About
CAPPA

For the past 40 years, the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) has been the leading Canadian association for those with an interest in education and scholarship in public administration. It is an institutional membership organization with approximately 25 graduate and undergraduate program members across Canada all of which are involved in public administration teaching and research. Its membership includes schools, programs, and departments engaged in teaching public administration from the college level through to PhD. It also includes government organizations involved in teaching public administration such as the Canada School of Public Service. All of its member organizations are dedicated to continuously improving the quality of public administration education and scholarship in Canada.

President's Welcome

Welcome to the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA).

For more than four decades, CAPPA has brought together the schools, programs, departments, scholars and practitioners committed to advancing public administration education and scholarship in Canada. Our strength lies in this national community and in our shared commitment to preparing students for the complex work of public service.

This work has rarely been more important. Governments are operating in an environment shaped by declining public trust, fiscal constraint, technological change, climate pressures, reconciliation and increasingly complex relationships among federal, provincial, territorial, municipal and Indigenous governments. These challenges are not simply matters for governments to manage. They also require those of us who teach and study public administration to reconsider the knowledge, competencies and forms of leadership needed to serve an increasingly diverse and changing public.

CAPPA plays an important role in supporting that work. Through accreditation, our annual conference, the national case competition, awards for excellence in teaching and research, and partnerships with organizations across the public administration community, CAPPA creates opportunities to connect scholarship, teaching and practice. It also provides a national forum through which member programs can share their experiences, learn from one another and contribute to the continuing development of public administration education in Canada.

Students are central to this mandate. Our programs must equip graduates not only with analytical and managerial competencies, but also with an understanding of democratic governance, ethical public service, collaboration and the responsibilities involved in exercising public authority. CAPPA’s significance lies not simply in supporting individual programs, but in strengthening the broader institutional foundations through which the next generation of public servants, policy professionals and public administration scholars are prepared.

As President, I look forward to working with CAPPA’s members, Executive, Board and partners to build on the considerable work of those who have led the Association before me. This includes strengthening CAPPA’s national presence, supporting a diverse range of graduate and undergraduate programs, expanding opportunities for students and deepening connections among researchers, educators and practitioners.

CAPPA is, above all, a community sustained by the participation and generosity of its members. I invite you to explore our website, take part in our activities and contribute to the conversations shaping the future of public administration education and scholarship in Canada.

Sincerely,

Kathleen McNutt
President, Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration
Professor, Johnson Shoyama Graduate School of Public Policy

Kathy McNutt

President's Annual Reports

The annual general meeting is held on the second day of the conference. Agendas and minutes will be disseminated prior to the meeting, and minutes published on this site once approved by the Executive and Board.