Macdonald-Laurier Institute

AI policy in Canada: A unique path between the EU and US
2025-07-07 13:00 - 14:00 (America/Toronto)
As global powers race to define the rules of artificial intelligence, Canada stands at a crossroads between the European Union’s regulatory caution and the United States’ innovation-driven approach. Should Canada choose a side – or carve out its own path?
Join us for a timely webinar on Canada’s evolving AI policy landscape. We’ll explore key legislative developments, evolving regulatory frameworks, and their implications for innovation, privacy, equity, and global competitiveness. Our expert panel will delve into the ethical, legal, and economic stakes, asking: What could a distinctly Canadian approach to AI governance look like?
This session offers a rare opportunity to engage with leading voices as they map out how Canada can navigate the complexities of AI regulation – safeguarding public trust and promoting technology that serves people and their well-being – all while fostering technological leadership and innovation. Be part of the conversation shaping Canada’s role in the global AI ecosystem.
Speakers

Building better housing policy: How immigration, family formation, and a changing population shape housing supply and affordability
2025-08-06 12:00 - 13:00
Canada is undergoing profound demographic change, and that’s driven housing policy to the centre of the national conversation.
Questions about housing policy – and specifically how it supports or hinders family life, community cohesion, and economic resilience – have never been more urgent.
Our expert panel will address how immigration patterns affect supply and demand, how demographic shifts are changing housing needs, and how affordability influences key life decisions such as marriage, childbearing, and household formation.
They’ll also dive into solutions. The panel will look at how municipalities and developers can respond with strategies that promote affordability, strengthen civil society, and support long-term prosperity.
The webinar will offer essential insights into the drivers shaping Canada’s housing landscape, and the policy responses needed to meet the challenges ahead.

Breaking the Feed: Does the attention economy undermine our democracy?
2025-08-13 13:00 - 14:00
Join us on this webinar to explore the complex relationship between free speech, democracy, and the attention economy.
In an age where digital platforms prioritize engagement above all else, the algorithms that shape what we see and hear increasingly favour outrage, sensationalism, and polarizing content. This dynamic has profound implications –not only for the quality of public discourse, but for democratic values and our shared understanding of truth. Beyond distorting public debate, the attention economy is undermining journalism, accelerating mental health crises, polarizing citizens, and opening the door to foreign influence operations, all while monetizing distraction and division.
Our panel of experts will explore how these forces intersect, the risks they pose to civic life, and what can be done to foster healthier digital spaces.
Register for the event here.

Free speech under threat: How we can defend it – together
2025-08-25 13:00 - 14:00
﻿﻿﻿Free speech in Canada is facing unprecedented pressure from expanding government controls and cultural shifts. Once the bedrock of democratic life, open debate is increasingly stifled by laws targeting so-called “harmful” expression and by a rising climate of censorship – especially on sensitive issues like immigration, gender, and national identity.Canada’s conception of free speech has quietly – but profoundly – shifted. Once seen as a tool for collective truth-seeking and democratic engagement, it is now often framed as a matter of personal expression. This turn, amplified by the Charter’s post-1982 interpretation and the rise of expressive individualism, has made them more easily overridden in the name of competing values like “safety” and “inclusion.” The result? A thinner, more fragile vision of free expression – one less anchored in the rigour of open debate.Join Macdonald-Laurier Institute Senior Fellows Ryan Alford and Eric Kaufmann for a critical conversation on the future of free expression in Canada. They’ll explore the cultural currents weakening resistance to censorship, the revival of restrictive laws, and the risks they pose to our foundational freedoms. They will also offer a roadmap for Canadians seeking to restore a culture of open inquiry and principled dissent. It’s time for Canadians to raise their voices in defence of free speech – before it’s too late.Register for the event here.

Free speech in Canada is facing unprecedented pressure from expanding government controls and cultural shifts. Once the bedrock of democratic life, open debate is increasingly stifled by laws targeting so-called “harmful” expression and by a rising climate of censorship – especially on sensitive issues like immigration, gender, and national identity.
Canada’s conception of free speech has quietly – but profoundly – shifted. Once seen as a tool for collective truth-seeking and democratic engagement, it is now often framed as a matter of personal expression. This turn, amplified by the Charter’s post-1982 interpretation and the rise of expressive individualism, has made them more easily overridden in the name of competing values like “safety” and “inclusion.” The result? A thinner, more fragile vision of free expression – one less anchored in the rigour of open debate.
Join Macdonald-Laurier Institute Senior Fellows Ryan Alford and Eric Kaufmann for a critical conversation on the future of free expression in Canada. They’ll explore the cultural currents weakening resistance to censorship, the revival of restrictive laws, and the risks they pose to our foundational freedoms. They will also offer a roadmap for Canadians seeking to restore a culture of open inquiry and principled dissent. It’s time for Canadians to raise their voices in defence of free speech – before it’s too late.

The Aftermath of October 7
2025-10-07 09:00 - 10:30
Two years after the horrific Hamas attacks on Israel, join us for an essential conversation with leading experts Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, Casey Babb, and Einat Wilf. They will examine the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Israel’s defence against escalating Islamist terror, and the global forces reshaping the region’s future. With rising antisemitism in the West, including in Canada, this session will provide vital insights into the Israeli-Hamas conflict, shifting Arab political thought, and a roadmap for a more secure future for Israel.
Please register for the event here.

Shadows over Canada: Confronting foreign influence
2025-10-08 15:00 - 17:00 | Kildare House, 323 Chapel Street, Ottawa, ON K1N 7Z2
Foreign interference. Money laundering. Undue influence by powerful insiders. These are just some of the hidden threats facing Canada’s democracy. It’s time to unmask these forces – subjecting them to hard scrutiny before they can further erode our democratic institutions.
Join MLI for a timely discussion with senior experts on the policy choices Canada must make to address its growing vulnerabilities. Our panel – including a former solicitor general, veteran investigators, and a senior fellow with national security experience – will reveal how illicit networks, substate capture, and abuse of public office undermine Canadian democracy. In addition, participants will consider concrete policy and institutional reforms that Canada needs to confront these risks. Based on fresh investigations and new insights, this event exposes threats too often overlooked.
Reception to follow at All Saints 5:00 -7:00 PM (330 Laurier Ave E).
Please register for the event here.
Event Program:

3:00 pm: Doors open, with refreshments
3:30 pm: Welcoming remarks by Christopher Coates, MLI
3:40 pm: Panel begins, moderated by Kevin Vuong, with panelists: Hon. Wayne Easter, Garry Clement, and Dean Baxendale
5:00 pm: End of event

Copies of Canada Under Siege: How PEI Became a Forward Operating Base for the Chinese Communist Party will be available for purchase at the event.

The productivity puzzle: Why Canada struggles to build its way out of the housing crisis
2025-10-27 14:00 - 15:00
Canada isn’t short on builders, yet it’s building less than ever. Despite record numbers of workers and billions in public spending, housing output per worker hasn’t kept pace. Home prices may be softening, but affordability remains out of reach and construction backlogs keep growing.
An often-overlooked aspect of Canada’s housing affordability and supply challenge is construction sector productivity. The data raise hard questions about whether government housing targets are even possible under the current system, and what needs to change to make building faster, smarter, and more affordable.
This panel discussion will explore why total construction times and productivity have stalled and how better policy, smarter regulation, and modern building methods can help break through the bottlenecks. If Canada wants to solve its housing crisis, it must first fix how it builds – and that starts with productivity.
Speakers

Please register for the event here.

Trump's peace plan: Assessing the future of Canada-US relations in the Middle East
2026-01-29 12:00 - 13:30
Join us for a groundbreaking Macdonald-Laurier Institute webinar as we explore the shifting landscape of the Middle East and its direct implications on Canada-US relations. In this exclusive session, our expert panel will dissect the long-term consequences of President Donald Trump’s peace plan, analyze Canada’s evolving foreign policy toward Israel and Gaza, and discuss how recent geopolitical shifts are reshaping cross-border diplomacy. Featured speakers include Dr. Michael Doran, senior fellow and director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East at the Hudson Institute; Dr. Ronen Hoffman, Israel’s former ambassador to Canada; and Dr. Casey Babb, director of MLI’s Promised Land Program. The panel will unpack these crucial issues and then questions from attendees. Be a part of the conversation – the first of its kind in Canada.
Please register for the event here.

Charting Uncertain Waters - Facts vs. Fears
2026-02-05 11:00 - 14:00
Experts cut through Indigenous land claim rulings, transparency gaps, and uncertainty affecting real estate and resource development.

Resource Works Presents “Charting Uncertain Waters: Facts vs. Fears” at the Victoria Ocean Pointe Resort:
Leading experts will navigate the noise around recent Indigenous land claim rulings, government transparency and the resulting uncertainty around real estate risks and natural resources development.
Speakers
Karen Restoule – Director of Indigenous Affairs and Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
Crystal Smith – Senior Fellow at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute.
Thomas Isaac – Partner at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP
(More to be announced soon.)
Please register for the event here.

Healthcare without hate: Confronting antisemitism in medicine
2026-02-18 18:00 - 19:00
Throughout Canada, the United States, and much of the Western world, antisemitism and other forms of bigotry are creeping into healthcare at unprecedented rates as medicine becomes increasingly politicized. Although this issue affects everyone, few are giving it the attention it deserves. In this timely webinar, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, in collaboration with Doctors Against Racism and Antisemitism and the American Jewish Medical Association, unpacks these troubling trends, shedding light on a dangerous issue that warrants urgent attention.
Speakers

Please register for the event here.

Energy Security Summit 2026
2026-03-10 - 2026-03-11
The Energy Security Summit is a premier gathering of decision-makers, security experts, and energy system leaders focused on confronting the most urgent energy security challenges facing Canada today. Over two days, participants will examine the evolving global threat landscape, Canada’s role in supporting global energy security, and the technologies critical to protecting and strengthening energy production and delivery systems.

Presented by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute (MLI) and fuelled by the Energy Security Technical Advisory Committee (E-STAC), the summit is shaped by the guidance of a cross-sector Advisory Council with deep expertise across energy systems, national security, technology, and public policy.

Day 1 examines the strategic pressures reshaping Canada’s energy landscape. Through keynotes and high-level panels, participants explore energy security and strategic spending, the challenges of balancing affordability, sustainability, and resilience, and the role of government within an increasingly unstable global environment. Sessions address foreign influence in Canadian energy projects, security risks in the Arctic and northern regions, and intelligence and defence cooperation with international allies, underscoring the scale and immediacy of today’s threats.
Day 2 focuses on resilience across Canada’s interconnected systems. Programming highlights the growing interdependence of energy, telecommunications, and financial infrastructure, the rising importance of data security, and the need for coordinated, cross-sector responses. Discussions emphasize collaboration, alignment, and technological readiness to strengthen Canada’s ability to anticipate, withstand, and respond to emerging risks.

Restoring the economic vision of Canada’s constitution
2026-03-26 14:00 - 15:00
Canada’s Constitution rests on an implicit economic vision – one grounded in property rights, decentralized decision-making, and the free movement of goods, services, labour, and capital across the country.
Though not explicitly articulated in the constitutional text, this vision is embedded in its architecture: federalism, subsidiarity, and the commitment to economic union. Over time, however, that underlying logic has been obscured by regulatory fragmentation, interprovincial barriers, and institutional inertia.
Building on three recent Macdonald-Laurier Institute papers – on mutual recognition, property rights, and the creation of a new agency to facilitate internal trade – this project moves from theory to practice. MLI will develop concrete legislative drafting instructions to translate these ideas into actionable, ready-to-adopt policy.
Canada’s current political moment has renewed attention to issues long relegated to the margins: persistent internal trade barriers and the unrealized economic promise embedded in our constitutional framework. The time for endless diagnosis is over. We need practical proposals capable of turning that promise into reality.

Safeguarding Canada’s parliamentary tradition
2026-04-21 13:00 - 14:00
Canada’s Parliamentary democracy – the core of our constitutional system – is increasingly threatened by expansive judicial decisions. Some of these rulings reflect skepticism, even outright hostility, to Parliament’s role; others stem from misunderstanding or ignorance about how our system is meant to work. This concise, accessible webinar will explain how Parliamentary democracy fits within Canada’s constitutional order – and what can be done to safeguard it from judicial overreach.
Speakers

The price of policy: How government shapes affordability
2026-07-08 15:00 - 16:00
Canada’s affordability crisis has become entrenched. Despite years of concern, the cost of living keeps rising, revealing a deeper structural problem: affordability is not just a symptom to be managed with subsidies and short-term spending, but a predictable result of a persistently underperforming economy.
Join us for a sharp, evidence-based discussion on what’s driving pressure on Canadian households.
Peter Copeland and Philip Cross will examine the policy choices behind decades of weakening productivity and falling purchasing power — from regulatory burden and tax competitiveness to barriers on investment and growth — and how these decisions have made everyday life more expensive.
Building on the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s latest work, this webinar moves beyond diagnosis to solutions, outlining practical, market-oriented reforms to restore productivity, strengthen the dollar, and improve living standards
Join us for a compelling conversation on Canada’s affordability challenge — and what it will actually take to fix it.
Speakers

Please register for the event here.

Can Canada grow again? A discussion on the structural reforms needed to restore Canada's long-term growth potential
2026-08-26 14:00 - 15:00
Register for the webinar here.
Canada’s weak economic growth reflects long-term productivity challenges that have accumulated over decades. Persistent underinvestment, weak business dynamism, and barriers to innovation and competition have left the country less competitive and less prosperous, raising a fundamental question: Can Canada grow again?
Join us for a timely, evidence-based discussion on the structural reforms needed to restore Canada’s long-term growth potential.
Acting Director of Domestic Policy Peter Copeland will join Senior Fellows Trevor Tombe and Tim Sargent to examine the deep-rooted factors behind Canada’s productivity slowdown — from investment, regulation, and internal trade barriers to state capacity and business competitiveness. They’ll also explore how these long-term challenges intersect with today’s policy debates, including renewed US tariff threats, the future of CUSMA and supply management, the limits and opportunities of trade diversification, and whether recent momentum on internal trade reform can be sustained.
Building on the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s latest work, this webinar will offer practical policy solutions to strengthen productivity, enhance Canada’s competitiveness, and restore the conditions for sustained long-term economic growth.
