On Tuesday, March 24, 2026 our CEO, Sabreena Delhon, provided expert testimony before the Standing Committee on Procedures and House Affairs (PROC) for its study on the current state of Canada’s civic resilience.

In her statement, Sabreena provided three concrete policy recommendations to strengthen public trust and increase democratic engagement in Canada:  

1. Invest in civic education as a national defence measure, as recommended in our report Learning Loss as Civic Loss: Addressing the Generational Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Youth Democratic Engagement. ‍
2. Coordinate with other values-aligned countries to regulate digital platforms in the public interest, as advocated in our technology/democracy research initiative SAMbot.
3. Secure social cohesion, enhance public trust, and bolster civic participation by creating the Canadian Democracy Endowment, as advised in our recent submission to the Standing Committee on Finance.

These recommendations were also informed by the Samara Centre’s public engagement programming, including the recent cross-country public library series, IDEAS for a Better Canada, which was held in partnership with the CBC.  

Read the full statement

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