Join the conversation

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

Automation, AI and COVID-19

Series | Brave New Work Key Issues

Authors: Peter Loewen and Blake Lee-Whiting
Released: Wednesday June 23, 2021

A majority of Canadians indicate they have at least a basic understanding of AI and automation. Politicians have an opportunity to seize upon this perceived knowledge to address coming challenges by linking COVID-19 solutions to challenges — and potentially positives — presented by AI and automation. This new report by Peter Loewen and Blake Lee-Whiting shows signs that Canada has not seen a large populist backlash to the pandemic, but that could be coming, perhaps against immigration policies, if citizens feel the government is not following through on job creation.

Learn moreabout Automation, AI and COVID-19

Publication

Report 5: Reaching the Vaccine Hesitant

Series | COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism in Canada

Authors: Peter Loewen
Released: Tuesday May 18, 2021

As the supply and availability of vaccines continue to increase across Canada, the only limiting factor on vaccination rates will soon be the willingness of otherwise-reluctant individuals to be vaccinated. Examining data from the Media Ecosystem Observatory, Dr. Peter Loewen provides a real-time view of the vaccine hesitant in Canada. Who are these people? Where do they live? How informed are they about COVID-19?

Publication

Vaccine with syringe.

Report 6: Three Areas in Which Pandemic Management Could Have Been Better

A Retrospective Report | from the COVID-19 Vaccine Skepticism in Canada Series

Authors: Peter Loewen
Released: Tuesday July 27, 2021

Members of Canada’s political class should on balance receive at least a passing grade for their management of the pandemic, and Canadians should be both proud and worried about policymakers’ performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. The three areas in which they could have done better include: keeping schools open, using technology to combat the pandemic, and prioritizing vaccine targeting.

Learn moreabout Report 6: Three Areas in Which Pandemic Management Could Have Been Better

Publication

Shredded paper with the word EVIDENCE written on one of the pieces of paper demonstrating evidence destruction and possible obstruction of justice

Science and Health Misinformation in the Digital Age

Released: Wednesday July 21, 2021

Following PPF's 2020 report, Science Disinformation in a Time of Pandemic, PPF renews the project to continue the conversation with 2021's new initiative, Responding to Science Disinformation. In this report, fellow Peter Loewen and Eric Merkley consider the ways in which technology has impacted the spread of misinformation throughout the public, and how and in what ways policy makers can challenge misinformation without stifling free speech and freedom of expression.

Learn moreabout Science and Health Misinformation in the Digital Age

Publication

Frontiers and Borders: The Internet and the Amplification of Illiberalism

Authors: An essay by Edward Greenspon
Released: Wednesday July 21, 2021

"Truth is an inescapable foundation of the liberal order and is in a precarious state in today’s liberal democracy. Our ability to address difficult issues such as climate change or electoral integrity is compromised if truth and public opinion become confused.” Edward Greenspon’s recent essay examines liberalism’s complex state of flux in an age of internet dominance. Greenspon draws on his firsthand experiences as a journalist covering the ascent of liberalism in the late 1980s and early 1990s, using it as a jump-off point for considering the ongoing struggle between the frontiers of change and social progress versus the borders...

Learn moreabout Frontiers and Borders: The Internet and the Amplification of Illiberalism

Publication

We Want Real Partnership

UNDRIP Gives Us the Means

Authors: Alicia Dubois, Tabatha Bull, Mark Podlasly, J.P. Gladu and Kim Baird
Released: Friday July 16, 2021

In April 2020, the Energy Future Forum convened a plenary session on the critical importance of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and full Indigenous participation and ownership in Canada’s energy development. The following is a blended transcript edited for clarity and conciseness of Indigenous economic leaders Alicia Dubois, Tabatha Bull, Mark Podlasly, J.P. Gladu and Kim Baird. These leaders spoke about their vision for economic reconciliation, the challenge of access to capital and the opportunity UNDRIP presents to catalyze economic development by making real partnership a prerequisite for any project to move forward in...

Learn moreabout We Want Real Partnership

Publication

Rhetoric vs. Results: Shaping Policy to Benefit Canada’s Middle Class

By PPF Fellow Don Wright

Authors: Don Wright
Released: Monday June 28, 2021

Canada’s standard of living has been slipping: Between 1945 and 1976, parents could expect that their children would make twice the salary they did but today’s parents would be waiting 400 years for that to happen. Despite a professed desire to help the middle class, governments have done very little to do so; they fail to address this issue at their peril. This paper by PPF Fellow Don Wright provides several ways to fix the problem.

Publication

Decorative image

Managing Transformation in Disrupted Sectors

Series | Brave New Work Key Issues

Authors: Dr. Lori Turnbull
Released: Thursday June 17, 2021

There are lessons to be learned from industries that have survived and thrived through disruption, as well as those that have failed to navigate industry transformation. We need to learn from the past while we look for innovative ways of working together to rebuild the economy. To achieve these goals, we need to plan for inevitable change as all sectors, no matter how resilient writes Lori Turnbull. With the right tools, workers, employers and sectors can fortify themselves in a new economy.

Learn moreabout Managing Transformation in Disrupted Sectors

Back to top