For more than thirty years, Dr. Robert Glossop worked with the Vanier Institute of the Family as a cultural observer intent on learning about what families look like, what they do and how they feel. The answers he found shed light on our nation’s economy, social trends, culture and, ultimately, our prospects. His writings, speeches, and analyses have addressed a broad range of themes: societal ageing, taxation policy, community economic development, new reproductive technologies, childcare, genomics, the mass media and technological change.

Bob’s insightful and engaging presentations have asked: How do families ‘make ends meet’ in difficult times? What can be done to help families that don’t have enough time, money or both? How do we know if the ‘kids are really all right?’ Why does neither the left nor the right of the political spectrum know how to craft family policy? Why are families the architects of civil societies? His expertise on these and other topics have made him a popular speaker at conferences and seminars across Canada as well as a frequent interview subject for journalists writing on social issues. In 2005, Bob received the Lawson Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has received honorary doctorates from both the University of Guelph and Trent University. Bob accepted an appointment to the Order of Canada in 2008.