Public policy

The Alberta Mental Health Patient Advocate is an independent, provincial investigative body legislated under the Mental Health Act. The Patient Advocate protects the rights of persons and investigates and resolves complaints related to the detention, treatment, care and rights of individuals subject to admission or renewal certificate/s or a community treatment order under the Act, and those acting on their behalf. The office also serves as a resource to the mental health community through education services and to policy and law makers by bringing a unique perspective

The Canada West Foundation is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit public policy research institute dedicated to introducing western perspectives into current Canadian policy debates through: the production and dissemination of objective research to serve as a catalyst for informed public debate; and initiatives for active citizen education and engagement in the Canadian public policy process.

Founded in 1980, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social, economic and environmental justice.

CCSD is a not-for-profit organization that partners and collaborates with all sectors (not-for-profit, philanthropic, government and business) and communities to advance solutions to today’s toughest social challenges. They are neutral, non-partisan, non-governmental and independent. Their mission is: Nation building through evidence, collaboration and design.The Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD) is a non-governmental, not-for-profit organization, which was founded in 1920. The CCSD mission is to develop and promote progressive social policies inspired by social justice, equality and the empowerment of individuals and communities. They do this through research, consultation, public education and advocacy.

The Centre for Innovation Law and Policy (CILP) examines the interface between technology and law. A multi-faceted and interdisciplinary research centre at the University of Toronto, the CILP primarily focuses on intellectual property, cyberlaw, and privacy, as well as telecommunications and biotechnology law. The centre sponsors conferences, public lectures, seminars and other events.

The Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) works to promote, protect and develop those human rights which serve as the foundation for or underpin democracy, including the rights to freedom of expression, to vote and participate in governance, to access information and to freedom of assembly and association. Their website provides access to reports, publications and papers relating to democracy rights. It also contains analyses of draft laws from various jurisdictions and outlines details of various projects in which the CLD is involved.

Citizens for Public Justice (CPJ) is a national organization of members inspired by faith to act for justice in Canadian public policy. Website includes position papers and guiding documents on various public justice issues.

The Coalition for Equal Access to Education promotes knowledge and dialogue about issues affecting K-12 ESL learners. The Coalition researches and shares information with government, education and community stakeholders via publications, presentations, workshops, public fora and media.

The FREDA Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children is a joint collaboration between academics at Simon Fraser University and community and women’s organizations working at the grass-roots level. The FREDA Centre is committed to participatory action research, focused specifically on violence against women and children, and works in the interests of the community to end this violence.

The IRPP’s mission is to advance new ideas that will help Canadians make more effective public policy choices. Their research aims to enhance the quality of the debate on the issues that matter most to Canadians by focusing on the strategic choices they must make to promote economic performance, social progress and sound democratic governance.

The Institute On Governance (IOG) is a non-profit organization with charitable status founded in 1990 to promote effective governance. Their mission is ‘advancing better governance in the public interest,’ which we accomplish by exploring, developing and promoting the principles, standards and practices which underlie good governance in the public sphere, both in Canada and abroad. The IOG’s vision is to be the pre-eminent, independent Canadian source of knowledge, research and advice on governance and its continuous improvement.

The Public Policy Forum’s mission is to strive for excellence in government – to serve as a neutral, independent forum for open dialogue on public policy, and to encourage reform in public sector management.

The Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement is a charity which exists to build vibrant and engaged communities in Canada.Their mission is to engage citizens in inspired action as they work together on behalf of their communities to create and realize bold visions for the future. The Institute sponsors projects and provides learning resources, training, coaching and strategic consulting that enable people to collaborate and learn with and from each other.

The Vanier Institute of the Family seeks to create awareness of, and to provide leadership on, the importance and strengths of families in Canada and the challenges they face in all of their structural, demographic, economic, cultural and social diversity. To this end, the Institute develops and implements on an annual basis, a program of activities that establishes and maintains a foundation of accurate and current knowledge on family trends and issues as well as public policy and program analysis.  The Research Program is a core component of these activities.