Battle of the Brains
Our ranking of leading think tanks shows money really does go to your head
BY Colin Oswin
Illustration by Evan Munday
Narrowing down what it means to be a think tank is a lot like nailing Jell-O to a wall: it’s not easy and it usually ends up being quite messy. Essentially, think tanks are organizations that produce publications to influence government and the media. Some receive public funding, but most rely on individual and corporate contributions.
Our ranking is split evenly by number, with five progressive and five not-so-progressive organizations rounding out the list. But take a closer look and things aren’t so equal. The Fraser Institute overshadows the bunch, with $6.4 million in revenue for 2003 (the last year for which numbers were available). That makes up almost half the combined revenue of $14.5 million for all the right-wing think tanks on our list.
But with three leftie organizations in the top five, and a combined total of $11.7 million, we have to wonder: Why do we never seem to hear about progressive think tanks in the mainstream media?
FRASER INSTITUTE Canada’s most notorious conservative cheerleader. Supports the privatization of everything. 2003 revenue: $6.4 million
PUBLIC POLICY FORUM Centre-right analysis of government and international economics. 2003 revenue: “over $3 million”
CANADIAN CENTRE FOR POLICY ALTERNATIVES Offers leftist economic, social and foreign-policy analysis on varying scales, from municipal to international. 2003 revenue: $2.87 million
INSTITUTE FOR RESEARCH ON PUBLIC POLICY Provides progressive policy options. Clue that it means well: Bob Rae chairs the board of directors. 2003 revenue: $2.83 million
CANADIAN POLICY RESEARCH NETWORKS Provides left-leaning social and economic policy alternatives. Supports living wage and affordable housing initiatives. 2003 revenue: $2.7 million
C.D. HOWE INSTITUTE Conservative support centre for pro-business policies. The Khan to Linda McQuaig’s Captain Kirk. 2003 revenue: $2.4 million
THE NORTH-SOUTH INSTITUTE Supports developing countries by agitating for change in Canadian economic and foreign policy. 2003 revenue: $2.2 million
CANADA WEST FOUNDATION Centre-right economic analysis with an emphasis on western provinces. Reason to be wary: Preston Manning is a senior fellow. 2003 revenue: $1.9 million
CALEDON INSTITUTE OF SOCIAL POLICY Provides economic and social policy options with a progressive bent. 2003 revenue: $1.1 million
MONTREAL ECONOMIC INSTITUTE Agitates for lower taxes and conservative economic policy en français et anglais. Supports scab labour and flat tax rates. 2003 revenue: $825,000
