The 13th Annual CAPPA Conference
Theme: Intergovernmental relations: a vision for Canada’s future?
May 21 and 22, 2025
Hosted by École nationale d’administration publique (ÉNAP)
Location: Online
Conference registration is now available on the ACPAP website under the registration tab.
A draft version of the conference program is available under the program tab. Program updates will be posted in this section as they become available.
Intergovernmental relations are at the heart of Canada’s political functioning. The coordination of programs, public policies, and jurisdictions between the federal government, the provinces, and municipalities is essential to ensuring effective governance and responding to contemporary issues. To better understand these dynamics, CAPPA is pleased to invite you to its 13th annual conference, which will explore the future of intergovernmental relations in Canada.
Our conference will bring together researchers – doctoral students and scholars – who study the various dimensions that characterize interactions between levels of government.
Multi-level governance
Canada is a unique federation, where the jurisdictions of the various levels of government are set out in the Constitution. The federal government, the provinces and territories, and municipalities all play a fundamental role in serving and supporting citizens. But this work does not go smoothly.
Some policy issues, such as health, social housing, education and the environment, economic development and the fight against homelessness, require constant cooperation between municipalities, provinces and the federal government. However, this cooperation occurs within a legal, political, and financial framework that is often more of a source of tension than a mechanism for facilitating collaborative work.
Current critical issues
The conference will address several key and pressing issues shaping intergovernmental relations in Canada today and invites you to submit your proposal for a panel or individual presentation.
An open call
ACAPAP also welcomes proposals for panels and individual presentations that are not directly related to the conference theme but are still relevant to public administration, public management and public policy.
An event not to be missed!
To submit a proposal:
📅 Submission close: March 18th
📅 Response from the committee: March 24th
📅 Paper or presentation submission: May 5th
Fill in the form under the submissions tab.
Conference Attendance:
📅 Date of the conference: May 21 and 22
📍 Location: Online
📝 Registration: To register, simply visit our registration tab.
More details will be posted soon on the CAPPA website and X/LinkedIn.
Proposal for the Townhall Meeting
The future of the CAPPA/ACPAP annual conference
The annual CAPPA/ACPAP conference is one of the organization’s flagship activities, which the CAPPA/ACPAP community cherishes. However, in recent years—particularly since the pandemic and containment—it has become challenging to mobilize members who volunteer to organize the conference within their university. Recruiting participants has also become increasingly complex.
CAPPA’s Executive Committee is, therefore, inviting all who care about this event to a free online town hall meeting on the future of our annual conference.
This town hall meeting aims to enable the CAPPA community to reflect together on the future of the CAPPA annual conference. More specifically, the CAPPA community will be invited to consider the conference’s modalities, location, format, organization, and strategies for generating interest in organizing and participating.
📅 Date: May 22 at 1:30 p.m. (ET)
📍 Location: Online
📝 Registration: To register free of charge, simply visit our registration tab.
Proceedings of the Townhall meeting: Program information is available under the program tab.
About the Annual Conferences
The annual CAPPA Conference brings together scholars and students sharing an interest in public administration, public policy, and public management to consider new developments affecting teaching, research, and practice. Presenters share work in varying stages with audiences who engage in lively conversation and provide constructive feedback. Plenary sessions highlight key issues of interest to the public administration and policy community. CAPPA hosts its Annual General Meetings during the conference. The Spring conference is hosted by CAPPA member institutions, and the location varies from year to year. Look for Calls for Papers, Panels, and for participation in the Research Exchange in December/January!
Presentations
The program committee invites the submission of proposals for individual and group presentations, particularly those that explore innovative and high-quality theoretical, qualitative, or quantitative research. Proposals will be evaluated based on the significance and quality of the research question, design, methods, data (where appropriate), and implications. A completed paper is encouraged for sharing, but not necessary to be able to present. Thoughtful works in progress are always welcome. Individual submissions should include:
1. a title and abstract (250 words maximum);
2) the names/institutional affiliation/position/brief bio of the researcher(s) (100 words maximum).
Proposals for presentations by graduate students (masters and doctoral) are very welcome. We prefer that any such proposals be accompanied by a nomination from an academic supervisor or graduate program director. Individual submissions should include:
1. an abstract (250 words maximum);
2. the name(s)/institutional affiliation/position/brief bio of the researcher(s) (100 words maximum);
3) the name/institutional affiliation/position/brief bio of the academic supervisor (100 words maximum).
Panel proposals
Panel proposals consist of three or four individual presentations focusing on a common theme. Proposals can offer theoretical or methodological perspectives, or both, and be submitted by one individual on behalf of the full panel. The submission should include a short description, including:
1. the title and overall theme of the panel (150 words maximum);
2. an abstract for each paper/presentation in the panel (250 words maximum);
3. the names/ institutional affiliation/ position/ brief bio of the panel members (100 words maximum).
President’s Annual Reports
The annual general meeting is held on the second day of the conference. Agendas and minutes will be disseminated prior to the meeting, and minutes published on this site once approved by the Executive and Board.
- 2020 President’s Annual Report to the AGM
- 2019 President’s Annual Report to the AGM
- 2018 President’s Annual Report to the AGM
- 2017 President’s Annual Report to the AGM
- 2016 President’s Annual Report to the AGM
- 2015 President’s Annual Report to the AGM
Past Conferences
2024 Conference – Standing at the edge of the cliff?
Every day, the news reports a variety of crises around the globe, including natural disasters such as wildfires and floods, the pandemic, and socioeconomic crises such as homelessness, food insecurity, and wars. These events are seeping into everyone’s reality, no longer affecting specific remote regions but increasingly demanding concerted and coordinated responses from all government authorities. The simultaneous climate crisis, escalating inflation, resource scarcity, and the looming recession imperil our citizens’ quality of life. While governments strive to find solutions, these often prove to be temporary and short-term, underscoring government officials’ challenges in reacting swiftly and effectively. We must ask ourselves: are we standing at the edge of the cliff? It is imperative for governments not only to learn to navigate this new reality but also to craft innovative, sustainable, and inclusive solutions to the social, economic, and environmental difficulties they encounter. Let’s pave the way to a brighter future!
2023 Conference – Standing up to the Wave
Public services across Canada and the globe face critical challenges and unique opportunities to change how public administrations think, shape and deliver many of their core services. Centering public sector values as the animating force, our 2023 conference challenges us to interrogate anew how ethics, accountability and transparency remain critical to public administrations that are facing unique and evolving pressures.
Our 2023 conference theme of ‘Standing up to the Wave’ highlights key issues and opportunities facing the study, teaching, and practice of public administration, with a mix of individual researcher presentations, panels and plenary sessions. This year’s conference will also be anchored by presentations and a workshop that focus directly on opening up new discussions about the future of public sector ethics and accountability in Canada.
Full information is available on the conference website here: https://www.yorku.ca/gradstudies/ppal/2023/09/26/master-of-public-policy-and-law-case-competition-team-2023/
2020 Conference – Divides and Paradoxes in Public Administration: Challenges or Opportunities?
This year’s CAPPA conference will be held as part of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, May 31 to June 2, 2020. While opened to all areas of research, we encourage the submission of papers and panels related to Congress’ overall theme, which addresses the broad concept of bridging divides (http://www.congress2020.ca/about#theme).
Information about the CAPPA 2020 Conference, being held at the Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities in London can be found on the conference webpage: cappa.ca/conference/2020
2019 Conference – Public Administration for the 21st Century: Continuity and Change
The Canadian Association for Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) is pleased to announce its eighth annual Research Conference in Public Administration, Policy, and Management. It will be held in Montreal, at Concordia University, from May 23-24, 2019
Full information is available on the conference website here https://sites.events.concordia.ca/sites/concordia/en/cappa2019
2018 Conference – Gathering diversities | mâmawinitotân nanâtohk-ayisiyiniwa
CAPPA’s seventh annual Research Conference in Public Administration, Policy, and Management was held May 31 – June 1, 2018 at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan. Building on the theme of Congress 2018, “Gathering diversities | mâmawinitotân nanâtohk-ayisiyiniwa,” the conference featured diverse gatherings in Canadian, Indigenous, Provincial and Territorial contexts that have engendered new innovations that enable communities to thrive, particularly in adverse times.