PDF file: 451-0733_behavioural_science_experiments_and_nudging_January_26_2026.pdf
OPQ ID: 451-0733
Session: 451
Question number: Q-0733
Sessional paper: 8555-451-733
Title: behavioural science experiments and nudging, January 26, 2026
Short description: 
Topic: vaccines
Identified concern: 
Keywords: 
Agencies: PHAC, PCO
Date asked: 2025-12-09
Date tabled: 2026-01-26
Submitted by: Leslyn Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk)
Reply by: the Prime Minister of Canada
Responded by: Rachel Bendayan, P.C., M.P.
Pages: 19
Status: not processed
Alert: yellow
Questions asked: 8
Questions answered: 
Percent responded: 0%
Referenced sources: World Health Organization
Referenced links: (none extracted)
Official link: https://www.google.com/search?q=8555-451-733+ourcommons.ca
PDF URL: https://ivim.ca/foi/opq/r/451-0733_behavioural_science_experiments_and_nudging_January_26_2026.pdf
TXT URL: https://ivim.ca/foi/opq/r/451-0733.txt
Original filename: Q-733 - behavioural science experiments and nudging, January 26, 2026.pdf
Local source path: C:\Users\Dmitry\Documents\CODES\OPQ-App\data-raw\OPQ\ALL OPQ TO DATE\2025\Q-733 - behavioural science experiments and nudging, January 26, 2026.pdf
Machine extracted at: 2026-06-30 12:58:32

References / links:
- World Health Organization

Machine notes:
(none)

Question text preview:
With regard to all behavioural science experiments, evaluations, analyses and prototypes, and other policy or service-design work undertaken by the Privy Council Office’s Impact and Innovation Unit since its creation, including those conducted with or for other federal departments: (a) what current and past projects has the Impact and Innovation Unit undertaken, including, for each project, the (i) title, (ii) dates during which it was active, (iii) sponsoring department, (iv) costs, (v) objectives, (vi) names of any external contractors used;
(b) what research methodologies and behavioural frameworks were used for each project (for example, nudge theory, social-norming, fear-based framing);
(c) what message-testing experiments were conducted and what internal ethical guidelines governed them;
(d) how have Impact and Innovation Unit behavioural insights been used and integrated into Public Health Agency of Canada or other department’s communication plans;
(e) what public reporting or parliamentary reporting practices exist for Impact and Innovation Unit projects, and, if none, why; and (f) what
Impact and Innovation Unit insights, documents or research has been shared with the United Kingdom, the Organisation for
Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Health Organization or other foreign governments, broken down by (i) recipient, (ii) summary of the material and data shared, (iii) purpose of the disclosure, (iv) the date on which it was shared?
Response
This response was tabled in the House of Commons on January 26, 2026, as Sessional Paper 8555-451-733.
Order/Address of the House of Commons
Question number
Q-733
Asked by
Leslyn Lewis (Haldimand—Norfolk)
Date asked
December 9, 2025
Tabled on
January 26, 2026
Sessional Paper
8555-451-733
House of Commons
Privy Council Office
Reply by: the Prime Minister of Canada
Name of Signatory: Rachel Bendayan, P.C., M.P.
Reply
Privy Council Office
(a) what current and past projects has the Impact and Innovation Unit undertaken, including, for each project, the (i) title, (ii) dates during which it was active, (iii) sponsoring department, (iv) costs, (v) objectives, (vi) names of any external contractors used;
(b) what research methodologies and behavioural frameworks were used for each project (for example, nudge theory, social-norming, fear-based framing);
(c) what message-testing experiments were conducted and what internal ethical guidelines governed them?
Presented by
Kevin Lamoureux
Parliamentary Secretary to the
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons title dates during which it was active sponsoring department costs objectives names of any external contractors used
(b) what research methodologies and behavioural frameworks were used for each project
(for example, nudge theory, socialnorming, fearbased framing)
(c) what messagetesting experiments were conducted an what internal ethical guidelines governed the
Early COVID-19 response
JuneAugust,
2020
Public Health
Agency of
Canada
$50,300.00
To support early
COVID response
Qualtrics
Public opinion research, survey and survey studies
Two messagin studies that used randomized controlled tria methodology governed by T
Council Policy
Statement on
Ethical Condu for Research
Involving
Humans (201 and/or Public
Opinion
Research ethi frameworks
Fellowship
Arrangement -
Sustainable
Development
Policy
Directorate
February
6, 2023, to
March 31,
2027
Agriculture and AgriFood
Canada
$0.00
To understand barriers to implementation of sustainable agricultural practices among
Canadian farmers.
None
Public opinion research
None
Impact Canada
Behavioural
Science Cohort -
Fellowship
Arrangement
July 5,
2022, to
March 31,
2023
Privy Council
Office
$0.00
To understand
Canadians' preferences about what information to receive from government, how to receive this information, and where to receive it (for example: email newsletter, social media posts, Canadian news channels, television or radio, and others), with a focus on digital communication preferences and needs.
Qualtrics
Surveys and survey studies
One (1) messagetesting study was conducte to estimate th impacts of different messages about scams and frauds on recognizing scams and frauds and tru in the messag content.
Work was guided by the Tri-Counc
Policy
Statement on
Ethical Condu for Research
Involving
Humans (2022
Applying Social and Behavioural
Science
Approaches within the
Canada Water
Agency
April 1,
2025, to
March 31,
2026
Canada
Water
Agency
$35,000.00
To understand
Canadian's knowledge and attitudes towards water security and water use.
Forum
Public opinion research
None
Canadian Armed
Forces of the
Future: Applying behavioural, social, and data sciences to support modernization
December
4, 2025, to
March 31,
2026
Department of National
Defence
$50,000.00
To provide an external review of the compensation and noncompensationrelated drivers of attrition in the
Canadian Armed
Forces to support the development of actionable strategies to increase retention.
None
None
None
A New Approach to Optimizing
Procurement for
Defence
Readiness
January 1,
2026, to
March 31,
2029
Department of National
Defence
$405,000.00
To target an expeditious but rigorous procurement process.
None
None
None
Climate Change
Program of
Applied
Behavioural
Science
Research
Through an
Impact Canada
Behavioural
Science
Fellowship
Cohort, later titled the
"Program of
Applied
Research on
Climate Action" in Canada
September
1, 2021, to
March 31,
2024
Environment and Climate
Change
Canada
Natural
Resources
Canada
$1,225,000.00
To understand barriers to greater climate action and environmental protection behaviours (for example: retrofitting one's home or installing an electric heat pump, protecting property from wildfires) among adults in Canada and to produce evidence-based, actionable
Advanis,
Forum,
Qualtrics,
Veritas
Public opinion research, surveys, survey studies, key informant interviews, and field studies
Fourteen (14) messagetesting studies were conducte to estimate th performance o communicatio about relevan topics (for example: knowledge about climate change, home energy use, electric heat pumps, electr vehicles, and emergency
recommendations for improving the impact and costeffectiveness of climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation policies and programs. preparedness on electrification, home energy use, emergen preparedness and other environmenta protection behaviours.
Work was guided by the
Tri-Council
Policy
Statement on
Ethical Condu for Research
Involving
Humans (2022
The Impact an
Innovation Un also consulted with the Acces to Information and Privacy
Division at the
Privy Council
Office.
Supporting the
Program of
Applied
Research on
Climate Action and the
Environment
Using Insights from Behavioural
Science
April 1,
2024, to
March 31,
2025
Environment and Climate
Change
Canada
Natural
Resources
Canada
$333,000.00
To understand barriers to greater climate action and environmental protection behaviours (for example: retrofitting one's home or installing an electric heat pump, protecting property from wildfires) among adults in Canada and to produce evidence-based, actionable recommendations for improving the impact and costeffectiveness of
Forum,
Qualtrics
Public opinion research, surveys, survey studies, key informant interviews, and field studies
Two (2) messagetesting studies were conducte to estimate th performance o weather alerts and communicatio about net-zero homes on emergency preparedness and energy efficiency behaviours.
Work was guided by the
Tri-Council
Policy
Statement on
Ethical Condu
climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation policies and programs. for Research
Involving
Humans (2022
It also underwent a
Preliminary
Privacy Impac
Assessments by the Privy
Council Office privacy team.
Designing and
Testing
Refinements to the Fisheries
Act-related Metal and Diamond
Mining Effluent
Regulations
Schedule 2
Regulatory
Amendment
Process
October
20, 2025, to March
31, 2026
Environment and