Massive research output amid massive policy challenges: Public policy, think tanks and COVID-19

Public policy development in Canada, as elsewhere, is rapidly accelerating and expanding in the face of huge challenges stemming from COVID-19. Trying to understand and adapt to the causes and the effects of the pandemic is an ever-moving, ever-growing effort for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his officials, and governments across the country.

And they aren’t alone. Far from it.  According to research by McGill University, there are at least 62 non-profit centres for public policy, think tanks and research institutes in Canada. They all have specific mandates, funding and governance models. And almost all of them are now addressing various policy aspects of COVID-19. 

So what are these organizations saying about policy in Canada in these unprecedented times?

To get a better sense, I reviewed the online publications of 10 of these 62 organizations. By “publications” I mean blogs, editorials, media interviews, reports and podcasts (and the like) across policy areas, industry sectors, geographic regions and in Canada’s two official languages. All these publications, in turn, are amplified on digital platforms – primarily Twitter and LinkedIn – by the respective organizations. The period I reviewed runs from January 25 – the date on which the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced in Canada – to April 23.

In doing this study I counted more than 350 editorials, blogs, podcasts, letters to the editor, media interviews and research reports. It's a massive collective output attempting to deal with these massive policy challenges. 

The topics cover a very wide policy landscape. Here’s a snapshot:

• David Chaundy, President of the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, posted a video about the broader health risks associated with COVID.
• In Quebec, the Institute for Research on Public Policy published an extensive, bilingual special report on Canada’s pandemic response, while the L’Institut économique de Montréal is writing a series of articles on areas including suggestions to help the devastated restaurant industry.
• Moving eastwards, the Ottawa-based Business Council of Canada has a series of “Speaking of Business” podcasts (all of which include transcripts) with leading executives, including Russ Gurling, CEO of TC Energy and Dani Reiss, CEO of Canada Goose.
• The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is posting a number of blogs and reports on the social and economic impacts of COVID.
• The “Policy Speaking” series of podcasts and blogs by the Public Policy Forum looks at topics such as the workings of government in times of crisis.
• Numerous publications by the C.D. Howe Institute probe into a variety of policy fields, including taxation, employment insurance and data modeling.
• Looking to the west, the Winnipeg-based Frontier Centre for Public Policy is writing about the substantial COVID-related risks facing Indigenous communities.
• In Calgary, the “What Now?” series of articles by the Canada West Foundation explores the significant trade policy challenges confronting Canada’s western provinces.
• Lastly, the Fraser Institute out of Vancouver is publishing on policy topics such as energy, supply management and health care.

This was clearly not an exhaustive review. For example, I didn’t look at policy institutes attached to or embedded in universities, of which there are many. Nor did I research private sector firms, countless of which continue to offer policy suggestions across the economic spectrum. 

However, I believe this sample is indicative of the urgent and vibrant public policy conversations happening every day across Canada. These organizations, and many others like them, are contributing their ideas, energies and experiences to the policy challenges of the day. And Canadians are better off for it.