2018

POLICY
COMMUNITY
CONFERENCE

March 28-29, 2018

National Arts Centre
Ottawa, ON

2018
CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS
PREPARED BY:
POLICY COMMUNITY
PARTNERSHIP OFFICE
 #GCW
asson

CONFERENCE
OBJECTIVES
Convene and enable the Policy Community to make connections across
organizations, sectors, and fields of expertise.

Engage participants in dialogue around the 'how' and 'who' of policy

development and implementation.  

Highlight and involve community members in the Policy Community

Partnership Office's key deliverables; competencies, mobility and portal
on new instruments and approaches. 

Provide an immersive learning and professional development experience

where participants can explore policy approaches to create outcome-
focused policy.

Build off the topics e.g. (Indigenous engagement, open government, and
experimentation) explored during the 2017 Policy Community
Conference. 
 CONFERENCE
DESIGN APPROACH

Our approach to designing the 2018 Policy Community Conference can be

summed up in one word:  intentional.

We were deliberate about the design, content and delivery to ensure the Conference
would reflect the needs and values of the Policy Community.

The core principles of the Policy Community include  collaboration, partnership and
 co-creation.
                      We know that some of the best ideas come when many minds get
together to explore and create. The conference Design Team was made up of some 20
members, and the 24 concurrent sessions were developed and delivered by more than
100 collaborators. These partners came from across the federal, provincial, and
municipal public service, think tanks, academics, and non-profits.

Another guiding principle is being  user-centric

                      and
         community-driven.
                                    Participants
of the inaugural conference in 2017 told us that they would appreciate more interactive
sessions and more opportunities to create connections. We listened and designed the
Conference plenary sessions as short FedTalks to allow for more concurrent sessions in
four different formats: Workshops, How Might We Conversations, Speaker Salons, and
the Connections Lounge.  We paired 100 participants up on Blind Coffee Dates -
conversations with someone from a different organization.  All of these allowed for
immersive experiences that empowered participants, let them get hands-on with
policy issues, tools and approaches, and make lasting connections.

Another principle of the Community is  inclusion.

                   We extended the invitation to the
conference widely to ensure broad representation: we encouraged funding
departments to consider allocating their tickets of all those who shape policy (e.g., non-
EC’s, regional employees), had a ticket contest for community members, and invited
partners across the broader policy ecosystem to attend. We assembled a line-up of
speakers and panelists while balancing gender, backgrounds and perspectives from
inside and outside of government.

We also used inclusive tools and approaches. For example, Sli.do, an online polling tool
allowed anyone, using a mobile device, to ask questions anonymously from anywhere.
We created a virtual “one-stop-shop” where all the tools that a virtual participant might
need were available on one page — the webcast of plenary sessions, Sli.do, Twitter, a
dialogue box, and a link to GCcollab. We also developed an experience for those who
were unable to attend the Conference in person in the NCR and regions to have the
dialogue, learning and interactions that happen at the Conference with their home
teams and colleagues. With help from our content partners, we built the Conference-
In-A-Box (CIAB) experience: a collection of facilitation guides and conversation starters
that mirrored the content of the in person Conference. Groups from across Canada
took up the CIAB and had rich and lively discussions and learning. Post-conference, the
CIAB lives on: anyone
              can
        download
                   and facilitate the exercises with their colleagues
and teams.
 PARTICIPATION

525 In-Person
PARTICIPANTS
68
ORGANIZATIONS 45 FEDERAL -Innovation Hubs/Labs
-Development & 
GOVERNMENT 2 COUNTRIES Recruitment Programs 
&
-Networks & Functional 
NON- 5 PROVINCIAL
GOVERNMENT Communities

Governments of;
-AB, MB, ON, QC, NB

Public WEBCAST
Elders Policy Think 9 PROVINCES
Schools Tanks VIEWERS

19 CITIES
45+
150 +Virtual ORGANIZATIONS
PARTICIPANTS
Federal- -Retired
Provincial- -NGO Public
Servants
Municipal- -Industry
-Academia

Y.T.
Nvt.
N.W.T.

B.C.
Alta.
Man. N.L.
Sask. Que..
Ont.
P.E.I.
N.B.
N.S.
 FEEDBACK

The Community has spoken. More than 120 people completed our post-
conference survey and provided feedback on their conference
experience. We heard some great comments and were
offered ideas for changes and room for improvement.
Impact of Conference
Over 88% said they learned something new that is applicable to their
day-to-day job.

Over 87% said they were challenged to think differently.

Over 85% said they were challenged to behave/do things differently.

"I have a rekindling of hope that things can be different"

"Exposure to speakers and different/new ideas I would not have typically considered
in my work life, or day-to-day personal life for that matter.
In my opinion, this is the most impactful strength of the policy conference
because it is what inspires all who attend to take action."
"Learning that the policy work I am doing is actual policy work - as a non-
practitioner of policy making, it was very validating."

Over 76% said they met and connected with people who work in a
variety of departments and roles across the federal government and
outside of the federal government.
"The blind (coffee) date was a fantastic idea, I highly encourage more of these"

Room for Improvement

This was only the second annual conference, so we have much to learn. We are
taking note of what our community indicated as areas for improvement.

"I would find a way to make it more accessible to regional staff. Perhaps hold
multiple conferences in regional centers, if resources allow "

"It was very packed and the agenda got a little out of control at a couple of
points. A little more wiggle room in the agenda might help keep things
running smooth even when certain speakers run long "
"There were too many concurrent sessions to choose from... I was missing
something I wanted to see no matter what! Maybe offering the same ones at
different times would provide more flexibility?"

WWW.LINK TO WEBSITE/REPORT.COM
 PLENARY
TALKS
'YOUR POLICY Rachel Wernick & Neil Bouwer
COMMUNITY' Co-Champions of the Policy Community
Rachel Wernick and Neil Bouwer opened the conference by highlighting the journey since last year’s
inaugural conference. In the past year, the Policy Community, which is inclusive and cross-functional, has
been formalized: it is supported by over 20 funding departments, an ADM governance board, and a
dedicated office. Three pillars of action and associated deliverables to support the community are:
 Convene – annual conference, workshops and events throughout the year
Enable – modern competency framework as a basis for learning, recruitment and a
mobility program to develop well-rounded cross-functional policy professionals
 Share –  portal
            on policy approaches and instruments to disseminate
innovative practices and learning
The principles guiding these efforts include (1) partnerships, both inside and outside of the Federal
Government, (2) community-driven and (3) biasing action. Wernick and Bouwer ended the talk
with a call to action to community members: be open, daring, creative and audacious! 

'MEASUREMENT Jason Saul

MATTERS' CEO, Mission Measurement
Jason Saul's talk on social policy measurement highlighted some of the challenges in measuring
outcomes in the policy profession: the lack of predictive tools available to effectively measure
outcomes before investments are made and the 'black box' of evaluation outcomes. Current
evaluation measures are subjective, and by embracing the power of standardization to
create a common language, we can enable benchmarking and systematic
learning. Saul left participants with the challenge to create tools that will advance our
profession and asked the question, "How do we innovate in our field"?

'BUILDING TRUST IN Nitika Agarwal

INNOVATIVE POLICY MAKING' Chief Operating Officer, Apolitical

Nitika Agarwal gave a plenary talk which focused on

four practical steps to building trust in government:

Step
         1 : Create a culture recognizing the high Return On Investment on building trust
Step
          2  : Arm yourself to build trust internally with knowledge, experience, and connections
Step
         3 : See Policy, Delivery, and Communication as one team, not three
         4
Step   : Be a human, not a faceless bureaucrat

Agarwal subsequently blogged about her talk -  available

                 here.
    

WWW.LINK TO WEBSITE/REPORT.COM
 PLENARY
TALKS
'BEING A MODERN, RELEVANT AND Marta Morgan, DM, Immigration, Refugee and Citizenship Canada
IMPACTFUL POLICY PRACTITIONER' Jean-François Tremblay, DM, Indigenous Services

According to DM Marta Morgan, being a modern, relevant and impactful policy practitioner requires:

The capacity to develop policy proposals that can be

taken up - needing vision and peripheral vision.

The policy initiatives make a difference - relying on evidenced-based

analysis; and the coming together of policy-operations-comms.

Support for these policies inside and outside of government -

being sensitive to the needs and will of the people.

DM Jean-François Tremblay shared his 10 tips for Policy Practitioners:

Engage as you go Work with others 

You’re only as smart as your network Focus on your value added
Protect time for deep policy and innovation Get out of your comfort zone
Always be ready for the opportunities that arise Ask yourself if the policy can be sold
Think about the short-term and long-term vision Nurture (not impose) innovation, then scale up

'A DISCUSSION Michael Wernick, Clerk of the Privy Council

WITH THE CLERK: Madeleine Redfern, Mayor of Iqaluit
POLICY APPROACHES Jonathan Dewar, Executive Director, First Nations Information Governance Centre
IN SUPPORT OF Richard Budgell, Regional Executive, QC, First Nations Health Branch, ISC
RECONCILIATION' Deborah Richardson, Deputy Minister, Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation, ON

The Clerk led a discussion on the way we approach policy matters to advance reconciliation. The
panelists discussed what reconciliation-oriented approaches to policy look like in practice, and
the continued evolution required to incorporate reconciliation-oriented policy
approaches into the DNA of the Policy Community.

 The discussion resonated well in the room and online, as evidenced by a great stream of
thoughts on Twitter.  As far as immediate next steps, the Clerk
challenged the Policy Community to develop a Indigenous  reading
              list.
    
Participants were also explicitly told to get out and talk to Canadians!

WWW.LINK TO WEBSITE/REPORT.COM
 PLENARY
TALKS
'AI & DISRUPTIVE TECH Gayemarie Brown
IN POLICY MAKING' CEO and Founder, Wintam Place Consulting

Gayemarie Brown opened her talk by highlighting that AI is much more a part of our daily
lives than most people realise. In order to fully explore the possibilities in using AI to help
solve problems, Brown suggested that we must shift our mindsets and perceptions of what AI
can do. She argued that we need to embrace our creativity and think about how AI can help
cure diseases, improve accessibility, and provide better services for Canadians. However, we
cannot move forward unless all Canadian citizens have access to the Internet and functioning
devices - what Brown argues we must view as a human right.

Brown suggested that siloed thinking and siloed organizations will disrupt advancements in
AI. AI is and will continue to impact the job market, as more and more work becomes
automated. In order to make the best use of AI, we need each other, and how we continue to
structure our organizations is limiting us.  

Participants felt her address was timely, forward-thinking and realistic. She left us with the
discussion of what needs to be addressed in the era of AI; silos, speed, encouraging mindsets,
fixing education, internet as a human right, workforce, and digital identity.

'WORKING AS Kit Collingwood-Richardson

ONE TEAM' Deputy Director, Universal Credit Programme, UK Government

Kit Collingwood-Richardson and her colleague James Reeve, fuelled by the desire to rejuvenate
the passion they once had for their jobs in the public service, launched
the One Team Gov movement in 2017. The movement’s mission is to be
“a community of innovators focused on radical public
sector reform through practical action.”

Collingwood-Richardson outlined the seven principles of One Team Gov:

1.    Work in the open and positively
5.    Care deeply about citizens
2.    Take practical action
6.    Work across borders
3.    Experiment and iterate
7.    Embrace technology
4.    Be diverse and inclusive

To emphasise the need to bring these principles to the fore, Collingwood-Richardson

highlighted why this work matters: we’re helping to make our sector fit for the networked
age; we’re experimenting with new ways of leading; we’re democratising change; we’re
creating space to say unexpected things; and we’re giving people hope. She concluded her
talk with a call to action that resonated deeply with conference participants:
If you’re tired of waiting for the revolution, start it yourself!

WWW.LINK TO WEBSITE/REPORT.COM
 SESSION
SUMMARIES
In the Speakers Salon, participants explored six topics featuring two-way dialogue
Speakers' with thought leaders, international experts, and unheard voices who shared their
Salon big ideas, lived experiences, and visions for the future.

The role of evidence in shaping policy and regulations

Organized by Monia Lahaie and Lynn Barr-Telford (Statistics Canada)

Guest Speakers: Eric Costen (DG, Cannabis
Legalisation and Regulation Secretariat),
Lynn Barr-Telford (DG, Statistics Canada),
and Austin Lawrence (Manager, Public
Safety Canada)
This session used the process to legalize cannabis as a case
study to examine how a broad range of evidence is needed to
shape policy, regulations, and industry, resulting in better
outcomes for Canadians.
The Interplay Between Communications and Policy
Organized by the Communications Community Office

The goal of this session was to illustrate the importance of working Guest Speakers: Jennifer Hollington (ADM,
Health Canada), Suzy McDonald (ADM, Health
together across policy and communications functions and the Canada), Melanie Sullivan (Executive Director,
powerful outcomes that can result when it’s done well. Communications Community Office)

Two-Eyed Seeing
Organized by Rebecca Johnston and Carolyn Laude (CIRNA)

Guest Speakers: Albert Marshall (Elder,

Mi'kmaw Nation), Dr. Cheryl Bartlett
(Professor Emeritus, Biology and
Integrative Science, Cape Breton
University), Karen Lawford (Indigenous
Midwife, Academic)
This session introduced participants to two-eyed seeing. Two-eyed
seeing is learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous
knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the
strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing… and learning
to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all.

Experimentation in Action
Organized by Sean Turnbull (TBS Experimentation Team)

In this session, participants learned about policy and Guest Speakers: Michelle Lattimore (DG, IRCC),

program experimentation through multiple
case-studies, including a Q&A on applying
experimentation to policy issues
David Gyarmati (Research Director, Social Research
and Demonstration Corporation),
Sarah Chan (TBS Experiementation Team)

GBA+ and Inclusive Policy

Organized by Jillian Sexton (PCPO) and Natale Dankotuwage (ESDC)

Guest Speakers: Kit Collingwood-Richardson (Deputy

Through examples of GBA+ done well and what happens
Director, Data team, Universal Credit Programme, UK
Gov), Rachel Wernick (Senior ADM, Employment and when GBA+ is applied poorly, this session explored why
Social Development Canada), Tatiana Fraser (Co-Founder
GBA+ matters for Canadians, and the skills needed to do
of Girls Action Foundation Research Director, Social
Research and Demonstration Canada) great GBA+ analysis

Creating Smart Cities: Technologies, Big Data and Citizen Engagement

Organized by Chantal Barton and Ursula Gobel (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC))

Guest Speakers: Gerard Peets (DG, Infrastructure Canada),

This session, featured a dynamic and multi-sector
discussion exploring the transformational impacts of
technology and their socio-economic dimensions in
creating smart cities.
Pamela Robinson (Ryerson University), Stephen Willis (City
of Ottawa), Paul Vallee (Pythian), Ursula Gobel (Associate
Vice-President, Social Science and Humanities Research
Council). Moderator: ian Capstick, (Power & Politics Analyst,
Founder of MediaStyle and Camp
 SESSION
SUMMARIES
" How Might We... "
Sessions were designed to get diverse groups of
people thinking about the art of the possible on the
“how” of different aspects of policy shaping. Each
conversation gave us time and space to Co-Create Policy
think with others and explore what we Create a Culture that Supports Policy Excellence
currently do and what we might imagine Rethink the Policy Cycle
doing differently. Having the opportunity to Work as One Team Across the Policy Ecosystem
engage as a community in this way generated Develop Policy in a Digital World
new questions to be discussed. Listen for Unheard Voices

Connections Lounge
The Connections Lounge was a direct response to 2017
Conference feedback that networking is valuable aspect of
any conference. We provided a semi-structured context for
meeting and forming connections to test how actively this
benefit needs to be supported. Results: theme-based
activities brought more people, "expert" sessions led to
rich conversations. More testing required.
Expert Connections
Policy Community Construction Zone
Expert Connections - Digital Edition
Canada Beyond 150 Insights Gallery

Workshops
The Conference’s interactive workshops
provided participants with experiential
learning about different policy making
methods, tools and best practices. At the
same time, the sessions afforded people
an opportunity to meet, work and play with
colleagues from across policy functions.
Policy Innovation 101
Public Engagement within the Policy Lifecycle
Engaging Internally on Program & Policy Design
Making Policy Real: Measuring the Results that
Matter to People
Playing the Medium-Term Game
User-Designed Policy
 CONFERENCE
IN A BOX
Design Approach
The Conference-in-a-Box was designed to expand the reach of Policy
Community Conference beyond the venue in Ottawa, while taking into
account that some experiences can only be achieved in person with
colleagues. It provided  instructions
                     and
       materials
                necessary to organize
a two-day mini-conference with colleagues, which could include:
Group viewing of the webcasted portions of the Conference
A policy innovation session delivered exclusively to the virtual audience
A choice of group exercises that could be conducted with the participants
of the mini-conference. These group exercises remain available to the policy
community.
Connecting with other virtual participants through  Twitter
              and  GCcollab

There was generally positive feelings about the experience with the
Conference-in-a-Box and it led to great conversations across the country.  
It was particularly exciting to have our provincial partners join the discussion
(i.e. Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Manitoba)

We created a
virtual “one-
stop-shop”
where all the
tools that a
virtual
participant
might need
were available
on one page —
the webcast,
twitter, sli.do,
a dialogue box,
and a link to
GCcollab.

WWW.LINK TO WEBSITE/REPORT.COM
 CALL TO
COMMUNITY
The 2018 Policy Community Conference connected people from across
departments, functions, the country and continents. We asked big
questions in the How Might We room, explored and built together in the
Workshops, were challenged with real policy questions and inspired in the
Speakers Salon and during the plenary talks, and engaged in important
conversations in the Connections Lounge. And now: we keep going.

If you want to relive some of the experiences or share with your colleagues
and teams, here are the videos of the  plenary
               talks
        and
group exercises from the  Conference-in-a-Box.
              

The conversations and questions begun at the Conference are just the
catalyst. We want to continue building on these themes and topics - and
we need you to come along with us.

The Policy Community is  your

         community. So, stay connected, get
involved and help shape this community to be what you want it to be!

GCcollab

@policommpoli
#policomm

policommpoli@canada.ca
 IN THE WORDS OF PARTICIPANTS
"Policy 101 workshop was amazing. I
think a similar exercise should be done
at all levels and groups in Government to
1400+ "Fascinating and
sobering
discussion on
help demonstrate how policy works and
to increase interplay between different
levels and areas of Government"
TWEETS intersection of
comms and policy
@ames_at_work   in addressing the
TRENDING #OpiodCrisis.
"Fantastic GBA+ In a span of three
discussion - thank you ENGAGEMENT
years, 10,000
to all the panelists. DIGITAL
Would love to see more people in Canada
"Shoutout to INNOVATION
opportunities for these will have died as a
everyone who made
Conference in a Box types of discussions at a result #policomm"
possible for smaller level within @ouidiscoveries  
@policommpoli branches and "#policomm
conference. It was departments for more really
filled up my
a super cool interactive GBA+
cup"
experience and learning (not just an @nickscott5
led to some great online course) 06
conversations in #policomm"
Manitoba @speaka @sarahdales4
#policomm "Great final session a
#LeadersGC t
#policomm, by @kit
#OneTeamGov" "So impressed to hear ab terat:
out the getting people work
@jessica_drakul journey of experimentatio ing
n that has 'together' on change
been going on in @Citlm . One idea:
mCanada. micro-actions, simple
#policomm" @karengom
ez things
that everyone can do
. Check
out @OneTeamGovM
icro.
Awesome!" @dawds
CAN
"Fascinating workshop on medium-term planning
(aka foresight mixed with strategic analysis) using
self-driving cars as a complex case study!
Thanks to PCO Priorities and "Unable to make it to the
Planning for leading" #policomm conference, but
I'm learning SO much from
@adammoscoe "I really enjoyed it. In a
your tweets! A million
thanks to everyone in the v. short time it took us
policy community sharing thru a stakeholder
their insights, aha moments, analysis & engagement
"Spent an awesome and experiences!"
planning process.
couple of days with Gave me a quick
my talented and 'taster' or 'sampler' of
creative coworkers
many engagement
thinking about
policy and open "Thanks @policommpoli for including tools I had never
engagement. a few pencil crayons and doodle space. even heard of, which
Helps my right brain connect with my
Great way to end I can see being
left during speaking sessions :)
the fiscal year IMHO. #policomm #inno" useful in real life"
#policomm @jenniferharju @yumi_kotani
@policyNL @IPACNL"
@KTnorman

w ee k! a y #policomm
la st edible first d
f ro m a tions "What an incr erable conversations, big
ing v ers
bu zz
"Still ere great m.
c o n filled with vulnghtful insights! Everything
u
es e w lic om in th e ideas and tho munity is so on point and
Th #po ve been to about this com an't wait for day 2 !!"
to h a e dg e relevant. C
ad p l aud
So gl room to ing" @sabrinapers
HMW keeptalk on
#
ue v og
@rog