Canadian Think Tanks --P. 1

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Canadian Think Tanks

Think tanks, policy institutes, research institutes are organizations or groups involved in research and 

advocacy in a range of fields including social policy, political strategy, economics, technology, industry, 

business and national defense.

Many think tanks are non-profit organizations; their funding may come from governments, businesses, private 

advocacy groups, or from consulting and research work they engage in. Below is a compilation of some of the 

think tanks currently operating in Canada to give you an idea of the range of organizations that can fall under 

this category. 

Organization Location Website

Asia Pacific Foundation Vancouver, BC | Toronto, ON https://www.asiapacific.ca/

Atlantic Institute for Market Studies Halifax, NS http://www.aims.ca/

Atlantic Provinces Economic Council Halifax, NS https://www.apec-econ.ca/

Brookfield Institute Toronto, ON https://brookfieldinstitute.ca/ 

Business Council of Canada Ottawa, ON https://thebusinesscouncil.ca/

C.D. Howe Institute Toronto, ON https://www.cdhowe.org/

Canada 2020 Ottawa, ON https://canada2020.ca/

Canada West Foundation Calgary, AB https://cwf.ca/

Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission Montreal, QC https://ecofiscal.ca/

Canada’s Public Policy Forum Ottawa, ON https://ppforum.ca/

Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute Ottawa, ON https://capi-icpa.ca/

Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ottawa, ON | Offices across Canada https://www.policyalternatives.ca/

Canadian Council on Social Development Kanata, ON www.ccsd.ca

Canadian Economics Association Ottawa, ON | Vancouver, BC https://www.economics.ca/

Canadian Energy Research Institute Calgary, AB | Ottawa, ON https://ceri.ca/

Canadian Global Affairs Institute Calgary, AB | Ottawa, ON https://www.cgai.ca/

Canadian Institute of Advanced Research Toronto, ON https://www.cifar.ca/

Canadian International Council Toronto, ON https://thecic.org/

Canadian Tax Foundation Toronto, ON | Montreal, QC https://www.ctf.ca/

Cardus Hamilton, ON | Offices across Canada https://www.cardus.ca/

Centre d’Étude et de Cooperation 

International 

Montréal, QC https://www.ceci.ca/

Centre de Recherche en économie de 

l'Environnement, de l'Agroalimentaire, 

des Transports et de l'Énergie

Quebec, QC http://www.create.ulaval.ca/

Centre for International and Defence 

Policy

Kingston, ON https://www.queensu.ca/cidp/

Centre for International Governance 

Innovation

Waterloo, ON https://www.cigionline.org/

Centre for the Study of Living Standards Ottawa, ON http://www.csls.ca/

Chantier de l'économie sociale Montréal, QC https://chantier.qc.ca/

Conference Board of Canada Ottawa, ON | Montreal, QC | Calgary, AB https://www.conferenceboard.ca/

Council of Canadian Academies Ottawa, ON https://cca-reports.ca/