Together, we can build a flourishing Canada 

Dear PPF members and partners, 

As summer transitions into fall, the Public Policy Forum (PPF) is excited to start a new year, and grateful for your continued contributions to shaping good policy for a better Canada.  

Your policy insights, participation and ongoing support are central to PPF’s work, enabling us to bring together leaders from government, business, academia and civil society and translate informed, non-partisan dialogue into practical ideas and actions. 

We enter the fall at a consequential moment. Geopolitical conflict is intensifying, the ongoing trade dispute with the United States is reshaping our most important economic relationship, technology is advancing rapidly and democratic institutions are under strain. Canada can be a source of stability and leadership, but realizing that potential will require major projects, greater investment, new markets, stronger talent and growth that benefits people across the country. 

Economic strength is only part of the picture. The larger ambition must be a flourishing Canada, where people can prosper, participate and have a meaningful stake in our shared future. 

That is where PPF plays an important role: not simply to identify the challenges facing Canada, but to bring people together around practical ideas about what comes next and turn those ideas into better policy. 

The Canada Investment Summit and fall federal budget will be important markers for the choices ahead. Through our research, events, learning programs and media, PPF will focus on several key areas: unlocking investment in energy, mining and infrastructure to Build Big Things, strengthening life sciences and clinical trials, advancing brain capital and talent in an AI-driven economy, and supporting democracy, trust and social cohesion. 

These questions will also shape a new season of WONK. Hosted by award-winning journalist Michael Serapio, the podcast will bring diverse voices to the issues defining Canada’s next chapter. 

What is ahead this fall: 

PPF colleagues will be engaging with leaders and communities, including many of you, across the country this fall, from the North to Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa and Moncton. Among the highlights ahead are: 

• September 10: A new policy paper on diversifying Canada’s trade 

• September 14: Action Canada Lecture on Reconciliation with Grand Chief of the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN) Math’ieya Alatinim in Whitehorse, in partnership with Yukon University. 

• September 23: The Build Big Talent online Leadership Table 

• September 29: The Life Sciences Leadership Table in Ottawa 

• October 6: The AI Advantage Academy course in Ottawa 

• October 21: Build Big Things: The Mining and Critical Minerals Working Table in Vancouver 

• October 29: The Frank McKenna Awards in Moncton & the release of PPF’s Atlantic Canada Momentum Index tracking economic progress in the region 

• November: The Life Sciences Clinical Trials Summit in Toronto 

• November 17: The Energy Regulators Working Table in Ottawa 

• Watch for details: Our next Industry Associations Table, focused on Canada’s investment and policy environment 

• Throughout the fall: Many more member gatherings, research initiatives and PPF programs including our 2026-27 slate of Academy learning programs. Member pricing is available and we encourage you to register now.

Our goal this fall is to be present across Canada because actionable public policy requires an ear to the ground and a voice that resonates broadly. In addition to being part of our own convenings, I look forward to meeting with members and partners at several important gatherings, including the Policy Community Conference on October 15, the 25th anniversary of the Banff Forum on November 5 and the Canadian Science and Innovation Policy Conference November 24 to 27. If you will be attending any of these events, or if our paths cross elsewhere this fall, I hope you will find me and say hello. 

I will also be in New York in September for satellite events around the 81st UN General Assembly focused on AI and the energy system, AI and health and innovation, the intersection of the environment and brain health and brain capital. The latter is part of my longstanding commitment to translate the brain capital concept – a concept developed in Canada by the late Hon. Michael H. Wilson in 2011 – into policy that supports people, strengthens the economy and helps Canada thrive in an age of rapid technological change. All are essential to flourishing. 

We have heard clearly that members want more opportunities to engage directly with PPF and with one another. This year, we will expand our member programming through a more robust series of member tables focused on timely issues and shared priorities. We expect to announce the first of these gatherings shortly. 

This engagement is particularly important as PPF approaches our 40th anniversary and begins developing a renewed vision for our next chapter. We want to hear from those who have helped shape PPF over many years, as well as newer members and partners. Your perspectives will help us understand what we should preserve, where we need to evolve and how PPF can make its greatest contribution in the years ahead. 

If you would like to arrange a conversation, please reach out through our membership team at membership@ppforum.ca. We would be delighted to hear from you. 

Save the date: May 6, 2027 

Finally, Registration is open now for PPF’s two signature events at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto scheduled for May 6, 2027: the Canada Growth Summit and the Annual Testimonial Dinner and Awards. 

Please reserve your spot to join us for a full day of bold ideas, important discussions and a celebration of exceptional Canadian leadership. These are your events as much as ours. If you have ideas about the themes, speakers or conversations that should shape the day, we welcome your input. 

The choices before Canada are consequential, but so is our capacity to meet this moment. I begin the season with confidence in what we can accomplish together and with deep gratitude for your continued commitment to PPF. 

Sincerely yours, 

Inez Jabalpurwala
President and CEO
Public Policy Forum