Our government verifies almost everything about prospective Canadians except the one thing that matters most: whether applicants understand and are prepared to uphold the institutions and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship. In “A covenant, not a grant: Canada’s citizenship process asks too little in return,” Mark Musselman decries Canada’s misguided approach to naturalization, and calls on Ottawa to treat citizenship as a mutual commitment rather than simply a status to be conferred. “The issue is not immigration itself, but whether the process by which immigrants become citizens asks enough of them, and of us, in return,” explains Musselman. “What Canada is offering immigrants is not a grant. It is a covenant and treating it as anything less … empties it of the very meaning that makes it worth having.” Read full paper here⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/a-covena…

This Thursday MLI is hosting a panel discussion in Vancouver “The Prosperity Imperative: Building wealth, strong communities, and our own futures” The event will bring together leading Indigenous and international voices to explore the proposition that lasting social outcomes are built on strong economic foundations. Drawing on experiences from Indigenous communities in Canada and around the world, speakers will examine how ownership, entrepreneurship, investment, and wealth creation can grow healthy and thriving communities. Joining the panel is MLI’s Director of Indigenous Affairs Karen Restoule (@karenrestoule), Magatte Wade (@magattew), Champion, Prosperity, Not Poverty, Kody Penner (@KodyPenner), Chief Development Officer, Nations Royalty and Sharon Singh, Partner, Environment & Indigenous, McMillan LLP. 📍The Vancouver Club - Vancouver, BC Thu, Oct 22 • 5PM-8:30PM Register here⬇️ eventbrite.ca/e/the-prosperi…

Christopher Coates, MLI’s Director of Foreign Policy, National Defence and National Security, and a former Royal Canadian Air Force officer goes on @CTV to discuss developments regarding the training fire at CFB Wainwright.

“Benchmark Canada makes relevant data available to stakeholders, offering comparative statistics across five economic pillars and evaluating Canada’s ability to finance, build, govern, secure, and elevate its citizens’ living standards. The platform offers benchmarked data and insights on 44 distinct metrics, including mortgage delinquencies, which contributed to this commentary,” write Murtaza Haider (@regionomics) and Stephen Moranis in the National Post (@nationalpost). macdonaldlaurier.ca/canadas-… Check out MLI’s latest project @Benchmark_Cda by @KevinVuongxMP⬇️ benchmarkcanada.org/

“We cannot beat great powers and hegemons at state capitalism. Our competitive advantage is having clear rules and fair returns for private capital. Alberta must be protected as a level playing field where businesses compete with each other, not with the government,” writes Heather Exner-Pirot (@ExnerPirot), director of energy, natural resources and environment at MLI. Read here⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/is-alber…

“While Albertans are understandably focused on the referendum question on separation, many are less sure about the ballot’s constitutional questions six to nine. This is a shame: these are important constitutional issues that deserve the spotlight,” writes Geoffrey Sigalet (@GeoffSigalet) in @TheHubCanada. With Alberta’s referendum vote today, read Sigalet’s thoughts on the other questions…⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/what-abo…

“Stopping MAID for mental illness is necessary. But if it is achieved via a bill that must pass by March 2027, with advance requests attached, Parliament will have learned nothing from the last five years. A death cannot be appealed. Debate has to come first,” writes MLI Senior Fellow Ramona Coelho (@rljcoelho). Read here⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/ottawa-k…

Christopher Coates, MLI’s Director of Foreign Policy, National Defence and National Security, and a former Royal Canadian Air Force officer, comments on the training fire at CFB Wainwright.

“Recent changes to Canada’s gun laws, which have included banning thousands of models of commonly owned firearms and freezing handgun ownership, are deeply unpopular among gun owners and many rural, northern, and western Canadians. Critics argue that the laws have been motivated more by politics than sound policy. Adopting an evidence-based approach to hearing protection could serve as an olive branch between the government and these communities and demonstrate that the Carney government is taking a more serious approach to this issue than its predecessor,” writes Noah S. Schwartz (@NoahSchwartzy) for MLI Inside Policy. Read here⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/separati…

Canada’s bureaucracy is very good at “self-diagnosis of its problems” but “what it's very bad at is treating those symptoms,” says a retired veteran public servant who spent years working at the centre of government. Jean-Guy Forgeron, who served as chief of staff to the clerk of the privacy council, and held key roles in other ministries like Fisheries and Oceans, says this means that when it comes to reforming the public service, the initiative must come from “the top.” “And when I mean the top, I mean the prime minister of Canada,” says Forgeron. Public service reform is a critical issue at a time when the federal bureaucracy has ballooned, and Ottawa is also being called on to play a key role in initiatives like getting major national infrastructure projects across the finish line. The federal public service went from about 257,000 employees in 2015 to a peak of almost 368,000 in 2024. It has subsequently fallen. Treasury Board put the number at roughly 345,000 in March 2026, and Ottawa says it aims to drop it to around 330,000 by 2029. To discuss where the public service is headed, and if it’s well positioned to deliver on the key national projects presently on its radar, Forgeron joins Inside Policy Talks. On the podcast, he tells Peter Copeland (@CopelanPeter), acting director of domestic policy at MLI, that these staffing numbers are “a symptom of a disease that we should be worried about.” He said the best way to address this challenge is with a program review like the one carried out in the 1990s by the government of then-prime minister Jean Chrétien. Instead of levelling across-the-board cuts, such a review would focus on determining what government should and should not be doing, says Forgeron. Reductions could then be made accordingly. Watch the full episode: piped.video/watch?v=B-W5TAME…

“Governments like to claim they are trying to make life more affordable for Canadians. In 2024, the Trudeau government boasted that its $250 ‘Working Canadians Rebate’ would put money ‘directly into the pockets of the middle-class — those who have worked hard to beat inflation,’ while the companion temporary two-month GST/HST exemption would enable them to ‘buy essentials like groceries, snacks and kids’ clothing.’ The reality is that such tax rebates are usually a one-time payment, while higher prices and rising taxes and pension contributions are much longer-lasting, if not permanent,” writes Philip Cross, senior fellow at MLI in the Financial Post. Read here⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/governme…

“I understand stigma and bias and how people can look at someone like that and say, oh, wouldn't it be better just not to give you antibiotics? Wouldn’t you be better off dead? And I have had that happen to my patients. And so, yes, I was very, very concerned with the legalization of MAiD, of what that could do if it gives the power to doctors. We hold the same biases, unfortunately, that the regular community holds,” says MLI Senior Fellow Ramona Coelho (@rljcoelho) on @CBCRadioCanada The Sunday Magazine with Piya Chattopadhyay.

MLI Director of The Promised Land Project Casey Babb (@DrCaseyBabb) will join Hudson Institute Research Fellow Zineb Riboua (@zriboua) on October 21 for the launch of Babb’s first book, “The Moral Case for Zionism.” The discussion will explore the moral principles behind Zionism and the growing dangers of anti-Zionism and antisemitism across the West. Join Casey and Zineb at the @HudsonInstitute in Washington, D.C., from 5:30 to 7 p.m. ET. Register here⬇️ hudson.org/preview-link/node…

A death cannot be appealed. In 2021, Parliament rushed MAID for mental illness to meet a court deadline. Now, Ottawa is walking back that mistake—only to repeat the error by trying to slip in advance requests. My latest in the @nationalpost 👇 1/2

The Macdonald-Laurier Institute is proud to partner with the 3rd Annual Vancouver International Security Summit (@VIPSSummit), taking place October 28-29 in Vancouver. This year’s summit will bring together global leaders, policymakers, and security experts to discuss economic security, national sovereignty, and resilience against emerging threats. Tickets/registration here⬇️ rebootcommunications.com/eve…

“Peter Copeland, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute’s director of domestic policy, told The Hill Times that he broadly agrees with the bank’s description of the short-term economic effects, but said that its framing is ‘incomplete.’ He said it ‘mistakenly suggests that aggregate gross domestic product and labour-force growth are the right policy objectives, rather than increasing productivity, GDP per capita, wages, housing affordability, and, ultimately, social integration.’ The elephant in the room, according to Copeland, is ‘overreliance’ on immigration, and its ‘contribution to the neglect of domestic family formation and fertility,’ which he says should be the principal driver of ‘modest and sustainable’ population growth. Copeland said a sudden decrease in immigrants means fewer additional workers and consumers, and, therefore, slower growth in aggregate GDP, ‘if all else is held equal.’ ‘But aggregate GDP is a poor measure of whether Canadians themselves are becoming more prosperous. What matters much more is productivity, GDP per capita, wages, housing affordability, social trust and integration,’ he explained, adding that he disagrees with the notion that immigration is the only way to achieve economic growth.” –MLI’s (acting) director of domestic policy @CopelanPeter in @TheHillTimes hilltimes.com/2026/10/14/can…

“I think too often schools just fail to provide students with anything that is or should inspire that sense of reverence, of awe,” says Caylan Ford (@caylanford), founder of the Alberta Classical Academy on Forum Dialogue with @TheNewsForum_. MLI’s Managing Director Brian Lee Crowley (@brianleecrowley) sits with Ford to discuss how and why education should shape character and not only job skills, and why multicultural Canada still needs a shared civic culture.

“There is no reason Canada cannot have a viable and valued news ecosystem. Progress is being made. Success is attainable. However, we must deepen our understanding of how the information ecosystem and our society has changed and be cautious not to settle on simplistic memes to characterize either the problem or any theoretical solutions,” writes Richard Gingras (@richardgingras) for MLI Inside Policy. Read here⬇️ macdonaldlaurier.ca/the-myth…