# Think tanks based in Canada

This article is a list of notable think tanks based in Canada.
Think Tanks in Canada (Active) :
| Name | Focus | Location | Website | Established |
| Aristotle Foundation For Public Policy | Education of youth, public discourse and public policy in Canada | Canada | aristotlefoundation.org | 2023 |
| Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (APF Canada) | Asia–Canada relations | Vancouver, British Columbia | www.asiapacific.ca | 1984 |
| Atlantic Provinces Economic Council | regional economy, business intelligence and recommendations | Halifax, Nova Scotia | www.atlanticeconomiccouncil.ca | 1954 |
| Academic Foundation for Peace & Conflict Studies | peace, human rights, climate change, security in academic sphere | Ottawa, Ontario | peaceconflict.ca | 2016 |
| Broadbent Institute | progressive, social democratic | Ottawa, Ontario | www.broadbentinstitute.ca | 2011 |
| Brookfield Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship | contribution of innovation on the economy | Toronto, Ontario | brookfieldinstitute.ca | 2016 |
| Business Council of Alberta | social and economic prosperity | Calgary, Alberta | www.businesscouncilab.com | 2019 |
| C. D. Howe Institute | raise living standards by fostering economically sound public policies | Toronto, Ontario | www.cdhowe.org | 1958 |
| Canada 2020 | progressive ideas; move and shape governments | Ottawa, Ontario | canada2020.ca | 2006 |
| Canada West Foundation | policies that shape the west | Calgary, Alberta | cwf.ca | 1970 |
| Canada's Ecofiscal Commission | carbon pricing | Montreal, Quebec | ecofiscal.ca | 2014-Nov |
| Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives | social, economic and environmental justice | Ottawa, Ontario; Offices across Canada | www.policyalternatives.ca | 1980 |
| Business Council of Canada | economic and social issues | Ottawa, Ontario | www.thebusinesscouncil.ca (formerly www.ceocouncil.ca) | The Business Council on National Issues (BCNI) was established in the 1970s. |
| Canadian Council on Social Development | shaping social and economic policy (e.g. old age security) | Kanata, Ontario | www.ccsd.ca | 1920 |
| Canadian Economics Association | advancement of economic knowledge | Montreal, Quebec | economics.ca | 1967 |
| Canadian Global Affairs Institute | defence, diplomacy, trade, resources and development | The School of Public Policy University of Calgary and Ottawa, Ontario | www.cgai.ca | 2000 |
| Canadian Institute for Advanced Research | artificial intelligence to innovation theory, the social determinants of health, and the microbiome | Toronto, Ontario | www.cifar.ca | 1982 |
| Canadian International Council | developing foreign policy initiatives for leaders around the world | Toronto, Ontario | thecic.org opencanada.org.(online magazine) | 1928-01-30 |
| Canadian Research Institute for Social Policy (University of New Brunswick) | social policy | Fredericton, New Brunswick | www.unb.ca.... | 1996 |
| Canadian Tax Foundation | understanding and recommendations for the Canadian tax system | Toronto, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec | www.ctf.ca | 1945 |
| Cardus Institute | Christian institution strengthening how other institutions work together | Hamilton and Ottawa, Ontario | www.cardus.ca | 1974-06-10 |
| Centre canadien d’étude et coopération internationale (CECI) | fighting poverty, exclusion and inequality | Montréal, Quebec | www.ceci.ca blogue-volontaires.ca agirpourregalite.ca | |
| Centre de recherche en économie de l'Environnement, de l'Agroalimentaire, des Transports et de l'Énergie (Université Laval) | environment, energy, agri-food, transport, development of industrialized countries and emerging economies | Quebec, Quebec | www.create.ulaval.ca | |
| Centre d'études et de recherches internationales (CERIUM) | international issues; economy, environment and security | Montreal, Quebec | www.cerium.umontreal.ca | 2004 |
| Centre for International and Defence Policy (Queen's University) | military and defence | Kingston, Ontario | www.queensu.ca/cidp | 1975 |
| Centre for International Governance Innovation | global issues at the intersection of technology and international governance; to improve people’s lives everywhere | Waterloo, Ontario | www.cigionline.org | 2001 |
| Centre for the Study of Democracy (Queen's University) | democratic institutions, diversity (including gender, race, etc.), nationalism, land rights, international politics and democracies | Kingston, Ontario | www.queensu.ca/csdd | |
| Centre interuniversitaire de recherche en analyse des organisations (CIRANO) | combining knowledge and decision for the development of social and economic innovations | Montreal, Quebec | www.cirano.qc.ca | 1993 |
| Chaire Raoul-Dandurand en études stratégiques diplomatiques | contemporary political issues; international relations | Montreal, Quebec | www.dandurand.uqam.ca | 1996 |
| Chantier de l'économie sociale | collective entrepreneurship in Quebec | Montreal, Quebec | www.chantier.qc.ca | 1999-April |
| Citizens for Public Justice | inspired by faith to act for social and environmental justice in Canadian public policy | Ottawa, Ontario | https://cpj.ca/ | 1963 (as Christian Action Foundation) |
| Clean Energy Canada | Canadian clean energy and climate policy | Offices in British Columbia and Ontario | cleanenergycanada.org | 2010 |
| Conference Board of Canada | economic trends, organizational performance and public policy issues | Ottawa, Ontario Calgary, Alberta | www.conferenceboard.ca | 1954 |
| The Council of Canadians | clean water, fair trade, green energy, public health care, and a vibrant democracy | Offices across Canada | www.canadians.org | 1985 |
| Council of Canadian Academies | evaluate the best available evidence on complex issues where the science may be challenging to understand, contradictory, or difficult to assemble | Ottawa, Ontario | www.scienceadvice.ca | 2002 |
| Democracy Watch | democratic reform, government accountability and corporate responsibility | Ottawa, Ontario | democracywatch.ca | 1993 September |
| Donald J. Savoie Institute | public policy and economic development | Moncton, New Brunswick | idjs.ca | 1983 |
| Douglas–Coldwell Foundation | promoting education and research into social democracy | Ottawa, Ontario | www.douglascoldwelllayton.ca | 1971 |
| Ecology Action Centre | environmental issues | Halifax, Nova Scotia | ecologyaction.ca | 1971 |
| Equal Voice | electing more women to all levels of political office in Canada | Ottawa, Ontario | equalvoice.ca | 2001 |
| Fraser Institute | government policies, entrepreneurship, well-being of Canadians and their families | Vancouver, British Columbia; across Canada | www.fraserinstitute.org | 1974-10-22 |
| Frontier Centre for Public Policy | current affairs and public policy | Winnipeg, Manitoba | www.fcpp.org | 1997 |
| Global Risk Institute | thought leadership in risk management for the financial services sector | Toronto, Ontario | https://globalriskinstitute.org/ | 2011 |
| GPI Atlantic | creating a genuine progress index for Nova Scotia | Glen Haven, Nova Scotia | www.gpiatlantic.org | 1997 |
| Institut de recherches et d'informations socio-économiques (IRIS) | Public finances, climate and environmental crisis, commodification of education and health, growth of inequalities | Montreal, Quebec | iris-recherche.qc.ca | 2000 |
| Institut du nouveau monde (INM) | Increase participation of citizens in democratic life | Montreal, Quebec | www.inm.qc.ca | 2004 |
| Institut économique de Montréal (IEDM) | Respect for Right to property, Entrepreneurship Social mobility and prosperity | Quebec City, Quebec | www.iedm.org | 1987 |
| Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) | water, earth and the environment; energy, materials and telecommunications; human, animal and environmental health; and urbanization, culture and society. | Quebec City, Quebec | www.inrs.ca | 1969 |
| Citizen First - Institute for Citizen-Centred Service | Delivery of public sector services | Toronto, Ontario | citizenfirst.ca(formerly www.iccs-isac.org) | 1997 |
| Institute for Governance of Private and Public Organizations | Corporate governance practices | Montreal, Quebec | igopp.org | 2005 |
| Institute for Peace & Diplomacy (IPD) | International affairs, defence, peace, security | Toronto, Ontario | www.peacediplomacy.org | |
| Institute for Research on Public Policy | Current and emerging policy issues facing Canadians and their governments | Montreal, Quebec | www.irpp.org | 1972-04-19 |
| Institute of Health Economics | Health economics, outcomes, and policy research | Edmonton, Alberta | www.ihe.ca | 1995 |
| Institute of Intergovernmental Relations (Queen's University) | Federalism and intergovernmental relations in the global environment | Kingston, Ontario | www.queensu.ca/iigr/ | |
| Institute of Parliamentary and Political Law | Democracy and democratic governing | Ottawa, Ontario | www.parlpol.ca/institute | 2009-02-26 |
| Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC) | Excellence in Public administration | Toronto, Ontario | www.ipac.ca | 1967-01-01 |
| Institute on Governance | Governance in the public sphere both in Canada and internationally | Ottawa and Toronto, Ontario | iog.ca | 1996-01-18 |
| International Development Research Centre | Climate-resilient food systems; global health; education and science; democratic and inclusive governance; and sustainable inclusive economies | Ottawa, Ontario; Offices across the Globe | www.idrc.ca | 1970 |
| International Institute for Sustainable Development | International policy on sustainable development governance | Offices across regions | www.iisd.org | 1990 |
| Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms | Defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through litigation and education | Calgary, Alberta | www.jccf.ca | 2010-10-04 |
| Liu Institute for Global Issues (University of British Columbia) | Development, environment, conflict (and post-conflict) and emerging forms of politics. | Vancouver, British Columbia | www.grad.ubc.ca | 1998 |
| Macdonald-Laurier Institute | Economic and public policy issues | Ottawa, Ontario | www.macdonaldlaurier.ca | 2010 |
| Mackenzie Institute | Domestic and global security | Toronto, Ontario | www.mackenzieinstitute.com | 1984 |
| Monarchist League of Canada | Monarchist advocacy, education, research | Oakville, Ontario | www.monarchist.ca | 1973-02-23 |
| Montreal Economic Institute | Voluntary exchange, respect for property rights, entrepreneurship, social mobility and prosperity | Montreal, Quebec and Calgary, Alberta, and joint venture in Paris, France | www.iedm.org | 1987-July |
| Munk School of Global Affairs | Globalization | Toronto, Ontario | munkschool.utoronto.ca | 2000 |
| National Citizens Coalition | Small government, low taxes, anti-union, lobbyist, conservative | Toronto, Ontario | www.nationalcitizens.ca | 1967 |
| National Institute on Ageing (Canada) (Toronto Metropolitan University) | Physical, social, psychological and financial wellness of older Canadians | Toronto, Ontario | www.niageing.ca | 2016-Feb |
| Northern Policy Institute | Sustainable growth in Northern Ontario, including for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people | Thunder Bay, Sudbury, and Kirkland Lake, Ontario | www.northernpolicy.ca | 2015-09-25 |
| Parkland Institute (University of Alberta) | Economic, social, cultural, and political issues | Edmonton, Alberta | parklandinstitute.ca | 1996 |
| Parliamentary Centre | Democratic practices around the world, governance, gender equality and social justice | Ottawa, Ontario | www.parlcent.org | 1968 |
| Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy | Centrist and progressive public policy that combines economic success with social responsibility | Ottawa, Ontario | thepearsoncentre.ca | |
| Pembina Institute | Energy development and clean energy | Calgagy Alberta, with offices across Canada | www.pembina.org | 1985 |
| Polaris Institute | Various global campaigns | Ottawa, Ontario and Walnut Creek, California | www.polarisinstitute.org | 1997 |
| Public Policy Forum | Open dialogue on public policy | Ottawa, Ontario | ppforum.ca | 1987 |
| SecondStreet.org | Government policy impact on everyday Canadians | Offices across Canada | www.secondstreet.org | 2017-07-10 |
| Social Research and Demonstration Corporation | Social policy research | Ottawa, Ontario Offices across Canada | www.srdc.org | 1991 |
| Regulatory Research Institute of Canada | Economy and a just society | Langdon, Alberta | www.rricanada.org | 2022-10-19 |
| Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing | Ontario's Manufacturing Ecosystem | London, Ontario | trilliummfg.ca | 2015 |
| Unisféra International Centre | Climate change, sustainability, corporate responsibility, international development and innovation | Montreal, Quebec; Offices across regions | www.unisfera.org | 2002 |
| Vanier Institute of the Family - L'institut Vanier de la famille | Wellbeing of families in Canada in all their diversities | Ottawa, Ontario | www.vanierinstitute.ca | 1965 |
| Victoria Transport Policy Institute | Transportation Planning | Victoria, British Columbia | www.vtpi.org | |
| Wellesley Institute | Social determinants of health | Toronto, Ontario | www.wellesleyinstitute.com | 2006 (as think tank) |
This table is partly based on a list of think tanks published by McGill University's Career Planning Service, and on a list by Trent University, as well as think tanks with Wikipedia articles listed in related Wikipedia categories.

## Former think tanks based in Canada

| Name | Focus | Location | Website | Period |
| Atlantic Institute for Market Studies (AIMS)(merged with The Fraser Institute) | Pro-business | Halifax, Nova Scotia | www.aims.ca | 1994-1995 to 2019 |
| Caledon Institute of Social Policy | | Ottawa, Ontario | caledoninst.ca (former: caledon.org) | 1992 to 2017 |
| Canadian American Strategic Review | | | Official Site (Archived) | 2001-2016 |
| Canadian Energy Research Institute | | Calgary, Alberta | www.policyschool.ca(formerly: www.ceri.ca) | |
| Canadian Policy Research Networks | | | Web Archive | |
| Centre facilitant la recherche et l'innovation dans les organisations (CEFRIO) | | Montréal, Quebec | (www.cefrio.qc.ca ) | 1987-2020 |
| Centre for Cultural Renewal | | | Web Archive | |
| Centre for Global Challenges | | | | |
| Centre for the Study of Living Standards | | Ottawa, Ontario | (www.csls.ca) | |
| Citizens Centre for Freedom and Democracy | | | | |
| Couchiching Institute on Public Affairs (merged with Canadian International Council) | current issues and public policy | Toronto, Ontario | (www.couchichinginstitute.ca) | 1932 |
| DocAgora | | | | |
| George Morris Centre | | Guelph, Ontario | (www.georgemorris.org) | Dissolved Dec. 2014 |
| Human Security Report Project | | Vancouver, British Columbia | (www.hsrgroup.org) | February 2002 to May 2007 |
| Institut de politiques alternatives de Montréal | | Montréal, Quebec | (ipamontreal.org) | 2009 |
| Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity | | Toronto, Ontario | (www.competeprosper.ca) | 2001-2019 |
| Institute for Media, Policy and Civil Society (IMPACS) | | | (www.impacs.org) | |
| League for Social Reconstruction | | | | |
| Mowat Centre | | Toronto, Ontario | (www.mowatcentre.ca) | 2009 to 2019-June |
| North-South Institute | | Ottawa, Ontario | www.nsi-ins.ca | 1976 to 2014 |
| St. Lawrence Institute | | Montreal, Quebec | www.stlawrenceinstitute.org | 1980 |

## Related Initiatives

| Name | Focus | Location | Website | Period |
| Canada's World | Articulate a new vision for Canada’s role in the world. | Vancouver, British Columbia | Simon Fraser University www.sfu.ca | 2007-2011 |
| LaFontaine-Baldwin Symposium | | | Web Archive | |

## Think tanks: political poles

In 2014, Western University's Donald Abelson, an expert on think tanks, classified these major Canadian think tanks on the political spectrum at the request of TVO's "The Agenda". Abelson situated the Fraser Institute, C.D. Howe Institute, the Montreal Economic Institute, the Manning Foundation, the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, the Atlantic Institute for Market Studies on the right; the Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP), the Conference Board of Canada, the Caledon Institute, the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), and the Canadian International Council (formerly the Canadian Institute of International Affairs) in the centre, and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Broadbent Institute, and the Parkland Institute on the left. Clark who wrote the article, noted that the think tanks may not agree with these classifications and that the "left, right and centre paradigms" have become "an increasingly vague and even problematic way to view politics."