2019 Annual Report What We Do at MLI, We Believe Ideas Matter

MACDONALD-LAURIER INSTITUTE Deﬁning Canada’s Agenda 2019 Annual Report What we do At MLI, we believe ideas matter. The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is the only non-partisan, independent public policy think tank in Ottawa focusing on the full range of issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government. We are the leading platform for the best new policy thinking in the country. And our goal is to be an indispensable source of reasoned and timely thought leadership for policy-makers and opinion leaders, and thereby contribute to making Canada the best governed country in the world. Table of contents 4 Letter from the Chair and Managing Director 7 Consolidating our efforts 8 Punching above our weight 10 Connecting with Canadians 15 MLI’s impact and influence 24 Events 29 Publications 34 Leadership 37 Our supporters 39 Financial report 2019 MLI ANNUAL REPORT: Defining Canada’s Agenda 3 Letter from the Chair and Managing Director Dear Friends and Supporters of the Institute, Since it was founded in 2010, the Macdon- national awards, including Richard Fadden, ald-Laurier Institute has emerged as the Christian Leuprecht, and Shawn Whatley, national thought leader on public policy among others. And our roster of experts has issues – as 2019 bear eloquent witness. only grown in numbers and stature in 2019, As a “full-service” think tank, our influ- with the addition of yet more prominent ence and reach has been felt across nearly policy-makers, scholars, and other notables every public policy area under the federal to our institute. government – including economic and In 2019, we also hosted a growing fiscal policy, pharmacare, telecommunica- number of events that have brought togeth- tions, Indigenous reconciliation, the natural er leaders in business, politics and the resource economy, Canada-China relations, media and featured some of Canada’s and foreign disinformation, national security the world’s top thought leaders. and more. Meanwhile, MLI’s publications, The MLI’s profile and reputation has only communications, and fundraising efforts grown over the past several years, earning us have continued to be strong. We have the important distinction of being the fore- made important strides in communica- most public policy think tank in the nation’s tions and digital media, giving us a strong capital. Indeed, as in previous years, we were presence amongst both traditional and once again recognized as the top think tank in social media. Indeed, we have experienced Ottawa and one of the top five in the country, an explosion of attention in print, online, according to international rankings. or broadcast media, with a particularly Members of our team have been recog- noteworthy performance in television and nized with prestigious Canadian and inter- international media. 4 2019 MLI ANNUAL REPORT: Defining Canada’s Agenda 2019 was a great year for MLI. Our impact and influence on public policy issues have never been stronger. Our papers, commentaries and op-eds prepared to continue our ongoing success have been both timely and hard-hitting. as into 2020. That has allowed us to become the go-to The MLI could not have achieved such source for innovative public policy ideas. success without the hard work of a number Thanks to our excellent reputation for of people. We would like to express our getting policy ideas noticed by those who recognition and immense gratitude to matter most, foundations and others have them. In particular, we wish to thank our also been eager to support our work. And Board of Directors, our advisory council, many of the most talented and influential our research advisory board, our fellows thought leaders in Canada and abroad have and authors, our funders, and, crucially, our increasingly chosen to present their ideas staff who have given so much of their time, on the MLI platform. passion and intelligence into making the 2019 was a great year for MLI. Our MLI what it is today: the number one voice impact and influence on public policy issues on public policy in our nation’s capital. have never been stronger, and we are well- Pierre Casgrain Brian Lee Crowley chair managing director 2019 MLI ANNUAL REPORT: Defining Canada’s Agenda 5 2019 MLI ANNUAL REPORT Defining Canada’s Agenda In 2019, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute played a central role in the national discussion on what we believed would, or should, be the key issues in the October federal election and throughout the year. We wanted to make sure Canada’s media and politicians took notice of the vital concerns of Canadians beyond the “gotcha” politics that dominated the headlines. MLI’s impact and influence was particularly felt on such issues as health care reform, fiscal and economic policy, Indigenous rights and relations, natural resource development, foreign interference, and Canada’s place in the Indo-Pacific, among others. Our expansive program of policy work was also recognized with prestigious awards and accolades, and we were once again ranked as the top think tank in Ottawa and one of the top five in the country in the foremost international rankings. Consolidating our efforts MLI’s mandate as a full-service federal public policy think tank sets us apart from other think tanks that are more limited in their focus, allowing us to expand our work into timely new national public policy issues that could benefit from MLI’s clear-eyed analysis. A hallmark of our work is an ability to react quickly and decisively, while bringing the best expertise to bear on the most pressing policy issues facing Canadians. This was on full display with our “A Mandate for Canada” series that offered a range of public policy recommendations as the 2019 federal election approached. A Mandate for Canada: Our work is increasingly consolidated under new senior fellows MLI’s series leading up to the federal election three program areas: domestic policy, includ- • Stephen Buffalo, president and CEO of ing health, justice, jobs and the economy, and the Indian Resource Council of Canada other issues; foreign policy, under the rubric • Sharleen Gale, Chair of the First Nations of MLI’s Centre for Advancing Canada’s Inter- Major Projects Coalition ests Abroad; and Indigenous affairs. We have • Peter Menzies, former CRTC Vice-Chair established new relations with like-minded of Telecommunications organizations, such as the Prospect Founda- • Jonathan Berkshire Miller, international tion, Observer Research Foundation, Japan affairs professional and JIIA senior fellow Institute for International Affairs, Konrad • Kaveh Shahrooz, lawyer and human rights Adenauer Stiftung, and Taiwan Foundation activist, former GAC senior policy advisor for Democracy, and added new individual thought leaders to our roster of experts: mli ambassador on canada- hong kong policy new distinguished fellows • Nathan Law, democracy activist and • Anson Chan, former chief secretary of founder of Demosisto Hong Kong • Jack Mintz, president’s fellow at the School of Public Policy, University of Calgary A hallmark of our work is an ability to react quickly and decisively. 2019 MLI ANNUAL REPORT: Defining Canada’s Agenda 7 Punching above our weight MLI’s capacity to respond quickly to evolving public policy issues and remain disciplined when it comes to our staffing levels have proven a critical competitive advantage, allowing us to punch well above our weight when it comes to our impact and productivity. Some of our major highlights in 2019 Our offices in Sandy Hill have become included the annual dinner, featuring a go-to location for many of our events and powerful Indigenous voices we feel Cana- meetings with foreign dignitaries, scholars, dians need to be hearing more from, “A and other policy leaders, while an array of Mandate for Canada” series that offered prominent guests have visited our in-house public policy recommendations for the “media room,” allowing us to produce timely, post-election government, and our Decem- thoughtful, and highly accessible videos and ber 2019 Inside Policy issue, where we podcasts. named Chinese President Xi Jinping as Figure 1 summarizes our growth in reve- “Canada’s Policy-Maker of the Year” due nue while keeping the same staffing levels, to the Chinese regime’s clear influence on demonstrating once again that MLI offers real Canadian affairs. value for money. FIGURE 1 $2,300,000 MLI’s revenue growth, $2,321,542 from 2011 to 2019 $2,200,000 $2,000,000 $1,800,000 $1,600,000 $1,400,000 $1,200,000 otal Revenue $1,000,000 T $800,000 $600,000 $400,000 $200,000 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 8 2019 MLI ANNUAL REPORT: Defining Canada’s Agenda MLI’s 2019 ACCOMPLISHMENTS What we did 2019 has been another stellar year for MLI. Our reach has expanded across traditional and social media alike, while our multimedia products – from our videos to our podcasts – have allowed us to connect with new audiences across Canada and around the world. MLI and our fellows have received numerous awards and accolades in recognition of our out-sized thought leadership on public policy issues that matter the most to Canadians. We ended 2019 in a great position to continue our good work for the year ahead. Connecting with Canadians In 2019, MLI has been able to leverage our traditional and social media presence, current and past publications, and digital communication tools, such as infographics, podcasts, videos, and other multimedia products. This effort has allowed us to connect with Canadians, highlight evidence of our impact, and celebrate the many successes of our work. We have a great story to tell, and judging by our expanding audience, it seems Canadians would agree. In the past year, the number of unique visi- Equally compelling has been our success tors on our website increased to nearly in op-ed placement, with 216 published 193,000 users.

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