The latest edition of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute's flagship publication Inside Policy is now available.  Every edition of Inside Policy brings readers the in-depth analysis, cutting edge commentary and sound public policy options that has made MLI one of the top three new think-tanks in the world.

This Aboriginal policy-themed issue opens with a cover story entitled "Shawn Atleo: A very different leader". Written by prominent policy thinker and political observer Robin Sears and based on extensive interviews with Atleo himself, the piece gives readers clear, insightful reflections  on an Assembly of First Nations National Chief who in many ways stands apart from his  predecessors and represents a new era of Aboriginal engagement with Canada.

Besides a range of articles on Aboriginal issues you will find pieces by Mark Quinn, former senior adviser and chief of staff to a minister of Indian Affairs & Northern Development on a road to prosperity in the far North; MLI's Philip Cross on "Busting six economic myths about Canada's resource sector"; Dan Ciuriak on a "Made in Canada" monetary policy; and Paul Corrigan, former policy adviser to UK Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair, on how Blair's New Labour government harnessed the private sector in the UK to improve public health care.

International trade negotiations with the European Union and the Trans-Pacific Partnership are creating pressures to reform Canada's intellectual property (IP) regime for pharmaceuticals. As a condition of accepting such reforms, Canada must ensure that strengthened IP protection yields increased investment in pharmaceutical research and development, argues the paper "Strong Medicine: Can Free Trade Agreements Cure Canada's Pharmaceutical Ills?" by Laura Dawson and Stefania Bartucci.

Canada must expect many more Chinese state-owned enterprises (SOEs)  to come knocking as they seek to invest in the high growth potential of Canada's globally important energy and mineral resources.    Yet last year's vetting process for the proposed investment by the China National Overseas Oil Company (CNOOC) in oil patch firm Nexen proved itself inadequate to the task, and highlighted the need for national security agencies to be fully engaged in judging whether such investments pass the "net benefit to Canada" test for foreign investment according to a new MLI Commentary by Roger Robinson.

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute has released a timely Commentary entitled "Islam vs. Islamism: Confronting the terrorist threat while preserving the free society " warning that while we must remain vigilant to legitimate threats to our security, we cannot allow the enemies of our rights and freedoms to use them as weapons against us.  By the same token, we cannot allow the abusive use of Islam by a radical Islamist minority as a pretext for undermining our commitment to religious freedom and tolerance.

The Commentary follows recent news of the ongoing struggle that western nations face in the fight against terrorism, most recently seen in deplorable events such as the butchering of a soldier in the streets of London, the bombings in Boston and in the arrest in Canada of suspects in an alleged plot to attack VIA trains in Canada.

The Macdonald-Laurier composite leading index advanced by 0.2 percent in June, continuing the pattern of gradual improvement in recent months from the 0.1 percent gains posted early in the new year.

The increase in June was only slightly below the 0.3 percent gain in May, despite the impact of flooding in Calgary and a strike that shut down the construction industry in Quebec.

"The ability of the economy to shrug off these disruptions leaves it well-positioned to accelerate in the second half of the year", said Philip Cross, Macdonald-Laurier Institute research

co-ordinator and former chief economic analyst at Statistics Canada.

Articles by Brian Lee Crowley:

In a recent column, widely covered by outlets including GlobalNews, CTV, the Vancouver Sun, The Province, The Chronicle Journal, News Talk 650 (CKOM), News Talk 980, The Montreal Gazette, Yahoo! Finance Canada, 570News, CanadianBusiness.com, The Ottawa Citizen, The Victoria Times Colonist, News Talk 1290 (CJBK), The Winnipeg Free Press, AM 1150, CJAD, Brandon Sun, 680News, News Talk 610 (CKTB), The Kelowna Daily Courier, and The Globe and Mail, MLI's Brian Lee Crowley explains why the current equity proposals for Aboriginal communities along the Northern Gateway route are inadequate to garner the support the project will need to proceed. 

Articles by MLI Senior Fellows:

MLI's Philip Cross wrote a thought-provoking Globe and Mail column that points out that climate change is just one of a list of problems facing our planet; so why are we putting all our eggs in the global warming "basket"?

In the Globe and Mail, MLI Senior Fellow Linda Nazareth sheds light on the economic benefits of free trade in people.  Just like free trade in goods, the free movement of people has powerful and generally positive effects on the country of origin as well as the country of destination. Click here to read Linda's assessment of the economic effects of global mobility today.

In a column special to the Financial Post, Philip Cross, MLI Research Coordinator, takes aim at US Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's decision to keep interest rates ultra low until the unemployment rates hit 6.5 percent. Cross argues that unemployment rates are not a good indicator of labour market conditions, something Bernanke himself has previously acknowledged.

In a thoughtful Globe and Mail piece, MLI's Senior Fellow Alex Wilner examines the move made by the European Union to blacklist Hezbollah. See the Globe and Mail article here.

MLI's Philip Cross comments in the Financial Post on the questionable actions taken and pre-emptive criticism given by former Parliamentary Budget Officer, Kevin Page.  Cross asks the question: Does Page have an ethical blind spot?