OTTAWA, ON, March 11, 2026 /CNW/ - The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences has released Inflection Point, its Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030. The plan is issued at a pivotal moment for the humanities and social sciences (HSS) community in Canada. For nearly a century, and for 30 years as a unified national organization, the Federation has worked to sustain the HSS in Canada. This Strategic Plan marks not simply a continuation of that work, but its next chapter.

Inflection Point responds to sustained pressures across both Canada's postsecondary ecosystem and Canadian society. Yet within this lies the opportunity for a critical inflection point. More than ever, the HSS are being asked to do more of what they do best: to make sense of change, interpret complexity, and bring evidence-based and human-centred understanding to the questions Canadians are facing together.

"Inflection Point sets out how the Federation and the humanities and social sciences community will meet that call," said Karine Morin, President and CEO of the Federation. "The strategy invigorates the national infrastructure and coordination required to bring this knowledge into Canadian life with conviction. At its core is a renewed understanding of the role these disciplines must play, and of the Federation's responsibility to steward that role across postsecondary institutions and the public sphere."

Over 2026 to 2030, the Strategic Plan focuses on three directions:

• Amplify impact through advocacy and public engagement by bringing HSS expertise into policy conversations and public life.
• Strengthen the community through capacity building by supporting scholars and leaders to engage, collaborate, and lead nationally.
• Reimagine new ways of convening by evolving Congress and developing flexible, year-round opportunities for meaningful exchange.

These directions are informed by cross-cutting commitments: advancing equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID) as foundational conditions for equitable participation; promoting access and visibility in both official languages; and enhancing operational excellence by delivering infrastructure that is accountable, responsive, and built for long-term sustainability.

This strategy positions the Federation as a shared HSS infrastructure, providing a framework for united action that recognizes the challenge and the power of a coordinated national response. Inflection Point is also an invitation to the HSS community to meet this moment with purpose. An inclusive, democratic, and prosperous Canadian future requires scholars, leaders, institutions, and collaborators to show up boldly where they are needed. The Federation's role in the years ahead is to provide leadership and coordination that make this collective work possible.

Read the Federation's Strategic Plan: Inflection Point at www.federationhss.ca/en/strategic-plan-inflection-point.

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is a national member organization that promotes scholarship and leadership in the humanities and social sciences through advocacy, capacity building, and knowledge exchange. www.federationhss.ca

SOURCE Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences