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.
The best response to tariffs is competitive tax policy: Jack Mintz in the Financial Post
This article originally appeared in the Financial Post. Below is an excerpt from the article. By Jack Mintz, August 24, 2026 Although...
Canada has its own academic fakery problem: Christopher Dummitt in the National Post
This article originally appeared in the National Post. Below is an excerpt from the article. By Christopher Dummitt, August 24, 2026 Canada...
Canada plays with a weak hand against Trump. Ottawa’s making it worse: Jerome Gessaroli in The Globe and Mail
This article originally appeared in The Globe and Mail. By Jerome Gessaroli, August 24, 2026 The Carney government should not...
Canada’s dairy industry in decline: Peter Copeland and Sylvain Charlebois on Inside Policy Talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgj_RGqRRiI Canada's dairy industry is one of the most protected sectors of the Canadian economy. But is that protection...
China is fuelling Canada’s fentanyl crisis. Is it hybrid warfare?: Nirvan Bose for Inside Policy
By Nirvan Bose, August 21, 2026 Canada's drug crisis has claimed well over 50,000 lives in the last 10 years;...
What’s at stake in the Canada-U.S. trade deal? How looming tariffs could cost Canada 90,000 jobs: Trevor Tombe in The Hub
This article originally appeared in The Hub. By Trevor Tombe, August 21, 2026 At the very last minute on August...
