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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

The Dis-United States

What It Means for Canada

Released: Wednesday April 21, 2021

Today's bi-lateral Canada-U.S. relationship finds itself being tested like never before. There have been clear signals of a return to normal, but is that a realistic expectation in the wake of the Trump presidency and the deep divisions evident in U.S. society? The Public Policy Forum in partnership with Global Affairs Canada, assembled a roundtable of Canadian and American foreign-policy experts and several points of consensus emerged.

Learn moreabout The Dis-United States

Publication

Report 4: Do We Still Have a Consensus Around COVID-19

Series | COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism in Canada

Authors: Peter Loewen
Released: Tuesday April 20, 2021

News headlines emphasize non-compliance and dissatisfaction with the COVID-19 response. Yet a COVID-19 consensus has emerged, and Canadians are as supportive of governments’ response to the virus as they were 10 months ago. Examining data from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Dr. Peter Loewen finds that Canadians broadly agree on the risks of the disease, what measures should be taken to fight it and how much income support individuals and businesses should receive.

Publication

Digital Infrastructure for the Post-Pandemic World

Series | Skills for the Post-Pandemic World

Authors: Catherine Middleton
Released: Wednesday May 5, 2021

The emergence of COVID-19 forced a shift away from workplaces and schools to online working and learning, but this digital transformation has not been evenly experienced by all Canadians. This report examines the key components of Canada's essential digital infrastructure system, highlights worrying inequalities that exist within this system, and offers recommendations on how to quickly reduce some of the most glaring obstacles that prevent many of those who would benefit the most from accessing training, education and employment opportunities digitally from doing so.

Learn moreabout Digital Infrastructure for the Post-Pandemic World

Publication

Job Polarization in Canada

Series | Skills for the Post-Pandemic World

Authors: Sean Speer and Sosina Bezu
Released: Thursday April 15, 2021

Job polarization is one of several trends — including automation, offshoring and the growing importance of the gig-economy — that were already of general interest prior to the onset of the pandemic, but which have been pushed even further into the centre of public policy discussions by the arrival of COVID-19. As Canadian policymakers consider how to build back the economy after the pandemic, addressing the problems created by job polarization needs to figure prominently in their priorities.

Learn moreabout Job Polarization in Canada

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

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

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