The Public Policy Forum (PPF) is an independent, non-profit Canadian

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

for public-private dialogue. The organization's stated aim is "to serve as a neutral, independent forum for open

dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

." The Forum was founded in 1987 by Shelly (Sheldon) Ehrenworth, Geoff Poapst and a group of public and private sector leaders. The inaugural board meeting took place in Toronto where members endorsed what became the Forum's credo: that the business of government is too important to leave in the hands of government alone. 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 grown to more than 200 members from

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit." Having a business name does not separ ...

, federal and provincial governments,

academia An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

organized labour The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

and the voluntary and

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

sectors. Its current President and CEO is

Edward Greenspon Edward Greenspon (born March 26, 1957) is a Canadian journalist who was at Bloomberg News in January 2014 as Editor-at-Large for Canada after four years as vice president of strategic investments for Star Media Group, a division of Torstar Corp. a ...

Activities

The PPF functions primarily as an independent,

non-partisan Nonpartisanism is a lack of affiliation with, and a lack of bias towards, a political party. While an Oxford English Dictionary definition of ''partisan'' includes adherents of a party, cause, person, etc., in most cases, nonpartisan refers s ...

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 Events & Awards

Throughout the year the PPF hosts gatherings of senior leadership from all sectors to celebrate excellence in

leadership. Four events run annually across Canada: * The Testimonial Dinner (Toronto, April) * The Gordon Osbaldeston Lecture (Ottawa, November) * The Western Dinner * Atlantic Dinner & Awards Since 1988 the Testimonial Dinner Awards pay tribute to distinguished Canadians who have made an outstanding contribution to the quality of public policy and public management. As of 1992 the Hyman Solomon Award is giving to an outstanding journalist and in 2005 the Emerging Leaders Award was introduced. These Testimonial Dinner Awards are adjudicated by the PPF, based upon submissions by member organizations.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Non-profit organizations based in Alberta Organizations established in 1987 Political and economic think tanks based in Canada