ultimate arbiters of all our products and accept the responsibilities that entails.
  • In the spirit of transparency, we will disclose when and how generative AI has supported the production of any major published work by PPF, whether in the form of text, visuals or the spoken word.
  • PPF will continue to conduct multi-stakeholder, in-depth, original research, with generative AI playing a supportive role.

Given the pace at which this technology is evolving, PPF will continually review our use of generative AI to ensure trustworthiness, privacy, innovation and creativity in keeping with our vision of informing policy discussions aimed at creating a better Canada.