NEWS
On February 29th, in Halifax, we convened our first of our 25th anniversary lectures at Dalhousie University. André Picard, renowned Globe and Mail reporter on public health, delivered an important speech on the future of medicare in Canada to a packed house.
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MEMBERS
Polytechnics Canada is a national alliance of the leading research-intensive, publicly funded colleges and institutes of technology dedicated to helping colleges and industry create high-quality jobs for the future.
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
Many Canadians know the Public Policy Forum because of our signature public events such as the Testimonial Dinner & Awards, our Western Dinner and the Gordon Osbaldeston Lecture. However, most of the work of the Forum actually occurs in the form of research and publications informed by dozens of smaller events convened throughout the year. Often these are workshops or roundtables where the invited participants, from all sectors of our country, operate under the Public Policy Forum Rule, a modified version of the Chatham House Rule. Participants are encouraged to speak candidly, in the confidence that there will be no attribution of their remarks. We then prepare a summary report of the dialogue to be shared with all participants. Often, the most significant benefit of providing this kind of safe space for discussion is that insights are gained, and relationships are built based upon understanding and trust.
An example of this kind of project is a new initiative of the Forum's, in collaboration with Library and Archives Canada: Preserving Canada's Memory. During the course of this year, we plan to convene several roundtables in different regions of the country to discuss with leaders from all sectors, their views on how Canadian memory institutions, such as Library and Archives Canada, can best decide what records should be preserved in a digital age. Further, how should such records best be made accessible to the general public. These aren't simple or easy questions to answer. However, Library and Archives Canada aims to engage Canadian leaders in the broader community to help inform future practices and policies. And the Public Policy Forum is keen to assist on an issue of vital importance to the governance of our country. I'll look forward to reporting back to you on the outcome of this project.
David Mitchell
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