Opportunities and challenges in influencing policy: The case of the Canadian Public Health Association

The ability to effectively exercise policy influence to promote and protect the public's health is critical to the raison d'etre of public health associations around the globe. However, these organizations faced a number of challenges in advancing public health policy in an increasingly complex and contested terrain dominated by individually oriented and technocratic solutions to health. This presentation will reflect on the Canadian Public Health Association's efforts to date to marshal the evidence needed to make the case for policy change in controversial areas in the face of opposition. It will reflect on lessons learned and propose options for effectively measuring the impacts of public health policy initiatives to assess whether we are truly making a difference.