Government Information

"A think tank is a nongovernmental, nonprofit organization that devotes a significant portion of its activities to public policy analysis. Think tanks identify policy issues, evaluate ideas, and design public policies."

Romero, S. (2010). Think tanks. In Culture wars: An Encyclopedia of issues, viewpoints, and voices. Retrieved from http://0-search.credoreference.com.library.capilanou.ca/content/entry/sharpecw/think_tanks/0

The latest Global Go To Think Tank Index from the The Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) lists the top Canadian think tanks as:

1. Fraser Institute
2. The North-South Institute
3. The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
4. C. D. Howe Institute
5. Canadian Global Affairs Institute (CGAI)
6. Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP)
7. Canadian International Council (GIC) - OpenCanada.org
8. The Macdonald-Laurier Institute
9. International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
10. The Conference Board of Canada
11. Montreal Economic Institute
12. Public Policy Forum
13. Frontier Centre for Public Policy
14. Queen's Centre for International and Defence Policy

The University of Alberta guide to Canadian Think Tanks provides complete descriptions of the organizations listed above. A few other well-known Canadian think tanks include:

• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)
• The Council of Canadians