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Resilient Institutions: Learning from Canada’s COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious weaknesses in our public institutions across the federation. As we emerge from the biggest health crisis in a century, this first ever national conference will explore lessons learned and paths forward.

The Institute on Governance (IOG) and the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation at the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) are partnering to convene Resilient Institutions: Learning from Canada’s COVID-19 Pandemic – a conference on making Canada’s public institutions and governance more agile and adaptable.

Focusing on institutions of health, federalism, public service and democracy, the conference will bring together up to 150 of Canada’s leading policy thinkers and practitioners to examine how decisions were made during the pandemic; investigate what lessons can be drawn; and explore the relationships critical to rebuilding trust and improving services for Canadians.

Theresa Tam, chief public health officer of Canada, will open the conference with a keynote address to registered participants on Tuesday, June 13. Other speakers include: Anil Arora – Chief Statistician of Canada; Joanne Castonguay – Health and Welfare Commissioner, Government of Quebec; Graham Flack – Secretary, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat; Christiane Fox – Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada; Shachi Kurl – President, Angus Reid Institute; Stephen Lucas – Deputy Minister of Health, Health Canada; Stephen McNeil – Former Premier of Nova Scotia; Isabelle Mondou – Deputy Minister, Canadian Heritage; Erin O’Toole – MP – Former Leader of the Official Opposition; Lucie Opatrny – President and Executive Director, McGill University Health Centre; Fahad Razak – Internist, Unity Health Toronto, Epidemiologist, and Associate Professor, University of Toronto; Carole Saab – Chief Executive Officer, Federation of Canadian Municipalities; Michael Vandergrift – Deputy Minister, Intergovernmental Affairs.

The pandemic radically altered Canadians’ expectations of our public institutions. This national conference focused exclusively on drawing lessons from Canada’s COVID-19 experience will contribute to building resilient public institutions and governance structures to better serve Canada in the future.

DATE AND TIME:
June 12, 2023 – June 14, 2023

LOCATION:
Ottawa, Ontario – Château Laurier and National Arts Centre

EVENT TYPE:
Conference

REGISTRATION:
$575.00 per ticket, please register by following the link below

Individual tickets: $575 each
5 or more tickets: $500 each
Each ticket includes a networking reception on June 12, two full days of panels on June 13 and 14, two breakfasts, two lunches and a dinner with a keynote speech on June 13.

NB: Travel and accommodation must be organized separately at participants’ expense. Group rates for hotel rooms are not available.

To register, please follow the link below.

In addition to the conference, the IOG and the IRPP’s Centre of Excellence will co-produce an in-depth report based on the conference discussions, featuring practical proposals for strengthening public institutions across Canada. Additionally, a series of related articles will receive special coverage in the IRPP’s Policy Options magazine.

For more information or for sponsorship opportunities, please contact Zackery Liberty, Marketing & Communications Manager, at zliberty@iog.ca.

For more on the topic, check out Toward more resilient institutions, the related series of articles in Policy Options magazine.

Event Program

Reception

Join fellow conference attendees for a networking reception to mix and mingle ahead of the two days of panel discussions. Drinks and snacks will be provided and representatives from the IRPP and IOG will make welcoming remarks.

Date and time:
June 12, 2023 – 5:00pm – 7:00pm
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room Foyer
Event type:
Reception

Public health decision-making during the pandemic

This roundtable will bring together individuals who played key roles in public health decision-making during the pandemic. Speakers will examine how decisions were made, whether existing governance structures and processes were sufficient and how new ones were adopted over time. They will also discuss what information is required for decision-making in a time of intense uncertainty, and how the public should be engaged in these decisions.

Date and time:
June 13, 2023 8:45am – 10:15am
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Helen Angus – CEO, AMS Healthcare

Dr. Stephen Lucas – Deputy Minister of Health, Health Canada

Dr. Shannon McDonald – Former Chief Medical Officer, First Nations Health Authority

Lucie Opatrny – President and Executive Director, MUHC

Dr. Fahad Razak – Internist, Unity Health Toronto, Epidemiologist, and Associate Professor, University of Toronto

Moderator

David McLaughlin – President and CEO, Institute on Governance

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

Data production and data sharing in the Canadian health care system

The pandemic highlighted how crucial data is in informing health care decisions, and how it is imperative that we improve the sharing and use of data across Canada. This roundtable will bring together experts to explore lessons learned from the pandemic about data sharing in the health care system and identify how we can better collaborate across levels of government. The discussion will delve into the unique challenges and opportunities presented by Canada’s federal structure for data production and sharing, and suggest practical solutions for implementing best practices and bridging gaps exposed by the pandemic.

Date and time:
June 13, 2023 10:30am – 12:00pm
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Dr. Marcia Anderson – Dean of Indigenous Health, Social Justice and Anti-Racism and Executive Director, Indigenous Academic Affairs, Ongomiizwin-Indigenous Institute of Health and Healing, University of Manitoba

Anil Arora – Chief Statistician of Canada

Joanne Castonguay – Health and Welfare Commissioner, Government of Quebec

Glenda Yeates – Vice Chair, Canadian Blood Services

Moderator

Rob Annan – President and CEO, Genome Canada

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

Intergovernmental relations during the pandemic

The pandemic marked one of the most intense periods of intergovernmental relations in the country’s history. This roundtable will invite decision-makers to reflect on and share their real-life experiences during the pandemic. It will provide a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities presented by intergovernmental relations in times of crisis. In addition, the panel will consider how we can implement the aspects of intergovernmental relations that worked well during the pandemic to improve our response to future crises.

Date and time:
June 13, 2023 1:00pm – 2:30pm
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Christiane Fox – Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Stephen McNeil – Former Premier of Nova Scotia

Daniel Paré – Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Health and Social Service

Kennedy Stewart – Former Mayor of Vancouver and Associate Professor, Simon Fraser University School of Public Policy

Moderator

Catherine Cullen – Senior Reporter, CBC

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

Imagining a federal community that works

The pandemic highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of Canada’s federation. Bringing together senior civil servants, elected officials and private sector representatives, this roundtable will consider how we can better co-ordinate and collaborate across levels of government to build a more resilient and responsive federation. What do our current institutions do well? How can they improve? How can we better leverage the expertise and resources of all levels of government to ensure an effective response to future crises? Responses to these questions are an essential step in making sure that Canada is ready for the challenges ahead.

Date and time:
June 13, 2023 2:45pm – 4:15pm
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Jesse McCormick – Senior Vice President, Research Innovation and Legal Affairs, First Nations Major Projects Coalition

Carole Saab – Chief Executive Officer, Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Michael Vandergrift – Deputy Minister, Intergovernmental Affairs and Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet

Mike Gladstone – Director External Affairs Canada

Coleen Volk – Former Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Relations and Associate Deputy Minister of the Executive Council for the Government of Alberta

Moderator

Charles Breton – Executive Director, Centre for Excellence on the Canadian Federation

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

Keynote & Dinner

The first day of the Resilient Institutions conference will end with a dinner at the National Arts Centre featuring keynote speaker Alasdair Roberts, professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, the Jocelyne Bourgon Visiting Scholar at the Canada School of Public Service and a visiting professor at the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University.

Arrival and drinks: 5:30pm-6:30pm
Dinner: 6:30pm-8:30pm

About the Keynote Address: BUILDING AN ADAPTABLE COUNTRY

Countries that want to thrive in this turbulent century must be adaptable. They must be good at reconfiguring public institutions to meet new challenges and evolving public expectations. Our challenge is demonstrating that Western democracies like Canada can be as nimble under stress as technocratic authoritarian systems like China.

Contrary to conventional wisdom, Canada has a good track record on adaptability. Its governmental system has been transformed over the last 40 years. Distinctive features of the Canadian approach to governing, including heavy investment in forward thinking and concern for protecting the public sphere, allowed the country to respond effectively to new conditions and ideas.

In this century, however, adaptability is under threat. We have shifted our focus toward short-term politics and away from forward thinking. Technological change has disrupted the public sphere. And our public services appear less nimble. We need a program of reform that is focused on improving our flexibility for the dangerous decades ahead.

NB: Dinner and the keynote address are included in the conference registration fees. A limited number of tickets is available to individuals who wish to attend the dinner only, for $175. Please complete the form below to purchase tickets.

Public service delivery and governance

Bringing together experienced voices from inside and outside the public service, this roundtable will reflect on public service governance and service delivery during the pandemic. How did public services adapt during the pandemic? In what ways did public service delivery change? The roundtable will explore obstacles to public service delivery adaptation and how they were overcome. It will draw key governance lessons to improve public service delivery outcomes for Canadians.

Date and time:
June 14, 2023 8:30am – 10:00am
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Neil Bouwer – Visiting Professor of Practice, Max Bell School of Public Policy, McGill University

Graham Flack – Secretary, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat

Lori Wanamaker – Vice Chair, BC Hydro and former Clerk, B.C. Government

Michael Wernick – Jarislowsky Chair in Public Sector Management, University of Ottawa

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

Public servants’ roles and skills for tomorrow

What does the future of our public service look like and how did the digital shift during the pandemic alter governments’ ability to deliver services? This roundtable will consider the public service of tomorrow and how it can be more agile, adaptable and digitally focused. It will discuss what skills and training Canada’s public servants will need to meet postpandemic demands.

Date and time:
June 14, 2023 10:15am – 11:45am
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Amanda Clarke – Associate Professor, School of Public Policy and Administration, Carleton University

Taki Sarantakis – President of the Canada School of Public Service

Catrina Tapley – Former Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Ryan Androsoff – CEO and Founder, Think Digital

Stephen Harrington National – lead of Workforce Strategy, Deloitte

Moderator

Charelle Evelyn – Managing Editor, The Hill Times

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

The public’s experience of dealing with institutions during COVID-19

An analysis of the country’s pandemic response needs to consider the views and experiences of the broader population as well as those at the heart of it. This roundtable will bring together those with on-the-ground knowledge of how various groups were affected by the pandemic. They will examine how institutions performed during the pandemic from that point of view and identify how we can ensure that the voices and experiences of the public are not overlooked in the decision-making process. The roundtable will allow us to explore potential solutions for more effective and inclusive institutions that better meet the diverse needs of communities.

Date and time:
June 14, 2023 12:45pm – 2:15pm
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable

Panellists

Jocelyn Formsma – Chief Executive Officer, National Association of Friendship Centres

Dan Kelly – President and CEO, Canadian Federation of Independent Business

John McAndrews – Research Associate and Managing Director of the Policy, Elections, and Representation Lab (PEARL), Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, University of Toronto

Raj Grewal – Staff Emergency Physician in Hamilton and Assistant Professor at McMaster University

Moderator

Charles Breton – Executive Director, Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation

Confirmed speakers are shown. Roundtable composition is not yet final.

Trust, communication and decision-making

This roundtable will consist of elected officials, commentators and academics who will reflect on how our democratic institutions performed during the pandemic, focusing on public trust and communications. It will consider how the trust of citizens can be restored and our democratic institutions made more resilient. It will also seek ways to foster a stronger relationship between elected officials, governments and citizens in the future.

Date and time:
June 14, 2023 2:30pm – 4:00pm
Location:
Chateau Laurier – Drawing Room
Event type:
Roundtable