Concordians win this year’s National Annual Public Administration Case Competition

A group of Concordia students has won the 2025 National Annual Public Administration Case Competition organized by the Canadian Association of Programs in Public Administration (CAPPA) and the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC).

The case competition showcases Canada’s public administration programs and offers students valuable learning experiences. In all, 12 teams took part in the competition responding to this year’s case topic: “It’s a Question of Ethics: Return to Office and Public Service Culture.”

Erykah Kangbeya, Julia Kelly, Hannah Lazarus, Matteo Mazza and Tess Walker, students from the MA Public Policy and Public Administration (MPPPA) program, rose to the occasion — placing first.

Responding to real-world concerns

Daniel Salée, professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, expressed gratitude for “the time and effort Meghan Joy (associate professor and MPPPA director), Joe Faragone (public servant in residence) and professor Geoffrey Kelley (Indigenous governance specialist in residence) invested in coaching and guiding our team to their remarkable success.”

Joy notes, “It was an honour to coach this CAPPA case competition team with Dr. Joe Faragone and Geoffrey Kelley. The students presented an impressive case on federal return to the office policy that incorporated their class learnings on ethics in public policy, married with real-world government and employee concerns. I congratulate them on their gold medal win!”

Imagining an ethical workplace

This year’s topic came as a surprise to students.

“We were all betting on what the case would be before it was announced,” Lazarus says. “We largely agreed that, with the current political hot topic being tariffs, we would have to figure out how to solve this trade war.”

When they learned it was about implementing the return-to-office (RTO) policy in an “ethical way” and how to handle public servants talking negatively about their working conditions online, they were taken aback, Lazarus recounts. There were many different layers to this policy issue that needed to be uncovered, and they debated for hours over what an “ethical workplace” looks like.

“Luckily,” Lazarus adds, “some of us had taken Ethics and Values in Public Policy-Making with Dr. Marlene Sokolon the previous term, which really helped guide our thinking. We combined this knowledge with extensive research and reached out to individuals currently dealing with this mandate. This was the key to our success.”

Kangbeya notes that their implementation plan had tangible implications for an existing workforce, with the potential to transform workplace culture and enhance service delivery for Canadians. “I greatly valued the opportunity to connect with my professional network to gain a deeper understanding of federal employees’ experiences,” she says.

“Ultimately, the policy solution we presented attempted to balance ethics and innovation within a modular approach. Participating in the competition was undoubtedly a deeply enriching professional experience — one that reinforced my commitment to a career centred on ethics and justice in policy-making.”

Walker acknowledges that CAPPA took her out of her comfort zone. “I couldn't be prouder of our team for the extensive research, careful deliberation and long days that went into producing and presenting our policy solution." 

“This experience involved real-time constraints and high stakes,” notes Mazza. “I could not have asked for better colleagues. Navigating this together as a team was very rewarding and absolutely paid off!”

Kelly echoes her teammates’ sentiments, adding, “I’m grateful for my team and coaches and proud to represent Concordia’s MPPPA program in tackling real-world policy challenges!”

Learn more about Concordia’s Public Policy and Public Administration MA program and the National Annual Public Administration Case Competition.