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.
Deterrence is cheaper than defence: Christopher Coates and Lt.-Col. Joel Maley on Inside Policy Talks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXb60ttZhRI Latvia is home to Canada's largest overseas military deployment, with more than 2,000 members of the Canadian Armed Forces...
Get to the point – Why shorter judgments are key to improving access to justice: Paul Warchuk for Inside Policy
By Paul Warchuk, August 15, 2026 The Supreme Court of Canada wants governments to make justice more accessible. It might...
No, Canada’s economy isn’t on fire. Growth is returning, but on a permanently lower path: Trevor Tombe in The Hub
This article originally appeared in The Hub. By Trevor Tombe, August 13, 2026 For several months this past year, Canada’s...
Cambridge missteps in handling of scandal over alleged plagiarism: Peter MacKinnon in the National Post
This article originally appeared in the National Post. Below is an excerpt from the article. By Peter MacKinnon, August 11, 2026 There...
The new foreign interference law is a good start. Will it work?: Sarah Teich, Marcus Kolga and Gloria Fung in The Globe and Mail
This article originally appeared in The Globe and Mail. By Sarah Teich, Marcus Kolga and Gloria Fung, August 11, 2026...
Iran’s demands to reopen Strait of Hormuz includes unfreezing assets, compensation, more: Joe Varner on CTV News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHvgdXYqlik
