35th CIRIEC International Congress 2026 in Montréal
Following previous editions held in cities including Reims, Naples, Berlin, Liège, Vienna, Valencia and, more recently, San José, CIRIEC-Canada is proud to host the 35th CIRIEC International Congress 2026 in Montréal. This prestigious biennial event attracts more than 500 participants from around thirty countries. It brings together political, economic and social leaders, executives from enterprises and organisations, as well as representatives from the research community in a collective dialogue on strategies for collective enterprises aimed at advancing the common good.
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Dialogue between the public economy and the social economy
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Dialogue between academics and practitioners
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Dialogue between Québec and international experiences
The 35th CIRIEC International Congress 2026 will take place in Montréal from 5 to 8 October 2026 at the Centre Mont-Royal under the general theme: “Caring for the World: The Essential Contribution of the Social Economy and Public Enterprises”. In a context marked by multiple crises and profound transitions, the Congress aims to highlight the structuring role played by public enterprises and social economy organisations in building more resilient, inclusive and sustainable societies.
The themes explored throughout the event are wide-ranging and rich in shared perspectives:
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Multiple crises & the resilience of public and social structures
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Socio-ecological transition & circular economy
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Enterprise strategies, sustainability & ESG issues
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Solidarity-based, sustainable finance & alternative economic models
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Issues and challenges of democratic governance & citizen participation
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The role of public enterprises in energy, transportation & infrastructure
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Inequality, care & feminism”
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The ole of arts and culture in sustainable development & democracy
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Impact of public policies on the social and collective economy
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Digital transformation & responsible AI
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Social transformation, work, and training
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Housing, accommodation & living environment
Keynote speakers
Jérôme Dupras
Jérôme Dupras is Quebec’s Chief Scientist and President and CEO of the Fonds de recherche du Québec (Quebec Research Fund). Prior to his appointment, Mr. Dupras was a full professor in the Department of Natural Sciences at the Université du Québec en Outaouais and held the Canada Research Chair in Ecological Economics and the UNESCO Chair in Biodiversity Economics.
Throughout his career, Jérôme Dupras has received numerous distinctions, including the Governor General’s Academic Gold Medal, the Medal of Honour of the National Assembly of Quebec, and the National Order of Quebec.
In addition to his scientific activities, Jérôme Dupras is also known as a science entrepreneur, environmental activist, and artist, as a member and founder of the band Les Cowboys Fringants.
Jérôme Dupras will speak on Tuesday, October 6.
Jimmy Jean
Jimmy Jean is Vice-President, Chief Economist and Strategist at Desjardins Group. He leads a team of researchers, analysts and forecasters that has been named Best Overall Forecaster – Canada by FocusEconomics on numerous occasions. His keen insights and clear communication style make him a sought-after speaker and a regular guest on financial news programs in Canada’s English and French media markets.
Jimmy has been with Desjardins Group for most of his career, but has also served as senior strategist at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec and as an economist at Moody's, RBC Capital Markets and Statistics Canada. He has a master’s degree in applied financial economics from HEC Montréal and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
Jimmy Jean will speak on Wednesday, October 7.
Julia Cagé
With a degree from the École Normale Supérieure and a PhD from Harvard University, Julia Cagé is a Professor of Economics at Sciences Po Paris and a research fellow at the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR), where she heads the ‘Media Plurality Research Policy Network’, as well as at the Interdisciplinary Laboratory for the Evaluation of Public Policies (LIEPP) and the CESifo Research Network. A specialist in political economy and economic history, she focuses on the media, particularly the impact of competition and the advent of the internet on the quality of information produced and political attitudes. Her research also examines the financing of democracy, particularly of political parties and election campaigns, in Western Europe and the United States, from a comparative perspective.
Her works have been published in leading economics journals, including the American Economic Review and the Review of Economic Studies, as well as in numerous edited volumes. She is the author of several books translated into some fifteen languages, including Sauver les médias. Capitalisme, financement participatif et démocratie (Le Seuil, 2015), which received the Special Jury Prize at the Assises du Journalisme (2016), and Le prix de la démocratie (Fayard, 2018), which received the Anticor ‘Ethics Prize’ (2019), the France Culture-Le Monde Petrarch Prize for Essays, and the City of Saint-Maur Essay Prize (2021). Her latest book, Une histoire du conflit politique. Élections et inégalités sociales en France, 1789–2022, co-written with Thomas Piketty, was published by Seuil in 2023.
In 2021, she held the ‘Arne Naess Chair in Global Justice and the Environment’ (awarded by the University of Oslo). In 2023, she received the Prize for the Best Young French Economist and, in 2025, the Yrjö Jahnsson Prize for the Best European Economist.
Julia Cagé will speak on Thursday, October 8.
