The Public Engagement in Health Policy project is excited to announce our research report, Trends in Public Engagement in Canadian Health Policy from 2000 - 2021: Results from a Comparative Descriptive Analysis. Our team collected and analyzed 132 cases of government-initiated public engagement cases across federal, provincial, and pan-Canadian levels. We report on various aspects of engagement, including approaches and recruitment methods, populations targeted, priority given to marginalized populations, and sectors of concentrated engagement activity.

Julia Abelson leads an interdisciplinary team of McMaster scholars, students and research groups that has been awarded catalyst funding by the Future of Canada project and McMaster University for their initiative entitled “Strengthening health policy in Canada through leadership in public engagement”. The Public Engagement in Health Policy project will establish a platform for interdisciplinary scholarship, education and leadership to support critical examination of past and current approaches to engaging citizens and communities in Canadian health policy, with a view towards developing modernized approaches that meet current needs and realities.

McMaster University is creating a Future of Canada Project, an initiative designed to propel novel research that explores the possibilities for Canada in the next decade, with an eye to making an impact in many aspects of Canadian life. The Project’s mandate, over a three-year pilot timeline, is to help amplify the research impact by reaching new stakeholders, including policy makers, business and community leaders, and the public.