CIPA Hosts Workshop on Policy Impact Assessment

May 1, 2026

On Friday, May 1, 2026, CIPA hosted its one-day Workshop on Policy Impact Assessment at CLARI, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, bringing together academic researchers and federal policy analysts to discuss the evidence base behind public policy design and evaluation. The workshop ran in hybrid format, with participants joining in person and online.

A presenter addresses participants seated around tables during a morning session of the workshop. — Discussion during the morning sessions at CLARI.

Opening Remarks

The day opened with remarks from Adam J. Sarty, Associate Vice-President, Research and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research at Saint Mary’s University, and Ryan Kelly, Senior Project Leader, Economic Research and Analysis at Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED).

Business Innovation and Growth Support at the Federal Level

The morning panel examined Business Innovation and Growth Support (BIGS) programs and their measured effects on Canadian firms:

Shaping Clean Transitions: The Role of Government Support in Firm-level Innovation — Claudia De Fuentes (Saint Mary’s University)
Impact Assessment of BIGS Programs on Firm Performance in Canada Using the CDM Model — Tatevik Poghosyan (Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat)
The Impact of Clean Technology Innovation Support on Firm-level R&D Investment in Canada — Joseph Jung (Saint Mary’s University)

Two further morning presentations followed: Kate Linden (Cape Breton University) on Co-Designing Rural Aging-In-Place Health Policy Frameworks, and Ryan Kelly (ISED) on BIGS and Productivity Growth.

Keynote: Causal Inference and Machine Learning

Keynote speaker presents a slide titled 'Why This Distinction Matters for Policy', contrasting causal questions with correlation and prediction. — Why the policy-relevant question is always a causal one.

Keynote slide presenting the book Causal Inference and Machine Learning in Economics, Social, and Health Sciences. — The keynote drew on *Causal Inference and Machine Learning* (Routledge, 2025).

The afternoon keynote, Causal Inference and Machine Learning in Economics, Social, and Health Sciences, was delivered by Mutlu Yuksel (Dalhousie University) and Yigit Aydede (Saint Mary’s University), authors of the Routledge volume of the same name.

The keynote made the case that policy evaluation almost always asks a causal question — did this program cause the outcome? — but is frequently answered with a correlational or predictive tool, and that machine learning does not by itself resolve that gap.

Afternoon Sessions

When Fiduciary Duty Fades: The Cost of Weaker Director Liability for Creditors — Bryce Cross (Saint Mary’s University), with Matthew Boland (Saint Mary’s University) and Jingjing Zhang (McGill University)
The Impact of Innovation Subsidies in Atlantic Canada — Joniada Milla (Saint Mary’s University)

A presenter stands beside a slide titled 'When Fiduciary Duty Fades: The Cost of Weaker Director Liability for Creditors' while a participant takes notes. — Opening *When Fiduciary Duty Fades*, on the cost of weaker director liability for creditors.

A presenter beside a slide describing the ACOA Business Development Program, the Atlantic Canada subsidy scheme. — The ACOA Business Development Program — the subsidy at the centre of the Atlantic Canada study.

Round Table and Closing

A speaker addresses the room during the round table, with an audience poll displayed on the screen behind. — Participants were polled on their interest in future workshops.

Wide view of the workshop room with participants seated at tables facing the presentation screen. — A full room at CLARI for the closing discussion.

A lunchtime round table, moderated by Claudia De Fuentes, gave participants space to discuss shared methodological challenges across sectors. Closing remarks were delivered by Michel Delorme, Dean of the Sobey School of Business, and Shannon Dea, Provost and Vice-President, Academic and Research, both of Saint Mary’s University.

The workshop was organized by Claudia De Fuentes and Joniada Milla, and hosted with the support of Saint Mary’s University.

Workshop participants and organizers standing together for a group photograph in front of a whiteboard. — Participants and organizers at the close of the workshop, CLARI, Halifax.