The Broadbent Institute is thrilled to announce the shortlists for this year’s Jack Layton Progress Prize and Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research. The winners will be announced at the 2025 Progress Summit, taking place April 9 – 11 in Ottawa.
The 2025 Charles Taylor Prize for Excellence in Policy Research:
- Richard Gilbert, freelance journalist and economist whose in-depth research on Canada’s migrant and foreign worker programs has shaped policy debates and advocacy for a more just society. Commissioned by the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), his five comprehensive papers analyze the economic, legal, and political impacts of the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and International Mobility Program (IMP), exposing systemic issues such as modern slavery and exploitation in the construction industry. His evidence-based work continues to inform federal policy discussions and drive efforts for legislative reform.
- Kent Roach, Professor of Law at the University of Toronto, and one of Canada’s leading experts on wrongful convictions, criminal justice, and human rights. His extensive research and advocacy have shaped national policy, from his role in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission to his leadership in establishing the Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions and directing research for the Miscarriages of Justice Commission, which led to the passage of “David and Joyce Milgaard’s Law.” Through his scholarship, pro bono legal work, and policy contributions, Roach has had a profound and lasting impact on justice reform in Canada.
- Bochra Manaï, expert on social inclusion who has dedicated her career to advancing equity and systemic change in Quebec. Formerly Montreal’s Commissioner for the Fight Against Racism and Systemic Discrimination, she was recently appointed Director of Commissioners for the City of Montreal, where she leads efforts on Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, anti-racism, and improving conditions for unhoused populations. A researcher, author, and activist, she continues her academic collaborations while working at the intersection of policy, institutions, and community advocacy to drive social transformation.
The 2025 Jack Layton Progress Prize:
- Chiara Padovani, Toronto-based progressive leader and tenant organizer with the York South-Weston Tenant Union. By uniting her community against large corporate landlords, she has achieved historic victories, securing unprecedented collective agreements to protect tenants from unfair rent increases. Tireless and inspiring, she also ran a bold election campaign against a longtime politician, mobilizing massive community support and proving that change is possible.
- Debbie Field, a tireless leader in the school food movement, whose advocacy as coordinator of the Coalition for Healthy School Food helped secure a billion-dollar federal investment in a National School Food Program and the launch of a National School Food Policy in 2024. With a lifelong commitment to universal, stigma-free school food, she has built a movement of over 500 organizations advocating for inclusive, sustainable, and locally adapted programs. Her strategic leadership, deep listening, and coalition-building have transformed school food policy in Canada, ensuring that all children—not just those in need—have access to healthy meals.
- Alia Karim and Julia Sanchez, co-authors of a groundbreaking report on the disproportionate impact of privatization on Indigenous, Black, and racialized workers and their communities. Through interviews, surveys, and focus groups across Canada, their report highlights how contracting out public services worsens working conditions, exploits racialized labour, and diminishes service quality, all while increasing corporate profits.
Register today for the 2025 Progress Summit: Daring to Take on Today’s Crises, and join us in celebrating champions of the progressive movement!