Letter from Inez Jabalpurwala, President and CEO, Public Policy Forum

Dear PPF member/partner,   

It is difficult to believe that I joined the Public Policy Forum as President and CEO nearly one year ago; I was deeply honoured to have been chosen to lead PPF into its next chapter. What a year it has been! Throughout, I have been heartened by the outreach from members and partners across the country and your willingness to have important conversations with me. What emerged was an understanding of PPF’s magical powers: as a convener of thought leaders across sectors, areas of expertise and generations; and as an independent, non-partisan voice in an increasingly polarized world. This has given me a deep sense of optimism about the future of evidence-based policy dialogue in Canada.   

We can agree, however, that the year has been an eventful one. From tectonic geopolitical shifts to a new protectionism, Canada faces a great many policy challenges. Under a rubric we have called Mission Canada, PPF has been delving into ways to counter these headwinds by leveraging the country’s comparative advantages and driving inclusive growth. We have launched several programs to do so. 

Most notably, our Build Big Things policy program has become the roaring engine of this work. When we released a landmark report earlier this year as a playbook to turbocharge investment in major energy, critical minerals and infrastructure projects, we could hardly have imagined its impact. Rooted in the most extensive consultations PPF had ever undertaken (95 percent of the energy sector took part), the report crystalized emergent thinking across the country.

Its recommendations have been fulsomely embraced by the federal government and reflected in the Building Canada Act, including publication of a list of projects of national interest, the creation of a Major Projects Office, a commitment to “one project one review” and measures to increase Indigenous economic participation. In 2026, we will expand into deep-dive explorations of critical minerals, LNG and small modular reactors.  

Relatedly, this fall we launched our Build Big Talent program, which recognizes that we will only be able to build big things if we have big talent. Our Build Big Talent Leadership Table met this month to begin drafting a much-needed national strategy on the training, skills and immigration policies we will need in this next phase of building. As I wrote in a recent Globe and Mail op-ed on the topic, Canada’s reignited ambition to get the economy moving “must be paired with the right kinds of investment in talent and reskilling and upskilling to drive productivity. The prize is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build people, as well as sustainable prosperity.”  

As well, this year our Life Sciences Forum produced two major reports, Canada’s Code Red and Mining Canada’s Data, which, while making the convincing case that a strong life sciences sector is essential to a new national self-reliance, also helped highlight the need for stronger talent pipelines and more strategic use of health data.  

In Atlantic Canada, our Atlantic Initiative has been digging into internal trade reform, including the publication of a paper by economist Trevor Tombe, just as our Atlantic Momentum Index continues to reshape the narrative about the region’s economic potential at policy gatherings from small roundtables to expansive conferences.   

This year, our democracy work mobilized an innovative non-partisan journalism fund that disbursed more than $500,000 in grants to 40 Canadian local news outlets, allowing them to provide more fulsome, comprehensive coverage of Canada’s 2025 federal election. There is more ahead on this topic as we examine links between local news and strengthened social cohesion, civic engagement, place-based economic development and decreased polarization.  

All these programs and projects have received substantial media attention throughout the year, but we have also reached PPF’s own networks. We have created powerful communities that are deeply engaged in our work and Canada’s future, including a monthly audience of more than 140,000 across digital channels and almost 70,000 weekly fans of our policy podcast, WONK, hosted by journalist Amanda Lang. (Much of this work is housed at ppforum.ca, which now has a fresh new look and improved reader experience.) In addition, more than 3,000 people attend our events annually, including our prestigious, must-attend Testimonial Dinner and Growth Summit, and hundreds more receive instruction through our Action Canada Fellowship and Academy programs.  

Speaking of the Testimonial Dinner, we are on track for our most successful event yet in 2026. So far, we’ve announced honourees John Knubley, Arlene Dickinson and Fatih Birol as well as the legendary Robert Fife as winner of the Hyman Solomon Award for Excellence in Public Policy Journalism. More announcements will come over the next few weeks; please do hurry to register as we are expecting an early sellout this year.  

In the new year, our PPF Academy will be offering five cutting-edge learning programs to address some of the most pressing issues facing policy professionals and public service: budget cuts, AI, tariffs and ensuring policy messages resonate amidst all the noise. We are particularly excited to launch two new programs: The Art of Writing about Policy and Change Leadership in the Public Sector. In addition, our 17 Action Canada Fellows will produce research work after spending a year investigating climate resiliency in the face of extreme weather events.  

Of course, none of this work happens without an exceptional Board of Directors, led by André Beaulieu, and a brilliant, dedicated and hardworking team. Together we have been present at more than 100 conferences, events and roundtables from coast-to-coast-to-coast, all with the goal of hearing diverse perspectives and crafting policy that is resonant and actionable. Our daily work is imbued with our belief that building bigger tables leads to better narratives and broader impact; thanks to your support and partnership, we live that credo every day. 

I look forward to working together in the year ahead to inform policies that underpin an ambitious, inclusive and growth-oriented nation.  

On behalf of the entire PPF team, I wish you a joyful holiday season and time with those you hold dear. 

Yours sincerely, 

Inez