Max Bell School Conference: Better Policy for a Better World

Ken Boessenkool 

Partner, Kool Topp & Guy Public Affairs

Ken has worked for, or volunteered in a senior capacity for, Ray Speaker, Preston Manning, Jim Dinning, Stephen Harper, Christy Clark and Ric McIver. He has published numerous policy and academic papers on a range of key national issues, and is a frequent contributor to numerous online and print publications.

Bruce Lourie 

President, Ivey Foundation

Bruce is co-author of the best-selling books Toxin, Toxout: Getting Harmful Chemicals Out of Our Bodies and Our World, and Slow Death by Rubber Duck. He is an Honorary Director of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and a founding Director of Canadians for Clean Prosperity.

Velma McColl 

Principal, Earnscliffe Strategy Group

Prior to joining Earnscliffe, Velma advised Federal Cabinet Ministers on political strategy, policy and communications. She has also worked provincially in British Columbia and Alberta. Through her career, she has focused on Canada's competitiveness and innovation opportunities, climate change, energy, technology and sustainable development.

Dan Tisch 

CEO, Argyle Public Relationships

Daniel is widely known as a leader in the Canadian and global communications community. He is a long-standing advisor to all three orders of government in Canada and has been the lead strategist on branding, communications and stakeholder engagement programs on some of the most challenging issues in the public sector.

Moderator: Paul Boothe 

Faculty Director of Ivey's Senior Public Leaders Program
Formerly: Richard Ivey School of Business, Western University; Deputy Minister, Environment Canada; Deputy Minister, Finance, Saskatchewan

Paul's career has included university research and teaching, acting as an independent consultant to Canadian and international organizations, and serving at the deputy minister level in provincial and federal governments.

Mel Cappe 

Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Formerly: President of Institute for Research on Public Policy; Clerk of the Privy Council; Canada's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom; Deputy Minister of Environment Canada

Mel provides strategic advice on a wide range of financial, environmental, and human resource development issues.

Martha Hall Findlay 

President and CEO, Canada West Foundation

As a corporate lawyer, senior business executive and successful entrepreneur, Martha has more than 25 years of domestic and international experience with major multinationals as well as start-ups, primarily in telecommunications and technology.

Jack Mintz 

President’s Fellow, School of Public Policy, University of Calgary
Formerly: President and chief executive officer of The C.D. Howe Institute

Jack's research is focused on tax, urban and financial market regulatory policy programs. He has published widely in the fields of public economics and fiscal federalism, been an advisor to governments throughout the world on fiscal matters, and has frequently published articles in national newspapers and magazines.

Nancy Olewiler 

Economist and Professor, School of Public Policy, Simon Fraser University

Nancy’s areas of research include natural resource and environmental economics and policy. She was formerly a professor in the Economics department at Queen’s University.

Moderator: Daniel Béland 

Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University

Daniel is a Canadian political sociologist who is currently working on research projects focusing on issues ranging from universal social policy and health care reform to the role of ideas in policy development and the relationship between fiscal policy and welfare state development.

Andrew Leach 

Associate Professor, Alberta School of Business, University of Alberta

Andrew teaches courses in energy markets and environmental management as part of the Alberta School of Business Natural Resources, Energy and Environment (NREE) programs. His academic research interests span climate and energy economics and policy.

David McLaughlin 

Climate and sustainability public policy expert
Formerly: Director of Climate Change, Canada, International Institute for Sustainable Development

David is one of Canada's leading climate and sustainability public policy experts. He is the former president and CEO of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and Senior Advisor, Climate Change in the Manitoba Government.

Bill Watson 

Economist and columnist at Financial Post; Research fellow, Institute for Research on Public Policy
Formerly: Associate professor, Department of Economics, McGill University

Bill advises the IRPP on its research activities pertaining to the Competitiveness, Productivity and Economic Growth research program. He writes on economics and other issues for the National Post weekly, and for the Ottawa Citizen fortnightly.

Moderator: Andrea Moffat 

Vice President, Ivey Foundation

Andrea is the Vice President of the Ivey Foundation whose mission is to help create a shared vision for Canada’s future that integrates the economy and the environment, achieves resource efficiency, and fosters innovation and investment for a smarter, sustainable economy. Previously, she was the Vice President of the Corporate Program at Ceres, where she led work on sustainability issues.

Paul Martin 

21st Prime Minister of Canada

Paul Martin continues to contribute on the international arena through a variety of initiatives such as Incentives for Global Health, the not-for-profit behind the Health Impact Fund, where he serves as a member of the Advisory Board. He also sits as an advisor to Canada's Ecofiscal Commission.

Rachel Notley 

Leader, Alberta New Democratic Party
Formerly: Premier of Alberta from 2015 to 2019

Rachel is a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Strathcona, and leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. She was a lawyer before entering politics, focusing on labour law, with a specialty in workers' compensation advocacy and workplace health and safety issues.

Moderator: Chris Ragan 

Economics professor and Director, Max Bell School of Public Policy; Chair of Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission

Chris was a member of Finance Minister’s Advisory Council on Economic Growth, former Special Advisor to the Governor of the Bank of Canada, and also former Clifford Clark Visiting Economist at Finance Canada.