MLI Newsletter
Vol. VI, No. 2
Feb. 13, 2015

______________ 

 

BOOKS 

 

   

Northern Light: Lessons for America from Canada's Fiscal Fix

 


The Canadian Century 

   

 

Fearful Symmetry   

 

 

 

______________ 

 

Stay in the know

  

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST

 

 

 

In this edition...
Events: MLI celebrates #sirJAM on Feb. 18
Events: The Great Canadian Debates are back
News: MLI ranked tops in Ottawa in think tank rankings
Aboriginal affairs: Coates inserts resource revenue sharing into the debate
Trade: Canada, U.S. have work to do, writes Dawson
Events: Thought leadership on contraband tobacco comes to Toronto
Security: Leuprecht dissects new terrorism legislation
Inside Policy: New edition remembers Sir John A.
Other MLI news

MLI celebrates Sir John A. Macdonald's 200th birthday on Feb. 18 at the Canadian Museum of History 

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute invites you to celebrate the 200th birthday of the legendary man responsible for distilling the ideas, politics and institutions that made us who we are today: Sir John A. Macdonald.

The event, taking place on Feb. 18 at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, will feature networking with parliamentarians, policy makers, journalists, entrepreneurs and other members of Ottawa's political circles.

The event will include a discussion by an all-star panel of Macdonald enthusiasts from journalism, politics and academia, moderated by Ryerson Professor Patrice Dutil, co-editor of Macdonald at 200: New reflections and legacies. The panel will be composed of:

  • Chris Alexander, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration

  • Andrew Coyne, the National Post

  • Michael Bliss, award-winning author and historian

As well, UK High Commissioner Howard Drake will bring greetings from Macdonald's birthplace of Great Britain. Sir John A. Macdonald, brought to life by a talented impersonator, will also be making an appearance.

To register for this event, click here.
 

  

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is delighted to announce the Great Canadian Debates, one of the can't-miss items on Ottawa's political calendar, are returning for another season.

The 2015 edition of the GCD will feature yet another lineup of celebrated thinkers clashing over the most important issues facing Canada today.

The debates will be spread over three separate events taking place between March and May of 2015 at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

This year's debaters are:

  • Lloyd Axworthy, former cabinet minister

  • Chrystia Freeland, member of Parliament

  • Andrew Coyne, National Post Opinion Editor

  • Ken Coates, MLI Senior Fellow

  • Frank Buckley, George Mason professor

  • John Pepall, author of Against Reform

They'll be debating income inequality, the oversaturation of Canadian universities and the crisis of Canadian democracy.

Former speaker of the House of Commons Peter Milliken will again be serving as moderator.

For more information on this year's debates, click here.
 

 

 

MLI rated top Ottawa think tank in international rankings

MLI has been ranked the top think tank in Ottawa as part of a study that recognizes organizations such as ours for thought leadership nationally and internationally.

The rankings also place MLI as one of Canada's top three among its peers: truly independent, national public policy think tanks focusing on the full spectrum of national issues and receiving no government subsidy.

These rankings emerge from the 2014 Global Go To Think Tank Index Report, an annual production of the University of Pennsylvania's Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program, which was released on Thursday, Jan. 22.

In 2012 MLI was ranked third in the Top New Think Tanks in the World category.

 

The idea of sharing with First Nations the revenues provinces earn from natural resource projects is now a subject of debate across the country, thanks to a newly-released paper from MLI Senior Fellow Ken Coates.

The paper argues that resource revenue sharing agreements are an ideal way to compensate First Nations groups for the use of their lands while also winning the necessary support from Aboriginals to make possible continued natural resource development.

The idea quickly gained traction across Canada.

Globe and Mail columnist Gary Mason penned a column under the headline "Aboriginal revenue sharing an idea whose time has come".

The Saskatoon StarPhoenix covered the report in a front-page story and Coates participated in a lengthy interview on the subject with Global in Saskatchewan.

Further bolstering his thought leadership on the Aboriginal development file, Coates also wrote a pair of op-eds that appeared in two different newspapers.

The National Post ran a piece in which Coates argued that the problems facing First Nations in Canada run deeper than racism. In the Vancouver Sun, he wrote that First Nations are now full partners in development.

Readers will also have the chance to ask Coates questions on the subject later this month. He will be participating in an "Ask Me Anything" on the social networking site Reddit on Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.

 

 

Canada-US relations at a low ebb: Dawson in the Globe

Writing in the Globe and Mail, Macdonald-Laurier Institute Senior Fellow Laura Dawson argues that the United States' government is acting with "callous disregard" for its relationship with Canada.

She says North America is increasingly going to fall behind in the growing global economy if Canada and the United States can't sort out their differences. 

 

Key experts will meet on March 3 in Toronto to discuss the latest tax and enforcement ideas to combat the trade of illicit tobacco products and effectively intervene in stemming its role in funding crime.

The group will convene ahead of the Ontario Budget to discuss ideas presented by Dr. Christian Leuprecht, Political Science and Economics Associate Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada.
He will share the very latest research on tax and enforcement solutions to a growing and pervasive contraband problem.
Dr. Leuprecht will be joined by Jim Ransom, Director, Tehotiiennawakon, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Nachum Gabler, Economist, tax policy specialist, and other key experts in a discussion of the issues to help create a coherent plan for tackling illicit tobacco.
The meeting, which is supported by the Macdonald-Laurier Institute and Dawson Strategic, will be held the morning of March 3, 2015 at the Albany Club in Toronto.

This is a follow-up to a similar event held in Ottawa in November 2014.
For more information or to register, please contact MLI's Events Manager Pamela Louie at [email protected].
You can also visit the event web page.

Macdonald-Laurier Institute author Christian Leuprecht spoke with several news outlets about the announcement that the federal government is introducing Bill C-51, new legislation that will expand security agencies' powers to combat terrorism.

"There's a balance to be struck here between civil liberties and between protecting individual, public and community safety", Leuprecht told CTV News Channel. "I think the government is trying very hard to strike a fine line and find a middle ground here".

Leuprecht also spoke with Global TV and the Ottawa Citizen. 

 


Not enough has been done to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Canada's first Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, which passed in January.

Inside Policy, the flagship magazine of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, seeks to change that.

Released in the year of his bicentennial, the February 2015 edition is devoted to remembering and breathing new life into the legacy of the man who created Canada.

To read the magazine, click here.

 
Other MLI news

MLI turns five

 

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is celebrating five years!

Public opinion leaders are already marking MLI's accomplishments. Former Prime Minister Paul Martin, cabinet minister Jason Kenney and former New Brunswick Premier Frank McKenna have all left compliments and best wishes for MLI as it celebrates half a decade of contributions to Canada.

Join us in 2015 as we celebrate our successes from the past five years and look forward to a future of making Canada even better.

 

Help us reach our goal of 1,000 likes on Facebook!

 

Stay connected with the best public policy ideas in Canada by liking the Macdonald-Laurier Institute Facebook page. We are trying to reach 1,000 likes so be sure to recommend us to your friends.

As always, you can also keep up with our activities on TwitterLinkedIn, Google+ and YouTube.

 

Your donation helps us continue our mission of celebrating this nation's greatest achievements, and assists us in making Canada the best-governed country in the world.

This is the latest news about how your support has helped us achieve our goal. If you'd like to make a donation, please visit our website.

 
                                                                       Stay Connected

 

          

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is the only non-partisan, independent national public policy think tank in Ottawa focusing on the full range of issues that fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government. It initiates and conducts research identifying current and emerging economic and public policy issues facing Canadians.

Visit us online at www.macdonaldlaurier.ca