The IAP2 Canada Research Committee works to help members better understand current public participation activities in Canada. Various engagement efforts with members found a need to increase access to research journals, training (including workshops) and training manuals; and to develop mechanisms for knowledge transfer among cross-disciplinary organizations.

Research is focused on identifying trends, best practices and areas of innovation, as well as evaluating current research and publications for the purpose of identifying opportunities for partnership and collaboration. The State of the Practice survey reports helped guide the development of the IAP2 Canada Strategic Plan.

The Committee has also commissioned and published the following Research Papers, which are available for downloading:

• Covid-19 and its Impact on the Field and Practice of Public Participation
• En français : La COVID-19 et ses répercussions sur le domaine et la pratique de la participation publique (P2)
• Inclusion and Equity in Public Participation  (with the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University. See their guide Beyond Inclusion: Equity in Public Engagement - A Guide for Practitioners)
• • En français : Inclusion et équité dans un contexte de participation publique (rédigé par le Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, Simon Fraser University, mai 2020). Consultez aussi le Guide pour les mobilisateurs : Au delà de l’inclusion – l’équité dans la mobilisation du public (PDF) du Centre pour le dialogue Morris J. Wosk de l’Université Simon Fraser, compagnon du document de recherche de l’AIP2 sur l’inclusion dans la participation publique. 

• Challenges and Advancements in Evaluating Public Participation
• Conflict Management in P2.
• Getting Support for Public Engagement from Decision-Makers
• Digital Engagement, Social Media & Public Participation (update will be made at the end of 2021)

Among the Research Committee's other activities include "TLDR" (Too Long - Didn't Read), summaries of P2-related articles and papers, which appear from time to time in the semi-monthly IAP2 Canada newsletter or eblasts.