Macdonald–Laurier Institute

MLI is described by Global News as "an Ottawa-based think tank made up of academics, activists and former diplomats and politicians". MLI publishes the periodical Inside Policy,{{cite web |title=Inside Policy: The Magazine of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute |url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/insidepolicy/ |publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute}}

and produces books, reports, commentary, columns, and video.{{cite web |title=Home |url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca |publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute}}

The institute's research areas encompass Canadian domestic and foreign policy, energy policy, and indigenous affairs, according to its website.{{cite web | url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca | title=Home | publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute }}

Examples of current and past MLI research projects include Competition Policy in Canada; DisInfoWatch.org; Aboriginal Canada and the Natural Resource Economy;{{cite report

|url=http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/files/pdf/2013.05.30-MLI-3NorthernGateway-WebReady-vFinal.pdf

|title=The Way Out: New thinking about Aboriginal engagement and energy infrastructure to the West Coast

|first1=Brian Lee

|last1=Crowley

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|last2=Coates

|date=30 May 2013

|series=Aboriginal Canada and the Natural Resource Economy Series

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|access-date=31 May 2013

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140913204741/http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/files/pdf/2013.05.30-MLI-3NorthernGateway-WebReady-vFinal.pdf

|archivedate=13 September 2014

|url-status=live

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COVID Misery Index; The Great Energy Crisis; Indigenous Prosperity at a Crossroads; Internal Trade; Fiscal Reform; Fixing Canadian Health Care; Size of Government in Canada; Canada and the Indo-Pacific Initiative; and The Canadian Century Project: Why Balanced Budgets Matter.{{cite web | title=The Canadian Century Project: Why Balanced Budgets Matter | publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute | url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-canadian-century-project-why-balanced-budgets-matter/ }}

MLI published its first book in May 2010. Titled The Canadian Century: Moving out of America's Shadow, the book appeared on the best-seller list of the Montreal Gazette and was named to the 2010 Hill Times list of Best Books in the public policy category.{{cite web | url= https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/canadian-century-one-of-hill-times-2010-best-books/ | publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute | title=Canadian Century one of Hill Times 2010 Best Books | date=22 November 2010 }}{{cite web | publisher=The Hill Times | url= https://www.hilltimes.com/story/2010/11/22/best-books-2010/278110/ | title=Best Books 2010 | date=22 November 2010 }}{{cite news | title=Bestsellers | publisher=The Montreal Gazette | date=19 June 2010 }}

In September 2020, MLI launched "DisinfoWatch", a project to monitor and track disinformation in Canada and debunk misinformation, with a specific focus on the COVID-19 pandemic.{{cite news | url=https://torontolife.com/city/theyre-a-threat-to-the-entire-political-sp...m-this-researcher-is-tracking-how-russian-bots-are-targeting-canadians/| title='They're a threat to the entire political spectrum': This researcher is tracking how Russian bots are targeting Canadians | publisher=Toronto Life | date=17 April 2023 | first=Ali | last=Amad }}{{Cite web|date=2020-09-24|title=MLI Launches DisinfoWatch project led by Marcus Kolga {{!}} MLI|url=https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/mli-launches-disinfowatch/|access-date=2021-05-13|website=Macdonald-Laurier Institute|language=en-US}} The project is funded by the Macdonald–Laurier Institute, Journalists for Human Rights, and the United States Department of State's Global Engagement Center, an organization created by former U.S. president Obama.{{Cite news |last=Chase |first=Steven |date=February 28, 2021 |title=Canada among targets of Twitter accounts shut down for links to Kremlin and proxies |work=The Globe and Mail |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-canada-among-targets-of-twitter-accounts-shut-down-for-links-to/ |access-date=2021-05-13}} Its listed research partners include the East StratCom Task Force, European Values Center for Security Policy, Henry Jackson Society, Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excellence, and the Stockholm Free World Forum.{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://disinfowatch.org/about/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230302221007/https://disinfowatch.org/about/ |archive-date=2023-03-02 |access-date=2023-10-13 |website=DisinfoWatch |language=en-CA}}

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute has been ranked among the top three Canadian think tanks in the Global Go To Think Tanks Report produced by the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Society Program.{{cite web | url= https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/international-rankings-recognize-the-macdonald-laurier-institute-as-ottawas-top-think-tank/ | title=International rankings recognize the Macdonald-Laurier Institute as Ottawa's top think tank | date=30 January 2016 | publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute }}{{cite web | url= https://repository.upenn.edu/entities/publication/c192017a-531a-4fa2-afd9-134a112b63bf | title=2015 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report | date=9 February 2016 | issue=10 | publisher=Think Tanks & Civil Societies Program, The University of Pennsylvania | last1=McGann | first1=James G. }}

In 2012, the same organization ranked MLI as one of the top three of the Best New Think Tanks worldwide.{{cite web | url= https://repository.upenn.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/211d3402-0dcd-45e6-8a6d-849f36ac12d5/content | title=2012 Global Go To Think Tanks Report and Policy Advice | publisher=International Relations Program, University of Pennsylvania | date=28 January 2013 | first=James | last=McGann }}{{rp|87}}

MLI contributors and staff have provided commentary for national and regional news media on a variety of national issues.See "Media" on MLI web site [http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/category/library/media/ www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/category/library/media/] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101221044550/http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/category/library/media/ |date=2010-12-21 }} The institute's Op-Eds have appeared in Canadian national newspapers such as The Globe and Mail and National Post, as well as in the Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Windsor Star, Moncton Times & Transcript, Halifax Chronicle-Herald. The institute has also been highlighted in Foreign Policy magazine,See [https://foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/25/the_canadian_century/ Foreign Policy magazine, June 25, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529145924/http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/06/25/the_canadian_century |date=May 29, 2013 }}, "The Canadian Century", Crowley, Clemens, and Veldhuis The Wall Street JournalSee [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703302604575295020861075324?mod=googlenews_wsj/ Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180922173617/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703302604575295020861075324?mod=googlenews_wsj%2F |date=September 22, 2018 }}, "Emerging from the Shadow", Phred Dvorak and The Economist.{{cite news | url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2018/03/01/whats-next-for-canadas-economy | title=What's next for Canada's economy? | date=1 March 2018 | publisher=The Economist }}

According to MLI, its articles and op-eds appear in the national and international media on average once a day.{{cite web |title=Who we are |url=https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/about/who-we-are/ |website=Macdonald-Laurier Institute |accessdate=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403022954/https://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/about/who-we-are/ |archive-date=3 April 2019 |url-status=live }}

According to a report in The Guardian, a multi-year MLI campaign defended oil and gas development rights on Indigenous land. For several years, it helped discourage Canada's government from implementing a United Nations declaration on Indigenous peoples' rights to reject pipelines or drilling, until Parliament eventually passed a law in 2021.

The Guardian said the MLI campaign was in partnership with the Atlas Network, a libertarian-conservative group based in the United States, but MLI disputes the relationship.{{Cite web |last=Dembicki |first=Geoff |date=2022-07-18 |title=How a conservative US network undermined Indigenous energy rights in Canada |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/18/conservative-us-network-undermined-indigenous-energy-rights-in-canada |access-date=2022-11-05 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Disproving disinformation perpetuated in the Guardian and the Narwhal |date=6 September 2022 |url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/disproving-disinformation-perpetuated-in-the-guardian-and-the-narwhal/ |publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute}} MLI said its experts support Indigenous energy rights but took issue with the proposed legislation.{{Third-party inline|date=January 2024}}

The Economist described MLI in 2010 as non-partisan, as did The Globe and Mail in 2024.{{cite news | publisher=The Economist | title=A smaller welcome mat | url= https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2010/12/16/a-smaller-welcome-mat

| date=16 December 2010 }}

MLI was included in a 2012 Forbes article by former Atlas Network president Alejandro Chafuen describing the market-oriented think tank landscape in Canada.{{cite web |author=Chafuen |first=Alejandro |date=6 August 2013 |title=We See Thee Rise: Canada's Emerging Role In Policy Leadership |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrochafuen/2013/08/06/we-see-thee-rise-canadas-emerging-role-in-policy-leadership/#61437f51268c |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180214234910/https://www.forbes.com/sites/alejandrochafuen/2013/08/06/we-see-thee-rise-canadas-emerging-role-in-policy-leadership#61437f51268c |archive-date=14 February 2018 |accessdate=5 May 2019 |work=Forbes}} MLI was described in 2012 as one of a new generation of similarly-minded think tanks to the Fraser Institute in a story published in the National Post.{{cite web |author=Carlson |first=Kathryn Blaze |date=6 May 2012 |title=Thinking outside the tank: The Fraser Institute is embracing the competition its success helped inspire |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/thinking-outside-the-tank-the-fraser-institute-is-embracing-the-competition-its-success-helped-inspire |accessdate=5 May 2019 |website=National Post |publisher=}} The social democratic Broadbent Institute referred to the MacDonald-Laurier Institute as a "right-wing charity" in a 2018 article.{{cite web|url=https://pressprogress.ca/right-wing-charities-report-zero-political-activity-again/|title=Right-wing charities report zero political activity…again|author=|publisher=PressProgress.ca|date=14 May 2018|accessdate=5 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190506012214/https://pressprogress.ca/right-wing-charities-report-zero-political-activity-again/|archive-date=6 May 2019|url-status=live}}

MLI is one of ten Canadian think tanks that belong to the Atlas Network, a conservative and libertarian group.{{Cite web |last=Dembicki |first=Geoff |date=2022-07-18 |title=How a conservative US network undermined Indigenous energy rights in Canada |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/18/conservative-us-network-undermined-indigenous-energy-rights-in-canada |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817093613/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/18/conservative-us-network-undermined-indigenous-energy-rights-in-canada |archive-date=2023-08-17 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=the Guardian |language=en}}{{cite web | title=Unleashing Individual Ingenuity to Enrich Humanity | url= https://www.atlasnetwork.org/ | publisher=Atlas Network }}{{Cite web |last=Lempert |first=Ronnie P. A. |date=2021-02-24 |title=DisinfoWatch: Ties To Atlas Network, Connected To LPC Political Operatives |url=https://canucklaw.ca/disinfowatch-ties-to-atlas-network-connected-to-lpc-political-operatives/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231012225625/https://canucklaw.ca/disinfowatch-ties-to-atlas-network-connected-to-lpc-political-operatives/ |archive-date=2023-10-12 |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Canuck Law |language=en-US}} MLI describes itself non-partisan.{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Macdonald-Laurier Institute |url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/about/welcome-to-mli/ |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=Macdonald-Laurier Institute |language=en-US}}

In April 2023, MLI's website was blocked in Russia, along with that of other Western think tanks including Britain's Chatham House and the Woodrow Wilson Center in the U.S.{{cite news | publisher=Global News | website=Globalnews.ca | title=Russia targets Ottawa think-tank as part of foreign interference campaign against critics | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9650090/russia-information-macdonald-laurier-institute/ | date=26 April 2023 | first=Stewart | last=Bell }} Global News said MLI had been "a leading voice against the Russian war in Ukraine". In August 2022 MLI was added to the Russian Ministry of Justice's list of "foreign and international non-governmental organizations whose activities are recognized as undesirable in Russia."{{cite web | title=The Macdonald-Laurier Institute listed as "undesirable" in Russia | url=https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-macdonald-laurier-institute-listed-as-undesirable-in-russia/ | publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute | date=22 August 2022 }}{{cite web | url= https://tass.ru/obschestvo/15516473? | title= The Ministry of Justice included three Canadian organizations in the list of undesirables: They were the Canadian Ukrainian Congress, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada (Translation) | publisher=TASS | date=19 August 2022 }}{{cite web | url=https://tass.com/politics/1496065/ | title=Russia brands three Canadian organizations as undesirable – Justice Ministry: The Ukrainian Canadian Congress, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, the Ukrainian National Federation of Canada are now considered undesirable, as the ministry said | date=19 August 2022 | publisher=TASS: Russian News Agency }}{{cite news | publisher=Global News | website=Globalnews.ca | title=Russia targets Ottawa think-tank as part of foreign interference campaign against critics | url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9650090/russia-information-macdonald-laurier-institute/ | date=26 April 2023 | first=Stewart | last=Bell }}

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute's Managing Director is Brian Lee Crowley.{{cite web | url=https://scholar.google.com/scholar?start=0&q=brian+lee+crowley&hl=en&as_sdt=0,5 | title=Brian Lee Crowley | publisher=Google Scholar }}{{cite web | url=https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86010255.html | publisher=The Library of Congress | title=Brian Lee Crowley }}

He has served as the Clifford Clark Visiting Economist at the Department of Finance,{{cite web | url=https://www.canada.ca/en/news/archive/2006/11/dr-brian-lee-crowley-appointed-department-finance-advisory-post.html | title=Dr. Brian Lee Crowley Appointed to Department of Finance Advisory Post | publisher=Government of Canada }}

and founded the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies.{{Cite web |title=Brian Lee Crowley |url=https://www.cpacanada.ca/en/career-and-professional-development/event-biographies/brian-lee-crowley |access-date=2022-12-07 |website=www.cpacanada.ca |language=en}}

MLI has a Board of Directors, an Advisory Council, and a Research Advisory Board.{{cite web | url= https://macdonaldlaurier.ca/about/who-makes-mli-work/ | title=Who Makes MLI Work | publisher=Macdonald-Laurier Institute }} MLI is a registered charity with the Canada Revenue Agency.

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• [http://www.macdonaldlaurier.ca/ The Macdonald–Laurier Institute]
• {{ProPublicaNonprofitExplorer|980578530}}

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Category:Think tanks based in Canada

Category:2010 establishments in Canada

Category:Libertarian think tanks

Category:Organizations listed in Russia as undesirable