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.


Stay informed. Lead the conversation.
Roundtable discussion with the Business Council of Canada on Impact Assessment Act Reform
On September 14, MLI was pleased to co-host a roundtable discussion with the Business Council of Canada, moderated by Heather...
Arrest warrant issued by Hong Kong for MLI’s Nathan Law
On July 3, 2023, Hong Kong police issued arrest warrants and placed a HK$1-million bounty on 8 internationally based activists,...
Webinar panel video: The Endless Indigenous Water Controversy
For more than a decade, The Government of Canada has placed a high priority on bringing clean, safe and...
China’s infiltration and cooptation of Canadian research: Christian Leuprecht
The following is a transcript of Christian Leuprecht's testimony before the Canadian House of Commons Standing Committee on Science...
Webinar panel video: Defend or defund? The future of the CBC
A rapidly evolved media landscape has led to renewed calls for reform – or in some cases defunding –...
G7 Hiroshima Summit & Beyond
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz89M7QQ5g4 On May 26, following the G7 summit in Hiroshima, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute was delighted to host a moderated...