Macdonald-Laurier Institute

Macdonald-Laurier Institute The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is Canada's leading independent, nationally focused think tank based in Ottawa.

We exist to make poor public policy unacceptable in the nation's capital. The Macdonald-Laurier Institute, a truly independent public policy think tank, speaks to national policy makers, the national media and the national population about the full range of issues that affect Canada as a whole.

“Canadian universities now routinely hire by identity. The Canada Research Chairs program, one of the most prestigious s...
09/04/2026

“Canadian universities now routinely hire by identity. The Canada Research Chairs program, one of the most prestigious sources of academic jobs, mandates that chairs match national population targets for women, the disabled, Aboriginal peoples and ‘racialized’ groups — based not on the applicant pool, but on national population share. More broadly, many universities require candidates to submit DEI statements defending a particular reading of diversity, an explicit criterion on which they’re evaluated. Fail to support the institution’s version of DEI, and you rank lower,” writes MLI Senior Fellow Christopher Dummitt.

Read here⬇️
https://nationalpost.com/opinion/christopher-dummitt-canada-has-its-own-academic-fakery-problem

“In recent years, and with particular intensity since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, antisemitism has ...
09/03/2026

“In recent years, and with particular intensity since the October 7 Hamas terrorist attacks in Israel, antisemitism has become increasingly normalized in daily life worldwide. Canada is not immune. Harassment, intimidation, and violence against Jewish Canadians are rising, threatening not only individual safety but also the security and cohesion of entire communities and the country as a whole. Left unchecked, hatred and illegal behaviour erode confidence in the rule of law and weaken Canada’s democratic foundations,” write Peter Copeland, Sheryl Saperia and Mark Sandler.

Canada has the legal tools to confront these threats — so why isn’t it using them?

In “Beyond condemnation: Enforcing Canada’s laws against antisemitism, hate speech,” and support for terrorism, Copeland, Saperia, and Sandler examine how Canada’s existing criminal, immigration, and human rights laws can be employed more effectively to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish Canadians.

Read full commentary here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/beyond-condemnation-enforcing-canadas-laws-against-antisemitism-hate-speech-and-support-for-terrorism-peter-copeland-sheryl-saperia-and-mark-sandler/

09/03/2026

“On average, we send about 4.1 million barrels a day to the United States. That's an enormous amount. That's the most that any country has ever sent to another country ever in the history of the world, and we do it every single day,” says Heather Exner-Pirot.

Heather Exner-Pirot, director of energy, natural resources and environment at the MLI, lays out the risks and downside of weaponizing Canada’s energy exports in an interview with the National Post.

Watch interview here⬇️
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71Yvydqvths

“Overall, I estimate Canada’s average tariff response works out to about 30 percent, on average, across affected goods. ...
09/02/2026

“Overall, I estimate Canada’s average tariff response works out to about 30 percent, on average, across affected goods. That’s roughly 60 cents of response for every dollar of U.S. tariff. While not full dollar-for-dollar retaliation, as the government frames it, it is still a large response. And it comes on top of certain retaliatory tariffs already in place from last year.

There are real costs and benefits to weigh here. The goal is to change U.S. behaviour and raise funds to cover new government support programs for workers and businesses disrupted in the trade war. But we must also be clear about the costs and consequences of these tariffs on Canadians more generally,” writes MLI Senior Fellow Trevor Tombe.

Read here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/a-4-billion-hit-what-carneys-tariff-retaliation-could-cost-canadian-consumers-trevor-tombe-in-the-hub/

“Although there has been much opacity regarding the precise reasons that trade negotiations between Canada and the US fa...
09/02/2026

“Although there has been much opacity regarding the precise reasons that trade negotiations between Canada and the US failed, numerous reports, including from Canadian Prime Minister Carney himself, suggest that one of the main reasons was that the US was attempting to interfere with Canada’s trade relations with third countries. Carney boldly framed this as an unacceptable interference with Canada’s ‘sovereignty’ – surely as strong a reason as any to walk away from trade talks with the Americans, particularly given the provocative comments from President Trump regarding making Canada the 51st state,” writes MLI Senior Fellow David Collins.

Read here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/a-trade-treaty-with-the-us-isnt-much-of-a-threat-to-canadas-sovereignty-david-collins-in-city-law-forum/

“Every time you hear a tariff being thrown at another country in the name of ‘protection,’ what it really means is a tax...
09/02/2026

“Every time you hear a tariff being thrown at another country in the name of ‘protection,’ what it really means is a tax on anything imported. We live in a world of global supply chains. Not everything can, or will, be made in America. It’s a tax that no one can escape.

Tariffs are going to continue to raise costs for both sides of the border. It will solve nothing except feeding government coffers with money that people increasingly cannot afford to spend. The elephants stomp. The grass suffers,” writes Jamie Tronnes, Executive Director at the Center for North American Prosperity and Security.

In “The U.S.–Canada tariff war: When the elites fight, we all pay,” Tronnes explains how tariffs and counter-tariffs drive up prices, disrupt supply chains, and threaten jobs and investment, putting unnecessary pressure on everyone from farmers to homebuyers to consumers.

Read here⬇️
https://cnaps.org/u-s-canada-tariff-war-when-the-elites-fight-we-all-pay-jamie-tronnes/

“The problem is beginning to be addressed in America but is out of control in Canada. In the U.S., the proportion of EDI...
09/02/2026

“The problem is beginning to be addressed in America but is out of control in Canada. In the U.S., the proportion of EDI keywords in government-funded research soared until 2020-21, began to decline in 2024 and plunged in 2025 as the Trump administration cracked down on EDI-themed research. In Canada, there is no political pressure, so it continues to explode: between 2021 and 2025, the share of CRC chair descriptions using an EDI term rose from 38 to 53 per cent. The same is happening in Britain. Arday is a symptom of this unchecked grievance-industrial complex,” writes MLI Senior Fellow Eric Kaufmann in the National Post.

Read here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/it-costs-canada-millions-to-discriminate-against-white-male-academics-eric-kaufmann-in-the-national-post/

Full MLI paper here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-equity-excellence-trade-off-a-study-of-edi-in-the-canada-research-chairs-program/

“Rather than waiting for Trump to make demands, governments can present initiatives in defense, trade or technology that...
09/01/2026

“Rather than waiting for Trump to make demands, governments can present initiatives in defense, trade or technology that advance their own interests while also fitting his political priorities. In effect, they can help construct the victory Trump will inevitably want to announce.

The lesson is one of strategic realism. Trying to force a conventional diplomatic framework onto an unconventional presidency is unlikely to work. Nor does effective diplomacy require foreign leaders to admire Trump or accept every demand.

It requires understanding how he operates,” writes Stephen R. Nagy, sr. fellow and China project lead at MLI.

“The modern confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran — what Trump describes as an economic D-Day arrives inextric...
09/01/2026

“The modern confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran — what Trump describes as an economic D-Day arrives inextricably entangled with an ongoing trade war. This is precisely why Canada must be utterly clear about its motives. The target is a regime that shot its own young people in the streets, choked the world’s most important sea lane, and went to war with its neighbours. Confronting it is in Canada’s interest, regardless of the current political winds in Washington,” writes MLI contributor Avideh Motmaen-Far.

Read here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/canada-cannot-sit-out-trumps-economic-d-day-on-iran-avideh-motmaen-far-for-inside-policy/

“What should the government do instead? First, continue with investments that increase accountability (including the sur...
09/01/2026

“What should the government do instead? First, continue with investments that increase accountability (including the surety database) and the capacity to monitor risky, repeat offenders who have been granted bail. Second, expand bail bed programs and bail supervision and verification programs for less serious offenders. Third, address bail delays through more courthouse staff (JPs, Crowns) and promoting a courthouse culture change where efficiency is valued and adjournments are frowned upon,” writes Troy Riddell for MLI Inside Policy.

Read here⬇️
https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/ontario-is-going-about-bail-reform-the-wrong-way-troy-riddell-for-inside-policy/

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