5PM MARCH 27 - 5PM MARCH 29
THE WESTIN - OTTAWA
11 COLONEL BY DRIVE

The Broadbent Institute’s Progress Summit brings together thought leaders, movement builders, elected officials, and frontline activists to help us understand our current landscape and this year, with the federal election just around the corner, highlight priorities at the federal level.

Populism is on the rise across the political spectrum, yet the extreme right often leverages it best, and with disturbing results. This year, elements of our program will tackle the issue of populism to gain greater understanding of how it can be tapped to build a progressive groundswell, and when it is a force we must resist.

Join us for our best Progress Summit yet! Over two and a half days of incredible programming, 1200 participants from across Canada will gather to share bold progressive ideas that inspire hope, and the best organizing tactics, policy frames, and communication tools to help progressives win.

Highlights from last year's Summit Tour:

REGISTRATION

Register now to join us for our biggest and best Progress Summit to date as we reconvene this spring in Ottawa!

The Institute will be providing childcare throughout Progress Summit programming. If you require childcare during the Summit, please send an email to [email protected] and we will be in touch with confirmation shortly.

If you require any additional accessibility assistance or accommodations, please email [email protected] and we will be in touch shortly.

WE Travel, our exclusive Travel Service Supplier, is available to assist with your 2019 Progress Summit transportation and travel needs. Air Canada and VIA Rail discounts are available.

Contact Lorna Parent at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-888-676-7747.

Select the number of passes you wish to purchase:

X $3,500.00 Organizational Pass 10-pack (10 Summit Passes)
X $2,000.00 Organizational Pass 5-pack (5 Summit Passes)
X $550.00 Organizational Pass
X $275.00 Individual Pass
X $175.00 Unwaged/Senior/Student Pass

What to expect at this year's Summit

  • How populism can be tapped to build a movement for good, and when it is a force we must resist
  • Pushing past right-wing extremism to a bold offer for our collective future
  • Honing the tools we need to win political power and key policy advancements
We can’t wait to see you there!

Program Schedule

Wednesday, March 27

2:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Registration

5:00 pm - 7:00 pm | Governor General Ballroom

Welcome Reception

Casual reception with food, cash bar, music and some playful activities hosted in partnership with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation

8:00 pm - 9:00 pm | Ontario Room

Summit Meet Up

Join us for a fun hour of participatory networking in advance of the Summit. Lightly facilitated by Jocelyn Macdougall with Rim Mohsen to engender new connections among participants

9:00 pm - 11:30 pm | Governor General Ballroom II/III

After Party

Join the Canadian Labour Congress in marking the 100 Year Anniversary of the Winnipeg General Strike with cultural and artistic exhibits.

Thursday, March 28

8:00 am - 8:00 pm

Registration

7:30 am - 8:45 am | Governor General Hallway

Coffee & Continental Breakfast

8:45 am - 9:30 am | Confederation Ballroom

Summit Opening and Welcoming Remarks with Verna McGregor and Ed Broadbent

9:30 am - 10:10 am | Confederation Ballroom

Panel

Dispatches from the Frontlines

Activists and newsmakers share stories of what the view looks like from the frontlines of their movements. Their compelling stories are followed by a panel of global perspectives that discuss the question, “does the Right own populism?”

Pramila Jayapal

Congresswoman for Washington's 7th District and Co-Chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus | Frontline: Congress, U.S.A.

Dominic Champagne

Writer and director | Frontline: Climate Change and the Pact for Transition, Quebec

Charlene Carruthers

Strategist, Author, Leader | Frontline: Black liberation, U.S.A

Sharon Gregson

Child Care Advocate | Frontline: $10 Daycare, British Columbia

Jerry Dias

Unifor National President | Frontline: General Motors Plant Closure, Ontario

10:10 am - 11:05 am | Confederation Ballroom

Panel

This is what Right Populism Looks Like

Our panel will deconstruct the Right’s approach to populism here and abroad, marking the dangers that lie in this movement and exploring the best ways to overcome it.

Emilie Nicolas

Broadbent Institute Director, Columnist and Anthropologist

Todd N. Tucker

Fellow, Roosevelt Institute

Zita Gurmai

Member of European Parliament, Hungarian Socialist Party and Vice President, Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS)


Moderator: Michael Coren

Author, broadcaster, and columnist

11:00 am - 11:30 am

Coffee Break

11:30 am - 12:00 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Featured Speaker

Manon Massé

Co-Spokesperson for Québec solidaire and Member of the National Assembly of Quebec for Sainte-Marie–Saint-Jacques

12:00 pm - 12:45 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Exclusive Public Polling Release

The Affordability Equation

New polling by Abacus Data for the Broadbent Institute will be presented and discussed to provide insight into how Canadians' concerns about building a life they can afford to live, fit with a bold progressive offer.

David Coletto

Founder and CEO of Abacus Data

In conversation with Kofi Hope

Rhodes Scholar and Senior Policy Advisor at the Wellesley Institute

And reflections from Ken Neumann

United Steelworkers Canadian National Director

12:45 pm - 2:00 pm

Lunch with Partner Programming

12:45 pm - 2:00 pm | Governor General Ballroom I

Partner Programming with Facebook

Social media and the federal election: A conversation between Kevin Chan, Facebook, and Susan Delacourt, Toronto Star.

Kevin Chan

Global Director and Head of Public Policy at Facebook Canada

Susan Delacourt

National Columnist and Ottawa Bureau Chief, Toronto Star

12:45 pm 2:00 pm | Governor General Ballroom II/III

Partner Programming with Food Secure Canada

Let’s Talk Food Politics! Building the Food System We Want

Join the food movement for an interactive lunchtime discussion on getting food issues to the table at the next federal election. Facilitators will lead engaging small-group conversations on everything from food justice to farming, while participants snack on treats locally sourced by Just Food. Food Secure Canada would like to thank our supporters at UFCW Canada and our many partners across the food movement for making this conversation possible!

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Panel

Matching the Movement to the Moment

Top strategists and political thinkers identify the necessary components of successful movements happening right now, asking what is being won and how was it done?

Ilya Sheyman

Executive Director, MoveOn.org

Charlene Carruthers

Strategist, Author, Leader

Bochra Manaï

Professor and researcher; coordinator at Parole d’excluEs (Outsiders Speak)


Moderator: Ania Skrzypek

Senior Research Fellow at the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS)

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Governor General Ballroom II/III

Workshop

Millennial Voters, Case Studies

Millennials are now the largest set of eligible voters, and hold more progressive values than the generations before them. We break down on best to mobilize millennials in our movements and at the polls.

Gabrielle Brais Harvey

Political Organizer

Diego Cardona

Political organizer and refugee rights advocate

Florian Krumrey

Director of Communications, German Social Democratic Party


Facilitator: Max FineDay

Broadbent Institute Director and Executive Director, Canadian Roots Exchange

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Governor General Ballroom I

Partner Programming with Stratcom

Bridging the Divide: the challenges and opportunities of integrating online and offline campaigning

Any well-run campaign includes targeting and engaging with people in the digital and physical words, but rarely are these two pieces brought together seamlessly and to full effectiveness. The implications? We aren't winning as much as we could be because we aren’t maximizing the connections we make online to those we establish offline, and vice versa. This session is a collection of stories about how some organizations thought holistically about their outreach and maximized their impact by bringing these worlds together. We'll share stories about using data and databases to find your audience online and offline, verifying your research through social listening, amplifying your messages across multiple channels, build relationships with supporters that bridge the divide of their digital and real work lives.

Matt Smith

President, Stratcom

Rebecca McNeil

Digital Strategist

3:00 pm - 3:20 pm

Coffee Break

3:20 pm - 4:20 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Panel

Rewriting the Rules: Economic Democracy in the 21st Century

Our economic system isn’t working for most people. A growing number of people are re-writing the rules in Canada and around the world -- through policy research, community organizing, philanthropy and political action. This session will zero in on the efforts of three people working in three very different places: Toronto, Montreal and Barcelona/Madrid. We’ll explore what democracy has to do with the economy, and how we can work together to make fair rules that work for people and the planet.

Deena Ladd

Executive Director, Toronto Workers' Action Centre

Rocío Martínez-Sampere

Economist, Director of Fundación Felipe González

Julia Posca

Sociologist and Author


Moderator: Colette Murphy

Executive Director, Atkinson Foundation

3:20 pm - 4:20 pm | Governor General Ballroom II/III

Workshop

Lessons from the U.S. Midterms

Join the Executive Director of MoveOn.org and Co-Executive Director of Leadnow.ca for a deep dive into organizing strategies and tactics that won results in some of the U.S. Midterm’s hottest races, and how they might be applied in Canada.

Ilya Sheyman

Executive Director, MoveOn.org

Logan McIntosh

Co-Executive Director of Leadnow.ca


Moderator: Jocelyn Macdougall

Convener

3:20 pm - 4:20 pm | Governor General Ballroom I

Partner Programming with the Samara Centre for Democracy

In a world with an increasing number of ‘flawed democracies,’ how is Canada really doing?

In a world with an increasing number of ‘flawed democracies,’ how is Canada really doing? Join us for a panel discussion marking the launch of the Samara Centre’s 2019 Democracy 360 report. Drawing on the views of over 4,000 Canadians, the comprehensive report card looks beyond elections, parties, and parliament to uncover surprising strengths and unexpected weaknesses of Canada’s democracy.

Michele Austin

Twitter Canada

Nathan Cullen

Member of Parliament, Skeena—Bulkley Valley

Michal Hay

Broadbent Institute Treasurer and Executive Director of Progress Toronto


Moderator: Paul Thomas

4:30 pm - 5:00 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Participatory Session

TAKING STOCK: GATHERING THOUGHTS ABOUT THE DAY

Facilitator Jocelyn MacDougall will lead participants through an interactive and energizing session to crowd source the pulse of our Summit at the half-time mark. Come share your thoughts and experience thus far!

5:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Dinner Break

Dinner is self-organized and not provided by the Institute.

7:00 pm – | Confederation Ballroom

Art and Politics

Art and Politics

Artists have been political actors throughout history. Join artists in performance, presentation and discussion about what role art is playing and can play in our current deeply conflictual political landscape. Cash bar and snacks at 7pm, programming starts at 7:30pm.

D’bi Young Anitafrika

Black Feminist Poet, Activist and Scholar

Ricardo Lamour

Artist and social services graduate

LAL (Rosina Kazi and Nicholas Murray)

Musicians and Community Animators

ForFreedoms.Org (Pola Dobrzynski and Lauren Chanel Patrick)


Installation by:

Noam Gonick

Artist and Filmmaker


Moderator: Jocelyn Macdougall

Convener

9:00 pm - 11:30 pm | Governor General Ballroom I

After Party

Hosted by UFCW

Friday, March 29

8:00 am - 1:00 pm

Registration

7:30 am - 9:00 am | Governor General Hallway

Coffee & Continental Breakfast

9:00 am - 9:15 am | Confederation Ballroom

Morning remarks

9:15 am - 9:45 am | Confederation Ballroom

Featured Speaker

Jaclyn Corin

Leading Organizer, March for Our Lives

9:45 am - 10:15 am | Confederation Ballroom

Awards

Awards Ceremony

Presentation of the Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research and the Jack Layton Progress Prize

Charles Taylor

Philosopher

Olivia Chow

Director, Institute for Change Leaders

10:15 am - 10:30 am

Coffee Break

10:30 am - 11:05 am | Confederation Ballroom

Featured Speaker

John Horgan

Premier of British Columbia

Premier Horgan will be joining live by video.

Followed by a conversation with:

Edward Greenspon

President & CEO of the Public Policy Forum

11:15 am - 12:15 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Panel

Cities at a Tipping Point

Some or our cities have become stark examples of increasing inequality, while others are creating innovative paths to a just and prosperous society. We explore the necessary conditions to put cities on the right track.

Richard Ryan

Montréal City Councillor

Kristyn Wong-Tam

Toronto City Councillor

Lindell Smith

Councillor, District 8 – Halifax Peninsula North, Halifax Regional Municipality


Moderator: John Honderich

Author and Chair of Torstar Board of Directors

11:15 am - 12:15 pm | Governor General Ballroom II/III

Workshop

Democracy and the Digital Realm

Social media platforms have come under fire for being spaces used to manipulate political debate and electoral results. Join digital experts to discuss how we can overcome these threats while ensuring our own movement act ethically.

Jacob Homel

Data and Voter Contact Specialist

Ari Trujillo Wesler

Co-Founder of OpenField

Andrea Reimer

Former three-term Vancouver Councillor

11:15 am - 12:15 pm | Governor General Ballroom I

Workshop

Protecting Workers in a Shifting Economy

We explore the best strategies to put workers at the center of key economic decisions, from the unanticipated closure of Oshawa’s GM Plant to a long-term transition to a low-carbon economy.

Patrick Rondeau

Conseil régional FTQ Montréal métropolitain

Symone Walters

Toronto Community Benefits Network and Power Lab Partner

Heather Marshall

Campaigns Director, Toronto Environmental Alliance and Power Lab Partner

12:15 pm - 1:30 pm

Lunch with Partner Programming

1:30 pm - 2:00 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Awards

Ellen Meiksins Wood Prize and Lecture

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of 22 books, including The New York Times best sellers, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (2001) and Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking Is Undermining America (2010). Her latest releases include Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything (2014) and Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer (2010). She will deliver a unique presentation via video to our Summit audience

Barbara Ehrenreich

2:00 pm - 3:00 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Featured Speaker

Featured Speaker: Tanya Talaga

Introduced by Ryan Meili

Tanya Talaga

Author and journalist

Followed by a conversation with

Nahanni Fontaine

Member of Legislative Assembly representing St. Johns, Manitoba

Jessica Wood

Si Sityaawks

Assistant Deputy Minister, Reconciliation Transformation and Strategies Division, B.C. Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation

3:00 pm - 3:40 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Featured Speaker

Featured Speakers

Jagmeet Singh

Leader of Canada's NDP

Rayne Fisher-Quann

Organizer, March for Our Education

3:40 pm - 3:50 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Summit Thank Yous

3:50 pm - 4:00 pm

Coffee Break

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm | Confederation Ballroom

Panel

This is What Left Populism Looks Like

Political strategists and policy experts convene to chart the Left’s own brand of populism that places fairness, justice and opportunity for everyone at the center of the debate.

Joe Dinkin

National Campaigns Director, Working Families Party

Aurélie Lanctôt

Columnist and Author

Raj Sihota

Provincial Director, British Columbia New Democratic Party


Facilitator: Michal Hay

Broadbent Institute Treasurer and Executive Director of Progress Toronto

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm | Governor General Ballroom II/III

Partner Programming with Canadian Roots Exchange

Reconciling for the Future: Social Movements and Reconciliation

As the "Progressive Left", how do we create stronger, more inclusive movements? This session engages participants in a deepened dialogue about the reality and possibility of relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Canada. It explores social movements, confronts Canada’s own history of exclusion, and challenges participants to investigate their own role in reconciliation. Canadian Roots Exchange works to build relations between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous youth in Canada. You can find more about CRE and its work on social media: @CdnRoots.

Saima Butt

National Program Director, Canadian Roots Exchange

Marissa Campbell

Program Coordinator, Canadian Roots Exchange

Erika Massoud

Communications & Mobilization Coordinator

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm | Governor General Ballroom I

Partner Programming with the Power Lab

Organizing for Fair Economies

Join the Power Lab for a hands-on workshop about how to generate power for people who have been historically disadvantaged, excluded from shaping the economy

Ana Teresa Portillo

Parkdale People’s Economy

Kumsa Baker

Toronto Community Benefits Network

Symone Walters,

Toronto Community Benefits Network

Sarah Morris

Windsor-Essex Community Benefits Coalition

Sarah Jama

Disability Justice Network of Ontario

Judy Duncan

ACORN-Canada

Ashley Reyns

ACORN-Ottawa

Melana Roberts

Project Manager, Power Lab

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!