Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Trump's peace plan: Assessing the future of Canada-US relations in the Middle East
2026-01-29 12:00 - 13:30 (America/Toronto)
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 even 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
