Webinar — Crashing the Party: An Insider’s Look at Creating Political Platforms
When a snap election was called in August, Canadians had a little over a month to prepare for a federal election and digest the platforms put forward by the political parties vying for their votes.
Each party focused on what they thought would get them the most seats in the House. The New Democrats talked about affordability writ large, the Conservatives prioritized financial well-being, the Bloc put Quebec’s interests first, the Greens focused on environmental sustainability and the Liberals promised a suite of measures to help stop COVID in its tracks.
Months of intense planning goes into every election campaign. So how are these platforms conceived and developed in the first place? Who decides what makes the final cut? And what happens when something goes wrong?
On Tuesday, January 25, 2022, in partnership with Carleton University’s Clayton H. Riddell Graduate Program in Political Management, we held a panel discussion with insider experts on the creation of political platforms for Canada’s federal parties.
Panelists were Angella MacEwen (senior economist, CUPE National and 2021 NDP candidate for Ottawa Centre), Dan Mader, (founding partner, Loyalist Public Affairs and deputy campaign manager of Erin O’Toole’s successful campaign to lead the Conservative Party of Canada), and Tyler Meredith (director of economic strategy and planning at Finance Canada and former policy adviser to Justin Trudeau). They were joined by IRPP President and CEO Jennifer Ditchburn in a moderated discussion.
Angella MacEwen is senior economist at the Canadian Union of Public Employees. She is also a fellow with the Broadbent Institute, where her primary focus is understanding the impacts of Canadian economic and social policy on workers, especially climate policy and international trade and investment treaties. She ran as the NDP’s candidate for Ottawa Centre in the 2021 federal election.
Dan Mader is a founding partner at Loyalist Public Affairs. Before this he was senior vice president of National Public Relations. In the federal government he led the development of policy in several departments and later served as chief of staff to the minister responsible for defence procurement. He was deputy campaign manager (policy) on Erin O’Toole’s successful campaign to lead the Conservative Party of Canada.
Director of Economic Strategy and Planning, Finance Canada
Tyler Meredith is the director of economic strategy and planning for Canada’s Minister of Finance. He worked as policy adviser in the Prime Minister’s Office, and he was a research director for the IRPP, where he oversaw programs on pension reform and labour market policy.
President and CEO, Institute for Research on Public Policy
Jennifer is the President and CEO of the IRPP. She is a not-for-profit sector executive and seasoned communicator with 25 years of experience working to make complex public policy issues and politics better understood by Canadians. From 2016 to 2021, she was the Editor-in-Chief of the IRPP’s influential digital magazine, Policy Options. Prior to joining the IRPP, Jennifer spent two decades covering national and parliamentary affairs for The Canadian Press and for CBC Television.
Date and time
January 25, 2022
1 p.m. - 2 p.m. ET
Location
Online
Event Type
Webinar
Registration
Registration is closed
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