Welcome to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI), Canada’s only truly national public policy think tank based in Ottawa.
MLI is rigorously independent and non-partisan, as symbolized by its name. Sir John A. Macdonald and Sir Wilfrid Laurier were two outstanding and long-serving prime ministers who represent the best of Canada’s distinguished political tradition. A Tory and a Grit, an English-speaker and a French-speaker, each of them championed the values that led to the creation of Canada and its emergence as one of the world’s leading democracies and a place where people may live in peace and freedom under the rule of law.
Our ideas drive the national conversation:
- MLI is the most cited think-tank in Canada’s parliament and our experts are routinely called upon to testify at parliamentary committee.
- Our columns and op-eds appear in the national and international media on average once a day.
Canada’s adversaries fear the MLI spotlight which is why we have been blacklisted by both the Kremlin and Beijing.
Our goal is to be an indispensable source of reasoned and timely thought leadership for policymakers, opinion leaders, and Canadians at-large. We want to help make Canada the best governed country in the world.
Our work includes:
Initiating and conducting research identifying current and emerging economic and public policy issues facing Canadians, including, but not limited to, research into defence and security, foreign policy, immigration, economic and fiscal policy, Canada-US relations, regulatory policy, regional development, social policy and aboriginal affairs;
Investigating and analysing the full range of options for public and private sector responses to the issues identified and to act as a catalyst for informed debate on those options;
Communicating the conclusions of our work to a national audience in a clear, non-partisan way;
Sponsoring or organizing conferences, meetings, seminars, lectures, training programs and publications using all media of communication (including without restriction, the electronic media), for the purposes of achieving these objects;
To read MLI’s Statement And Resolution Regarding The Independence Of The Institute’s Research Effort, click here.
A veiled bet: The West Coast Pipeline and the case Canadians haven’t been shown
By Bryan Gould August 4, 2026 See Oil Industry & Pipeline Economics Lexicon here On July 2, Prime Minister...
Canada cannot trade away the danger of a Russia-China alliance: Marcus Kolga and Charles Burton in the National Post
This article originally appeared in the National Post. By Marcus Kolga and Charles Burton, July 31, 2026 Canada’s debates about...
Euthanasia, transgenderism, and transgression: Peter Copeland and Carl Trueman for Inside Policy Talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GnTn_bwkvs By almost every material measure life has become safer, richer, and more convenient... so why do many people seem...
Doug Ford is wrong – Why doing nothing at all is Canada’s best response to Trump’s tariffs: Trevor Tombe in The Hub
This article originally appeared in The Hub. By Trevor Tombe, July 30, 2026 Canada’s best response to the latest round...
Canada’s golden opportunity – ours to lose?: Heather Exner-Pirot on This Is Mining with Amber Mac
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UjAZs1l9yY Heather Exner-Pirot is the director of energy, natural resources, and the environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
Canada must confront Russia’s Arctic aspirations: Alexander Dalziel and Sergey Sukhankin in the National Post
This article originally appeared in the National Post. By Alexander Dalziel and Sergey Sukhankin, July 29, 2026 As the U.S.-Iran...
