Critical Conversations

A Critical Conversation™

A Critical Conversation™, which was developed by the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University, aims to push the boundaries of current thinking on policy and regulation around current challenging issues. These conversations bring together senior public servants with key opinion leaders from industry, professional associations, and non-governmental organizations in an impartial university setting. Workshop participants can take advantage of these intimate in-camera workshops to question Canadian and internationally recognized experts and actively explore options and alternatives with their peers and colleagues through a candid and far-reaching, yet moderated conversation.  Sessions are short and are focused on discussion and knowledge transfer among participants.  Modified Chatham House rule is observed.

Past Conversations

• A Critical Conversation 2009: On the Regulation of Known Unknowns
• A Critical Conversation 2009: Smart and Sustainable use of Canadian Forest-based Bioenergy
• A Critical Conversation 2012: Occupant Management and Re-occupancy of Buildings after Bio-terrorism
• A Critical Conversation 2014: Railway-Shipper Relations
• A Critical Conversation 2014: The Relationship Between First Nations and Resource Development
• A Critical Conversation 2015: First Nations and Regulatory Regimes
• A Critical Conversation 2016: Reflection on Regulatory Regimes – Present & Future
• A Critical Conversation 2017: Building Public Trust – A Role for Competency-based Management
• A Critical Conversation 2018: Regulating for Innovation
• A Critical Conversation 2019: Early Lessons Learned from Cannabis
• A Critical Conversation 2020: Challenges to Evidence-based Policy Development in an Age of Public Polarization and Disengagement
• A Critical Conversation 2023: Regulatory Management During the COVID-19 Pandemic