Introduction
As Jarislowsky Chair of public sector management, Michael Wernick has built partnerships with a range of organisations around shared strategic objectives, often leading to collaborative events, and joint efforts in shaping public policy discourse. This collaboration is part of the Jarislowsky Chair’s mission to foster engagement and to leverage expertise and insight gained through research and convening to propose solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s “wicked problems and hard conversations”.
Quick links

Organisations
Institute for Research on Public Policy
An independent, national, bilingual, not-for-profit organization. Its mission is to improve public policy in Canada by generating research, providing insight and influencing debate on current and emerging policy issues facing Canadians and their governments. It publishes peer-reviewed research and acts as a convenor of policy debates by organizing conferences, round tables and panel discussions among stakeholders, academics, policy-makers and the general public. It is also the publisher of Policy Options magazine and the home of the Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation
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IBM Center for The Business of Government
The IBM Center for The Business of Government is an independent business think tank that focuses on management issues in the U.S. Federal government. The Center stimulates research and facilitates discussion of new approaches to improving the effectiveness of government at the federal, state, local, and international levels. Founded in 2002, the Center is located in Washington, D.C.
Institut d’administration publique du Québec
IAPQ is a professional membership association for public service in the province of Quebec. IAPQ offers development activities on topics of interest to public management. These activities also serve as forums where participants can discuss the challenges facing public administration.The IAPQ encourages innovation and best practices by awarding the annual Prix d’excellence de l’administration publique du Québec.
Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX)
The Association of Professional Executives of the Public Service of Canada (APEX), an independent not-for-profit organization, was established in 1984, by Federal Public Service executives to provide services and organize activities for their own community.
As a national professional association, APEX is acknowledged as the active voice for over 7,400 federal executives, engaging executives across departments at various stages of their career – Directors, Directors General, Assistant Deputy Ministers, and Deputy Ministers – from across Canada and abroad. Together, these leaders oversee the work of over 300,000 public servants.
Canadian Government Executive
Canada’s oldest and largest circulation resource for decision-makers in Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments. Published six times a year, its magazine is the only publication reaching over 50,000 senior public sector executives across all levels of government in Canada. Global Government Executive lists its mission as promoting excellence by sharing success stories, talking with thought leaders and learning from practitioners about leadership, management, tools, practices, service and products that contribute to continuous improvement.
Inside Public Sector Leadership
Inside Public Sector Leadership to help experienced and emerging leaders learn from conversations between current & former public sector leaders, politicians, academics and media experts about how to navigate the unwritten rules of Canadian public sector leadership.
Canada School of Public Service
The Canada School of Public Service leads the government’s enterprise-wide approach to learning by providing a common, standardized curriculum that supports public servants through key career transitions, ensuring that they are equipped to serve Canadians with excellence.
AFOA Canada
AFOA Canada is the only organization in Canada that focuses on the capacity development and day-to-day needs of those Indigenous professionals who are working in all areas of management, finance, band administration, leadership and program management. Founded as a not-for-profit association in 1999 to help Indigenous people better manage and govern their communities and organizations through a focus on enhancing management, finance and governance practices and skills. AFOA membership spans the country from the Pacific to the Atlantic to the Arctic. AFOA members are leaders in their communities, organizations, and companies. What binds them is their commitment to financial and management excellence.
Forum of Federation
The Forum is an international organization that develops and shares comparative expertise on the practice of federal and decentralized governance through a global network. The Government of Canada provided the impetus for the establishment off the ground with the inaugural International Conference on Federalism held in 1999 at Mont Tremblant, Quebec, Canada. This conference led to the founding of The Forum as an ongoing institution, based in Ottawa. Ten governments have now signed agreements with the Forum and are represented on the Forum’s Strategic Council, supporting the activities of the organization and providing expertise. These countries are Australia, Brazil, Canada, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Switzerland. The Forum has operated field offices in Ethiopia, Sudan, Nepal and Nigeria. Over the years, The Forum has expanded the focus of its work from established federal countries to include countries in post-conflict situations adopting federal forms of governance and those involved in processes of devolution and decentralization.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
An intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and world trade. It is a forum whose member countries describe themselves as committed to democracy and the market economy, providing a platform to compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practices, and coordinate domestic and international policies of its members.
The OECD supports good governance in the public and private sectors. In the public sector, the OECD helps governments design and implement strategic, evidence-based and innovative policies to strengthen public efficiency and deliver on government’s commitments to citizens. In the private sector, the OECD works to reinforce corporate governance, compliance and responsible business conduct to build the accountability, transparency and trust necessary to foster long-term investment, financial stability and business integrity and resilience.
Read also their publications on good governance.
Institute of Public Administration of Canada
The Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) is the largest professional association for public administrators across Canada. IPAC represents public servants, scholars, and students who share a passion for high-performance public-sector management. IPAC works through its vast network of members, colleagues and international partners to enhance knowledge of the best practices and generate new ideas in public policy and administration.
Canadian Coalition for Good Governance
The Canadian Coalition for Good Governance (CCGG) is a corporate governance organization that promotes the interests of institutional investors in Canadian public companies. The CCGG was formed to promote good governance practices in the corporations owned by its members. Members of the CCGG include pension funds, mutual funds, and third-party money managers.
Institute on Governance
An independent Canadian think-tank dedicated to advancing and applying good public governance. The IOG publishes policy documents and briefs on civil society, democracy, good governance, political systems and forms of government, politics and society.
The Digital Insurgency
A dynamic community for mid-level leaders who are at the forefront of driving digital transformation within their bureaucratic environments.
World Bank Group
With 189 member countries, the World Bank Group is made of five institutions working for sustainable solutions that reduce poverty and build shared prosperity in developing countries. The international financial institution provides loans and grants to the governments of low- and middle-income countries for the purpose of pursuing capital projects.
National Association of Federal Retirees
The National Association of Federal Retirees (Federal Retirees) is the largest national advocacy organization representing active and retired members of the federal public service, Canadian Armed Forces, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and retired federally appointed judges, as well as their partners and survivors. With close to 170,000 members, including more than 60,000 veterans and their families, the Association has been advocating for improvements to the financial security, health and well-being of its members and all Canadians since 1963.
C.D. Howe Institute
For more than 60 years, the C.D. Howe Institute has researched and published on policy challenges and potential solutions aimed at improving the performance of Canada’s economy and raising Canadians’ living standards. A registered charity, and an independent not-for-profit research institute, it publishes research that is national in scope and hosts events across Canada on a wide variety of issues in economic and social policy. Its stated mission is to raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies.
Apolitical
A social learning network for government, apolitical aims to create online spaces for public servants to connect and exchange ideas, online events with experts in government and online courses. Apolitical is a for-profit company founded by mission-driven entrepreneurs and backed by impact investors in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa, and Australasia and supported by an EU Horizon 2020 grant.
Institute for Science, Society and Policy, University of Ottawa
A cross-faculty Institute at the University of Ottawa exploring the links between science, society and policy. The Institute’s collective expertise spans three areas: science for policy (also known as evidence-based decision making); policy for science; and, governance of emerging technologies. We address issues from the funding of the S&T enterprise, through its regulatory oversight to its social implications.
The ISSP’s mandate is to foster rigorous decision-making in uncertain, disruptive times on complex problems at the interface of science, society and policy. By strengthening links between these three spheres, the ISSP’s work improves the governance of science, technology, and innovation.
Public Policy Forum
An independent, non-partisan, non-profit Canadian think tank for public-private dialogue. The organization’s stated aim is to serve as a neutral, independent forum for open dialogue on public policy. The Public Policy Forum builds bridges among diverse participants in the policy-making process and gives them a platform to examine issues, offer new perspectives and feed fresh ideas into policy discussions.
Established in 2022 by the PPF, the Indigenous Advisory Council plays an important role in helping inform the direction of PPF’s current and future project work by:
- Suggesting research priorities and approaches in policy areas;
- Providing guidance on potential research partners, with a particular emphasis on potential partners from Indigenous communities;
- Identifying participants for specific policy and convening processes; and
- Helping to ensure PPF’s work is inclusive, impactful, and reflective of Indigenous values and knowledge.
Administrators’ Colloquium
The Administrators’ Colloquium is a discussion forum where books on public policy and guest experts and speakers have been selected to stimulate thought and generate dialogue to explore evolving ideas in public policy and public administration. Designed for public servants, and others interested in public policy issues, the Colloquium provides an excellent informal setting to discuss subjects of mutual interest with peers and experts.
Collabzium
An initiative supporting professors in the mobilization and dissemination of their work, Collabzium increases the national and international reputation, visibility and reach of research projects led by uOttawa’s Faculty of Social Sciences.
Elections Canada
Elections Canada is the independent, non-partisan agency responsible for conducting federal elections and referendums.
Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration
For the past 40 years, CAPPA has been the leading Canadian association for those with an interest in education and scholarship in public administration. It is an institutional membership organization with approximately 25 graduate and undergraduate program members across Canada all of which are involved in public administration teaching and research.
Collège des Chaires de recherche sur le monde francophone
The Collège des chaires sur le monde francophone (CCRMF) brings together 10 chairs whose research program focuses on a wide range of issues in the Francophone world, such as health, law, education, cultural transformations, heritage, immigration and international relations. An initiative of the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation, the CCRMF combines 10 chairs and boasts the first Senghor chair at the University. The CCRMF promotes research initiatives and the dissemination of knowledge about the Francophonie. It also helps implement collaborative projects between researchers and Francophone communities in minority settings and promotes projects with partner universities in Canada and abroad.
Institute for governance of Private and Public Organizations
The Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations (IGOPP) is a Canadian think tank. It is a joint initiative of HEC Montréal and Concordia University (The John Molson School of Business) with the Stephen Jarislowsky Foundation and the Autorité des marchés financiers. The Institute is committed to promoting strong corporate governance practices among organizations in Quebec and the rest of Canada through research, training programs, policy papers and participation in public debates.
Center on Governance
The Centre on Governance at the University of Ottawa is part of the university’s commitment to research and innovation. Its mandate is to work with organizations to better understand governance mechanisms in order to analyze implementation problems and provide better services. It focuses on various strategic areas, including public policy, cyber security, and knowledge mobilization. The centre aims to foster equity, diversity, and inclusion in research and is involved in initiatives that drive research into the future.
Centre for Environmental Governance
The Centre for Environmental Governance (CEG) is a vibrant new research centre located within the Faculty of Business, Government and Law (BGL) at the University of Canberra. We are a diverse group, spanning political science, public policy, public administration, environmental regulation and governance, natural resource management, democratic participation, political communication, online engagement and political participation, and big data analysis. This diversity is a strength which contributes to the challenges confronting contemporary environmental governance, and it enhances our ability to bridge theory and practice to deliver research outcomes with impact.
Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy
The Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy at the University of Ottawa is a Canadian think-tank at the nexus of public finance and state institutions. The
IFSD focuses on public finance and state institutions, aiming to research, advise, engage, and teach at the intersection of money and politics. The IFSD manages various initiatives, including iVote-jeVote.ca to foster political engagement among young Canadians and e-PBO.org, an online collaboration portal supporting the Global Network of Parliamentary Budget Officers.
Global Government Forum
A publishing, events and research business that helps senior civil servants around the world to meet global challenges by building their expertise, knowledge and connections. GGF states that it exists to help leaders across national public sector organisations to learn from the work of their peers overseas, and to build links with fellow civil servants in other countries. The Global Government Forum helps people identify the tools and innovations to overcome the challenges they face and provide an environment where they can exchange ideas about what works – and what doesn’t.