FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 18, 2025

TORONTO – People for Education (PFE) is launching a major cross-Canada engagement centred on the role of public schools in nation-building.  

The engagement marks the next step in The Education Promise, PFE’s five-year initiative focused on transforming public education through actionable policy changes that address Canada’s most urgent challenges.   

“Public education has always been one of Canada’s most powerful nation-building tools,” says Paris Semansky, Co-Executive Director, People for Education. “In this moment of uncertainty and change as a country, we are excited to continue to work with a wider set of partners from across Canada, from inside and outside of education, to build cross-sector consensus about the potential and promise of our public schools to realize the Canada we want and need.” 

The initiative combines two streams of engagement: 

• The Promise of Public Education event series – free, open to the public, two-hour panel discussions taking place in eight major Canadian cities from January to June 2026; and
• Direct engagements across 11 cities in seven provinces with experts and leaders in government, education, policy, and civil society to gather insight to inform the development of PFE’s pan-Canadian Education Action Plan, which will be publicly available in fall 2026.

The engagement begins on January 20 2026, at George Brown Polytechnic in Toronto, with a Promise of Public Education launch event focused on how public schools prepare future-ready citizens and strengthen Canada’s social, economic, and democratic fabric. Panelists will explore the origin public education in Canada as a tool for nation-building and discuss how it can evolve to continue to build the Canada we want. 

These events will bring together regional and sector leaders, public education advocates, parents, educators, and others interested in learning more. Each with a distinct policy theme focus, ranging from economic resilience to social cohesion to civic trust to climate readiness, the Promise of Public Education event series will highlight how public education can contribute to strengthening Canada’s resilience, prosperity, and democracy. 

Additionally, PFE’s direct engagement in communities across Canada will engage a broad cross-section partners, including teachers’ unions, school boards, students, governments, academics, Indigenous education partners, and business and community leaders to inform the development of PFE’s forthcoming pan-Canadian Education Action Plan and to ensure it reflects the diversity and complexity of Canada’s educational landscape. 

“As an independent, non-partisan organization, People for Education is uniquely positioned to convene this critical national dialogue,” says Kate Hagerman, Co-Executive Director, People for Education. “Our two-stream engagement—the public event series and the regional consultations—is designed to move us forward to policy action. By gathering evidence and context directly from many different regions, we are laying the essential foundation for a robust, pan-Canadian Education Action Plan that truly reflects the complexity and potential of our public school systems.” 

Join the conversation  

To join the launch event of the Promise of Public Education event series in Toronto on January 20, get your free ticket here.

To learn more about upcoming events and when PFE will be in your community, please sign up here for updates.

About People for Education 
People for Education is a national independent, non-partisan, charitable organization working to support and transform public education through evidence-based research and policy, advocacy, and public engagement. Founded in 1997, PFE champions the role of public education in advancing a healthier, more sustainable, economically resilient and democratic Canada.    

Media Contact:
Paris Semansky  

Co-Executive Director  

[email protected]
416-476-9534