The Public Policy Forum (PPF) is an independent, non-profit Canadian think tank for public-private dialogue. The organization's purpose is to connect diverse participants in the policymaking process and to work with them to inform policy discussions. The PPF is a registered charity in Canada.
Its current president and CEO is Inez Jabalpurwala who manages a staff of approximately 30.
History The Forum was founded in 1987 by Shelly (Sheldon) Ehrenworth, Geoff Poapst, Max B.E. Clarkson and a group of public and private sector leaders in Toronto. In its early years, the Forum brought together leaders from business, the trade union movement, academe and the not-for-profit sector for meetings in cities across Canada. The idea was to share perspectives on public sector management questions and discuss ways to build a more collaborative approach to policy making.
The PPF has since grown to include about 200 organizations from business, federal and provincial governments, academia, organized labour and the voluntary and not-for-profit sectors.
Governance The PPF is a registered charity that is governed by a board of approximately 20 directors. The board is chaired by André Beaulieu.
Activities The PPF functions primarily as an independent, non-partisan facilitator of multi-sector dialogue.
Convening In conjunction with members and partners from all sectors, the PPF convenes dialogues aimed at producing actionable outcomes in key policy areas, such as: innovation, public engagement, public service and governance.
Research The PPF regularly produces and publishes research and reports in areas related to its policy dialogues. The Forum also conducts original research in areas such as public service innovation, government leadership, and media.
Annual Awards Testimonial Dinner Award to honour distinguished Canadians who have made an outstanding contribution to the quality of public policy and public management (1988-ongoing) Hyman Solomon Award to honour an outstanding Canadian journalist (1992-ongoing) Emerging Leader Award to recognize a young Canadian who personifies leadership in public policy and civic discourse (2005-ongoing) Global Laureate Award to recognize international leaders impacting the direction of policy in Canada (first award in May 2026) Frank McKenna Award, Atlantic Canada (2013-2024) Peter Lougheed Award, Western Canada (2011-2019) Year# Testimonial Dinner AwardHyman Solomon AwardEmerging Leader Award202639Arlene Dickinson, Christiane Germain, John Knubley, and (Global Laureate) Fatih Birol Robert FifeBryan Detchou202538Anil Arora, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Chief Crystal Smith, Marc-André BlanchardSteve PaikinAlfred Burgesson202437Jayna Hefford, Janice Charette, Murad Al-Katib, Jean Paul Gladu, Marc GarneauPaul WellsRaven Lacerte202336Harold Calla, John Risley, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Janice Stein, the Hon. Lisa RaittStephanie NolenNaila Moloo202235The Hon. John Manley, Clarissa Desjardins, Deepa Mehta, Chief Terrance PaulMark MacKinnonAutumn Peltier202134(Awards postponed to April 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic)202033Elyse Allan, Sen. Peter Harder, Anne McLellan, Sen. Murray SinclairRob RussoShingai Manjengwa201932Rona Ambrose, Alan Bernstein, George A. Cope, Pierre-Marc Johnson, Farah MohamedKaryn PuglieseMaayan Ziv201831Mark Carney, The Right Hon. Beverley McLachlin, Michael Donovan, Mary Walsh, Richard DicerniFrancine PelletierCaitlin Tolley201730Louise Arbour, Yaprak Baltacıoğlu, Dominic Barton, Johann Koss, Margaret MacMillan, Naheed Nenshi (30th Anniversary Event)—Alika Lafontaine (Indigenous Emerging Leader)201629Francoise Bertrand, Jack Mintz, Robert Prichard, Wayne WoutersPeter MansbridgeTaylor Owen201528Ed Clark, Peter Herrndorf, Roberta Jamieson, Michael SabiaSerge Chapleau and Aislin (Terry Mosher) Hannah Godefa201427Annette Verschuren, Mary Simon, Sheila Fraser, Heather Munroe-BlumSusan DelacourtErin Freeland Ballantyne201326Honouring former Clerks of the Privy Council of Canada: Kevin Lynch, Alex Himelfarb, Mel Cappe, Jocelyne Bourgon, Paul Tellier——201225Honouring former Prime Ministers of Canada: The Right Hons. Kim Campbell, Jean Chrétien, Joseph Clark, Paul Martin, Brian Mulroney, John Turner——201124 William G. Davis, Gordon Nixon, Monique F. Leroux, Jim Stanford André PicardVictor T. Thomas 201023 Tony Dean, Phil Fontaine, Preston Manning, Carole TaylorBernard DeromeGabriel Bran Lopez200922 Jim Balsillie, Mike Lazaridis, L. Jacques Ménard, Georgina Steinsky-SchwartzCraig OliverSara Ehrhardt200821 David A. Dodge, Gerri Sinclair, Sheila Watt-CloutierAlain DubucPeter MacLeod 200720 20th Anniversary Event (no awards given)Eric RegulyParker Mitchell and George Roter200619 Georges Erasmus, Louise Frechette, Bob RaeChantal HébertAlison Loat and Andrew Medd200518 Monique Bégin, Bob White, Michael WilsonDon NewmanTaylor Gunn200417 Rita Burak, Denis Desautels, Roy Romanow, Allan ShawMary Janigan—200316Guy Colombe, Purdy Crawford, Henry Friesen, Chaviva Hosek, Don MazankowskiJim Travers—200215Nellie Cournoyea, Pierre Lortie, Monica Patten, Milton WongEdward Greenspon—200114Al Hatton, Hon. Peter Lougheed, Eric Newell, Manon VennatMadeleine Drohan—200013Allan Blakeney, Raymond Garneau, Margaret Norrie McCain, Lynton "Red" WilsonBruce Little—199912Jean Bernard, Thomas Edward Kierans, Donald Savoie, Thomas ShoyamaJim Meek—199811Jim Gray, Gaetan Lussier, Jean Pigott, Hon. Gordon RobertsonVaugn Palmer—199710Sheldon Ehrenworth (10th Anniversary Event)Claude Picher—19969A.W. (Al) Johnson, Guylaine Saucier, James D. FleckJeffrey Simpson—19958Jean-Claude Delorme, Claire Morris, Bill Blundell, Leo GérardJason Moscovitz—19947Allan Taylor, Louise Roy, Reg Basken, Bruce RawsonAndrew Coyne—19936Bertin Nadeau, Mickey Cohen, Judith Maxwell, James McCamblyGiles Gherson—19925Guy Saint-Pierre, Chris Evans, Huguette Labelle, Arden HaynesGraham Fraser—19914Trevor Eyton, Claude Castonguay, Sylvia Ostry, Jack Munro——19903Gordon Osbaldeston, Edward Stewart, Gérard Docquier, Michel Bélanger——19892Arthur Kroeger, Robert Carman, David Golden, Jean de Grandpré——19881Allen Lambert, Robert Bryce, Ted Newall, Paul Tellier——
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