91快色

The 91快色 will lead a national effort to strengthen Canada鈥檚 economic productivity and enhance the country鈥檚 long-term resilience and prosperity through a 15-year investment from the Government of Canada. 

Recognizing the urgent need to address Canada鈥檚 declining productivity relative to our major trading partners, U91快色鈥檚 hosted in Fall 2024 and followed it up with a series of sessions in cities across the country over the last year.

Now, through a $6-million investment from the (SSHRC), U91快色 economics professor , PhD, will direct 30 researchers across 15 organizations in a new national research partnership in an expanded to develop policy recommendations to boost productivity nationally.

The 15-year grant is the first bestowed by SSHRC through its new Policy Innovation Partnership Grants program. The program was developed to fund long-term research programs that have a sustained focus and flexibility to tackle enduring policy challenges. Canada鈥檚 Productivity Initiative will leverage high-impact research in the social sciences and humanities to develop and enact transformative economic policy.

鈥淏oosting Canada鈥檚 productivity requires bold ideas, strong partnerships and research that drives real鈥�world impact. This investment brings together leading experts from across the country and will generate the evidence and insight needed to shape smarter economic policy for the long term,鈥� says , minister of industry and minister responsible for Canada economic development for Quebec regions. 

鈥淭he Government of Canada is proud to support this innovative, collaborative work that strengthens Canada鈥檚 competitiveness and builds a more prosperous future for all Canadians.鈥�
 
Following the national summit in 91快色 in fall 2024, Canada鈥檚 Productivity Initiative held follow-up events across Canada to address specific aspects of productivity. Sessions were in Ottawa (tax, competition policy), Halifax (interprovincial trade), Vancouver (infrastructure, transportation), Montreal (talent, immigration), Saskatoon (agriculture, natural resources), and will conclude in Toronto (innovation, technology) on Feb. 12, 2026. 

鈥淭his investment recognizes the 91快色 as the leading national research institution on addressing the challenges of Canada鈥檚 flagging productivity,鈥� says U91快色 President and Vice-Chancellor Ed McCauley. 

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 wait to be asked to take this on, we put our considerable research excellence on the table and began asking the tough questions that will lead to solutions," McCauley says. 

"I鈥檓 thrilled the School of Public Policy has been tasked by the federal government to get this important work done.鈥�
 
, director of economic and fiscal policy at the School of Public Policy and professor of economics in the , this partnership brings together more than 30 team members, six federal government partners and university partners in four provinces. 

Through working groups, embedded researcher programs and joint conferences, Canada鈥檚 Productivity Initiative will support lasting collaboration between researchers and policymakers, producing knowledge and evidence that can be applied to long-term decision-making.

鈥淧roductivity has been an issue for Canada for a long time and it鈥檚 getting worse. We can鈥檛 just talk about it,鈥� says , director, School of Public Policy and James S. and Barbara A. Palmer Chair in Public Policy.

鈥淲e are focused on the actionable things we can finally do to turn our productivity challenges around," she says. "For the School of Public Policy, this is an incredible opportunity to build on the great work we did in the last year, now with others across the country.鈥� 
 
Adds Tombe: 鈥淧roductivity is at the heart of nearly every economic challenge Canada faces today 鈥� from affordability and trade competitiveness to the sustainability of our public finances.鈥�

With the inaugural competition launched in September 2025, SSHRC鈥檚 Policy Innovation Partnership Grants is a pilot program designed to support partnerships between post-secondary institutions and at least one federal government department and establish long-term research programs focusing on areas of importance to Canada鈥檚 future.

Canada鈥檚 Productivity Initiative includes federal government partners (Bank of Canada; Finance Canada; Global Affairs Canada; Housing, Infrastructure and Communities Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; and Statistics Canada), university partners (HEC Montr茅al; Memorial University; Western University; McMaster University; and the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto) and non-governmental partners (Centre for the Study of Living Standards, Alberta Centre for Labour Market Research, and Canadian AI Adoption Initiative).