Building Through Public Engagement

The CIW has been created through the leadership of the Atkinson Charitable Foundation and the combined efforts of national leaders and organizations, community groups, research experts, indicator users, and the Canadian public. Through three rounds of public consultations, ordinary Canadians across the country have candidly expressed what really matters to their wellbeing. Meanwhile, teams of nationally and internationally renowned experts have and will continue to devise the best ways of measuring and reporting on those elements. 

This “virtuous cycle” of public engagement, consultation and refinement is one of the key characteristics of the CIW. It ensures that the CIW is rooted in Canadian values, grounded in community experience, and shaped by technical expertise. The CIW is not a static measuring tool, carved in stone for all time. It will grow and change as more becomes known about how to measure changes in our quality of life, and more sources of data become available.

Producing statistics and reports on quality of life – as insightful and valuable as they may be – will not, in and of itself, have a transformational effect on Canadian society. It will not ensure that our leaders make policy decisions that reflect the values of Canadians about what is important.