Matthew Mendelsohn is the founding director of the Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation

Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation

The Mowat Centre for Policy Innovation is an independent, non-partisan public policy research centre located at the University of Toronto School of Public Policy and Governance....

, a Canadian public policy think tank, and a former Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 civil servant. He was the deputy minister of the Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 government's Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs and also the Associate Secretary of the Cabinet. As Deputy Minister, he led the creation of Ontario's Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform (Ontario)

Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform (Ontario)

The Government of the Canadian province of Ontario established a Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform in March 2006. Modelled on the British Columbia equivalent, it reviewed the first past the post electoral system currently in use to elect members of the Ontario Legislature, with the authority...

. From 1996 to 1998, he served as a senior advisor in Canada's Privy Council Office

Privy Council Office

Privy Council Office may refer to:*Privy Council Office *Privy Council Office...

, directing public opinion research activities for the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs

Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs (Ontario)

The Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs is responsible for intergovernmental affairs between the Canadian province of Ontario and the other provinces and territories and the Canadian government...

.

Mendelsohn is co-editor of Referendum Democracy: Citizens, Elites, and Deliberation in Referendum Campaigns (Palgrave, 2001). He has been published widely on the media, public opinion, elections, public participation and public consultations, democratic reform, Quebec nationalism, globalization, health care policy, and Canadian and Quebec politics. He also serves on the board of directors of the Developing Countries Farm Radio Network and the Serve Canada youth service organization.

Early life

Mendelsohn grew up in Canada. He received a B.A.

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 in Political Science from McGill University

McGill University

Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...

 and an M.A.

Master of Arts (postgraduate)

A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...

 and Ph.D.

Doctor of Philosophy

Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...

 in Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 from the Université de Montréal

Université de Montréal

The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...

. While attending university, Mendelsohn was one of Canada's most successful parliamentary debaters. He was president of the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate

Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate

The Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate is the national organization which governs all competitive university debating and public speaking in Canada. It sanctions several official annual tournaments and represents Canadian debating domestically and abroad...

 and won the award for Top Speaker at the 1986 Canadian National Debating Championship

Canadian National Debating Championship

The Canadian National Debating Championship is the premier university debating championship in Canada, sanctioned by the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate. It has been held since 1978, always in the Canadian parliamentary debating style...

.

External links

• Listen Up, Canada by Matthew Mendelsohn (Globe and Mail, 2005)