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Publications

The Public Policy Forum has produced hundreds of reports since our inception in 1987. This site features reports from 2012 and after, as well as our most popular and referenced publications from earlier years. If there is a specific report you cannot find, please contact us.

Publication

Perceptions and Polarization

Measuring the Perception Gap Between Urban and Rural Canadians

Authors: Sean Speer & Peter Loewen
Released: Tuesday February 2, 2021

Political polarization is growing across the globe. In this first report on the urban-rural divide in Canada, Sean Speer teams up with Peter Loewen and the University of Toronto’s Policy, Elections and Representation Lab (PEARL) to explore the theory that a “perception gap” exists between those who live in cities, the suburbs and rural communities. How do Canadians' distorted beliefs of one another’s circumstances fuel polarization?

Publication

Report 3: Do Vaccine Brand Preferences Exist?

Series | COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism in Canada

Authors: Peter Loewen
Released: Tuesday March 16, 2021

Canada has approved four COVID-19 vaccines for use and secured access to more vaccine doses per person than any other country. With such a wide array of vaccines likely to be made available to them, Canadians’ preferences on which vaccine they receive could have a big impact on the vaccination campaign. With data from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Dr. Peter Loewen breaks down what Canadians consider most important in a vaccine, and which vaccines they prefer.

Learn about Canadians' vaccine choices

Publication

Searching for Innovation? Look North!

Authors: Rose LeMay
Released: Tuesday March 30, 2021

A year into the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada is looking for paths forward to build back better. After a year of invaluable lessons learned, what do we know? What do we want to strengthen? What are we willing to change? What are the assets and building blocks for a stronger future?

Read about innovation in action now.

Publication

According to Atlantic Employers

Perceptions on Hiring, Retention, Immigration and Growth

Released: Monday March 22, 2021

What did a survey of over 800 Atlantic employers tell us about their outlook and activities to drive business growth before COVID-19? Explore our findings in five thematic reports and what it means for supporting employers as economies rebuild.

Read employer perceptions on growing

Publication

Go Big, or Go Home? Refocusing Entrepreneurship for Productive & Inclusive Growth

With Examples from Atlantic Canada

Authors: Shannon Wells
Released: Wednesday March 17, 2021

Entrepreneurship has been called the backbone of the economy. Despite the popularity of hoodie-wearing CEOs and global tech innovations, broad-based entrepreneurship that fuels local productivity and helps solve real-world problems has declined across developed nations. Canada is no exception. COVID-19 has added to the challenge. As Canada recovers, how do we get entrepreneurship back on track?

Learn moreabout Go Big, or Go Home? Refocusing Entrepreneurship for Productive & Inclusive Growth

Publication

Place-Based Policy Options for Entrepreneurship in a Post-COVID Canada

An Action Canada Report

Released: Wednesday March 10, 2021

As Canadians look forward to the economic recovery and governments herald a new normal, few signals have been given about its policy landscape, and even fewer about the role of small business and entrepreneurs in the post-COVID strategy. With the horizon now in sight, how can governments move quickly to put a shot in the arm of small businesses and entrepreneurs that are operating in disparate and localized challenges and conditions?

Read the Fellows' ideas

Publication

Growing the Next Crop of Canadian Farmers

An Action Canada Report

Released: Wednesday March 10, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted fundamental gaps in our agricultural system. For the first time in generations, many Canadians saw empty grocery store shelves and became acutely aware of the challenges facing our domestic food system. What followed were COVID-19 outbreaks on farms and meat processing plants and temporary foreign workers who were delayed and stranded. The pandemic highlights vulnerabilities in Canada’s food supply-chain and the importance of a resilient agricultural sector.

Learn moreabout Growing the Next Crop of Canadian Farmers

Publication

A Platform Economy Strategy for Canada: Supporting place-based governance for a more resilient and inclusive post-COVID Future of Work

An Action Canada 2020/21 Report

Released: Wednesday March 10, 2021

Advances in big data, algorithms and cloud computing over the past decade have contributed to the emergence and widespread use of digital platforms in Canada. Whether it be through Uber, Airbnb, Amazon, Etsy or Shopify, a growing number of Canadian workers and businesses are interacting in these platform-based and controlled markets. This phenomenon, known as the emergence of the Platform Economy, has significant implications for the Future of Work in Canada. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated this trend as more Canadians than ever before turn towards digital platforms to support their livelihoods.

Read the Fellows' ideas

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