Program

The 14th Annual CAPPA Conference

Revaluing public action: the quiet excellence of public administration

 

May 20–21, 2026  |  University of Ottawa

Faculty of Social Sciences (FSS) |  120 University Private, Ottawa  |  4th Floor

 

Let us help you plan your journey to the venue:

Annual CAPPA Conference – Getting to the Venue

 

Pre-conference day – Tuesday, May 19, 2026

12:00pm - 3:00pm
CAPPA Executive Committee Strategic Retreat
Room: FSS 4006
3:30pm - 5:00pm
CAPPA Board Meeting
Room: FSS 4006
6:00pm - 9:00pm
CAPPA Board Member Dinner
Sidedoor Contemporary Kitchen & Bar – 18b York St, Ottawa

Day 1 – Wednesday, May 20, 2026

8:30am - 9:30am
Breakfast – Registration
Room: FSS 4007
  • Welcome words | Mot de Bienvenue
    (Director Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa Faculty of Social Science, CAPPA President)
  • Representative, Office of the Vice-President Research and Innovation (Alex Trebek Forum for Dialogue) | Représentant.e du Cabinet du vice-rectorat à la recherche et à l’innovation (Forum pour le dialogue Alex-Trebek)
  • Tribute to Dr. Katherine Graham | Hommage à la Prof. Katherine Graham
    (Robert Shepherd)
10:30am - 11:00am
Break

Michael Wernick, former Clerk of the Privy Council Office and current Jarislowsky, Chair of Public, Sector Management at Ottawa University – ancien greffier du Bureau du Conseil privé et actuel titulaire de la chaire Jarislowsky en gestion du secteur public à l’Université d’Ottawa.

Kelly Gillis, former federal DM of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, ADM of Innovation, Science and economic Development – ancien sous-ministre adjoint fédéral du Logement, des Infrastructures et des Collectivités, sous-ministre de l’Innovation, des Sciences et du Développement économique.

Steve Orsini, former Secretary to the Cabinet, DM of Finance and Secretary, TB (Ontario) and currently president of Ontario Council of Universities – ancien secrétaire du Cabinet, sous-ministre des Finances et secrétaire du Conseil des universités de l’Ontario, et actuellement président du Conseil des universités de l’Ontario.

Chair | Présidence: Brooke Jeffrey

12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch
Room: FSS 4007
  • Teaching Lean Public Service: Embedding Functional Review and Continuous Improvement in Public Administration Education
    (Olha Zahvoiska)
  • Small Experiment, Big Impact: Reinventing Teaching and Assessment of CAPPA Competencies in Public Administration Education
    (Michelle Bussière-Prytula)
  • Toxic or Thriving? Exploring Organizational Environments in Canadian and Swiss Schools of Management
    (Isabelle Caron | Guillaume Revillod | Nancy Duc | Samuel Pacht | David Giauque)

Chair | Présidence: Charles Conteh

  • Challenges and effectiveness of horizontal programs: An evaluation perspective
    (Luc Juillet)
  • Circulation et mise en œuvre des modèles de reddition de compte : les cadres d’impacts qualitatifs et les conseils des arts
    (Jonathan Paquette | Alexandre Schiele | Benjamin Boutin | Idris Bachene)
  • Réforme budgétaire en mode programme en Afrique francophone: entre mythes rationnels et logiques institutionnelles contradictoires
    (Samuel Batumike Kabagale | Éric Champagne)
  • Performance institutionnelle et attractivité des investissements directs étrangers au Maroc
    (Ikram Ezhrauan | Aissam Boudrouz)

Chair | Présidence: Guillaume Revillod

3:00pm - 3:30pm
Break
  • Attraction to public sector careers and public service motivation
    (Dominika Wranik)
  • Learning from the Gaps: Embedding Anti-Racism in Ontario Public Service Workforce Policies
    (Maria Gintova | Tuqa Al-Rammahi)
  • The Connection Between Inclusivity and Employee Engagement in the Ontario Public Service
    (Jocelyn McGrandle | Frank Ohemeng)
  • From Compliance to Change: Examining the Effectiveness of Accountability Frameworks in Driving DEI Outcomes for Racialized Immigrant Employees in the Canadian Public Sector
    (Zuby Sohail)

Chair | Présidence: Jean-François Savard

  • Ontologies in Tension: Indigenous Evaluation and Incorporating Community-Based Knowledge
    (Robert Shepperd)
  • Embracing miyeu wâhkôhtowin: Opening the doors for modern Métis land stewardship in Canadian Energy policy
    (Erin Riccardo | Dr. Kelly Saunders | Dr. Janique Dubois)
  • The Ecosystems for Community Research and Recordkeeping Project
    (Shawna Ferris | Andrea Rounce | Danielle Allard | Amy Lebovitch)

Chair | Présidence: Brooke Jeffrey

5:00pm - 6:00pm
CAPPA Information Meeting (Former AGM)
Room: FSS 4004
6:00pm - 7:00pm
Cocktail
Room: FSS 4007
7:00pm - 11:00pm
Gala Dinner – Award Ceremony
Room: FSS 4007

Day 2 – Thursday, May 21, 2026

8:00am - 9:00am
Breakfast
Room: FSS 4007
9:00am - 9:15am
Welcome Words from the conference organization committee
Room: FSS 4007
  • Chief Administrative Officers in Canada: Uncovering Their Unique Public Administration Skills
    (Eric Champagne | Robert Blair | Chloe Charette)
  • L’innovation en fiscalité municipale: la fabrique des décisions locales au Québec
    (Tommy Gagné-Dubé)
  • Everyday Innovators at City Hall: Public Sector Innovation in Municipal Governments
    (Zachary Spicer | Joe Lyons | Tyler Romualdi)
  • School Boards in Canada: Are they Administrative Units or Local Democracies?
    (Jim Farney)

Chair | Présidence: Kathy McNutt

10:45am - 11:15am
Break
  • Centres of Government: Comparative Analysis and New Research Directions
    (Jonathan Craft)
  • Rethinking Alternative Service Delivery in the Age of New Public Governance: Agencies Mediating Transboundary Networks in Canada’s Innovation Policy Delivery
    (Charles Conteh)
  • Regional and National AI Strategies: A Vertical and Horizontal Policy (In)coherence Analysis and Implications for Future AI Policy Efforts
    (Benjamin Faveri | Brie Bhasin)
  • Connected: Understanding the Distribution of Public Administration Research Networks in Canada
    (Jean-Francois Savard | Félix de la Durantaye)

Chair | Présidence: Zachary Spicer

12:45pm - 1:45pm
Lunch
Room: FSS 4007
  • Coastal zone governance strategies for sustainability on the west coasts of Newfoundland, Canada, and Cameroon in the Gulf of Guinea: A comparative policy study
    (Emmanuel Tamufor)
  • The adaptation and everyday excellence of municipalities using the Environmental Registry of Ontario
    (Christina Bouchard)
  • Le logement modulaire à l’épreuve du zonage
    (Gabriel Imbeau)

Chair |Présidence: Andrea Rounce

  • “Truth to power”: The Civil Service and historical reinterpretations
    (Patrice Dutil)
  • Populism, Partisan Identity and the Bureaucracy
    (Christopher A. Cooper)
  • Is the Same Old Talk Enough Anymore? Monetary Policy Communications in the Age of the Polycrisis
    (Marc-André Pigeon)
  • The Tension Between Public Transparency and Privacy Rights: A Comparative Analysis of Brazilian and Canadian Supreme Court Jurisprudence
    (R. Fernandes Cabral)

Chair | Présidence: Eric Champagne

3:00pm - 3:15pm
Break
  • Tracing Quiet Excellence: A Machine Learning Analysis of Discreet Public Value in the Canadian Public Service
    (Guillaume Revillod | Nancy Duc | Samuel Pacht | Isabelle Caron | David Giauque)
  • Climate Policy and Governance for a Carbon Neutral Economy: Frameworks for Appraising Progress in Challenging Times
    (Evert Linquist)
  • Why public health is like central banks: the case for an independent public health function
    (Patrick Fafard)
  • Measuring the cost-effectiveness of income-tested in-kind benefits on material well-being: The Canadian Dental Care Program
    (Geranda Notten)

Chair | Présidence: Patrice Dutil

4:45pm - 5:00pm
Closing Remarks
Room: FSS 4007
Updated : 2026-05-15