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Montreal Economic Institute

Montreal Economic Institute (MEI)

Background

The Montreal Economic Institute (MEI) — Institut Économique de Montréal (IEDM) — describes itself as an “independent public policy think tank” with its vision as “a world that is free and responsible, where voluntary exchange, respect for property rights, and entrepreneurship favour social mobility and prosperity for all.”1“WHO ARE WE?” Montreal Economic Institute, February 2, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ZsoJd. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The Financial Post described MEI as a “kind of Fraser Institute in Quebec” that is “often seen as promoting free-market views.”2“Montreal Economic Institute continues move from Quebec’s fringe by recruiting former finance minister Joe Oliver,” Financial Post, March 9, 2016. Archived February 3, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3rfWK Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The Washington Post described Maxime Bernier as a “far-right politician, who has been compared to Donald Trump,”3Rachel Pannet. “Who is Maxime Bernier? The far-right politician compared to Trump could help Trudeau in Canada’s election,” The Washington Post, September 13, 2021. Archived September 10, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/m5cBw and went on to head the People’s Party of Canada after leaving the Conservative Party of Canada in 2018,4“OUR LEADER MAXIME BERNIER,” People’s Party of Canada. Archived February 3, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LNHrU became the vice president of MEI in 2005.5“Biographie,” Maxime Bernier. Archived February 3, 2013. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/26n7C According to his LinkedIn, Bernier was Vice President of MEI until 2006.6“Maxime Bernier,” LinkedIn. Accessed February 2023. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2014, MEI advertised itself in its annual report as a “veritable training ground for dynamic public figures,” giving examples of Maxime Bernier and National Post columnist Tasha Kheiriddin.7“ANNUAL REPORT 2014” (PDF), MEI, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“[T]he more MEI alums who find themselves in influential positions in various fields, the more we can be assured that the ideas they defended while they worked at the MEI will find an echo out there in the world,” MEI’s chair Hélène Desmarais wrote.8“ANNUAL REPORT 2014” (PDF), MEI, 2014. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

One analysis of Twitter social media networks placed the Montreal Economic Institute among those with the highest “right-wing” scores for think tanks in Canada, along with others such as the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, the Macdonald Laurier Institute, the C.D. Howe Institute, and the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.9Stephen Tapp. “What can a little birdie tell us about think tank ideology?” Policy Options, January 5, 2015. Archived February 3, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/MUzuw

MEI has boasted about its influence on public policy in Canada and abroad. Following the election of Donald Trump as president in 2016, MEI’s president and CEO, Michel Kelly-Gagnon, wrote the following in its annual report:10“Annual Report 2016” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“We have developed an impressive network of connections over the years with important think tanks in Washington, D.C., which will place the MEI in an enviable position in terms of inserting its ideas into the public debate, and even influencing the development of public policies. We anticipate being quite active in this respect over the coming year.”

The following year, MEI commented, “In recent years, a series of government decisions have been announced that were clearly inspired by solutions we proposed,” including “the end of new Hydro-Québec contracts for costly wind energy production.”11“ANNUAL REPORT 2017″ (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“[I]t is MEI studies that were the first to question the economic model of Quebec’s wind energy sector and to highlight the positive aspects of pipeline projects,” MEI boasted in its 2014 annual report.12“Annual Report 2014” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

MEI & The Atlas Network

The Montreal Economic Institute was listed as a Canadian member of the Atlas Network until Atlas stopped listing its member organizations on its website after 2021.13“Global Directory: Canada,” Atlas Network. Archived January 23, 2021. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/uxqh8

SourceWatch described the Atlas Network as “the Johnny Appleseed of antiregulation groups” that is “on a mission to populate the world with new ‘free market’ voices,” and noted that John Blundell, Atlas Network’s president from 1987 through 1990, stated Atlas’ mission was to “litter the world with free-market think-tanks.”14“Atlas Economic Research Foundation,” SourceWatch profile. Other notable Canadian members include the Fraser Institute, Macdonald Laurier Institute, SecondStreet.org, Manning Centre, and Frontier Centre for Public Policy.

Atlas Network articles recently as February 2022 have listed MEI as an “Atlas Network partner.” 15“Montreal Economic Institute Shows The Mistake Of Intra-Country Trade Barriers,” Atlas Network, February 15, 2022. Archived February 3, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/io87u

MEI’s 2004 annual report quoted Alejandro A. Chafuen, president and CEO of Atlas: “…Your institute represents a strong role model for other think tanks in the international network with which Atlas works. […] We are thankful for your many efforts to make the Institut économique de Montréal a wonderful example of the kind of institution we want to see flourish in all countries.”16“ANNUAL REPORT 2004” (PDF), institut économique de Montréal. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Stance on Climate Change

November 2015

“Climate change has both negative and positive effects. Global warming of less than 2°C, as expected between now and the end of the century, will have positive net effects due in particular to higher crop yields,” read a report MEI produced in response to an upcoming Paris Climate Conference, publication titled “Practical Guide to the Economics of Climate Change: The Paris Conference and Its Aftermath.” 17Youri Chassin and Guillaume Tremblay. “PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THE PARIS CONFERENCE AND ITS AFTERMATH” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute, November 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

A “Q&A” published by MEI , excerpted in the report, goes into further detail:18“Why do we need to fight against climate change?” Montreal Economic Institute. Archived January 26, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Hj4Ev

“Certain cost-benefit analyses estimate that global warming on the order of 1°C to 2°C would be beneficial to humanity.”

The citation provided was a publication by economist Richard Tol titled “The Economic Effects of Climate Change.” Tol has been an advisor to the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

“Despite extensive media attention, the climate change issue remains essentially a future risk. As we saw in Chapter 2, Richard Tol calculated the overall impact of global warming has been positive up to now,” the study added later.

MEI also wrote the following in its 2015 annual report under a heading titled “Energy and Climate Change: Realistic, Pragmatic Solutions”:19“Annual Report 2015” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“The issues of energy development and the fight against climate change made headlines once again this year. As in previous years, the MEI emphasized a realistic, pragmatic approach, opposed to that of environmentalist groups that attempt to block any type of development. Canadians will continue to consume hydrocarbons for several decades to come. And it is important that transition measures toward greener energy sources don’t simply end up impoverishing the population, without having any notable effects on the production of greenhouse gases.”

2013

MEI has advocated for pipelines.

“[U]nder the heading of what I would call the presentation of a “pragmatic and realistic vision of energy matters,” the question of the development and use of oil is at the heart of our research and economic education work,” MEI president and CEO Michel Kelly-Gagnon wrote in MEI’s 2013 annual report.20“IDEAS FOR A MORE PROSPEROUS NATION: Annual Report 2013” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“The debate over oil pipelines must take into account the fact that the alternative to pipelines is not to stop transporting large quantities of oil, but rather to use other modes of transport that are less safe, less reliable and less cost-effective. Our work found an audience with decision makers and opinion leaders across the country. Indeed, a number of them formulated, and even in certain cases explicitly cited, certain of the recommendations and ideas that we have been putting forward on this subject for quite
a while now,” he wrote.

Funding

According to MEI, “[I]t is the MEI’s policy not to reveal the identity of its donors. This is standard practice in Canada for research organizations like the MEI, if only for competitive reasons.”21“WHO FUNDS THE MEI?” MEI. Archived January 19, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ngZDa

MEI offered the following data on its funding sources as of 2021:

Foundations71.87%$1,811,185
Oil and gas sector6.60%$166,275
Financial sector5.46%$137,700
Individuals3.61%$90,891
Pharmaceutical sector2.88%$72,500
Other2.38%$60,000
Internet and new technologies sector1.59%$40,000
Holding companies1.19%$30,000
Telecommunications sector1.19%$30,000
Forestry sector1.03%$26,000
Retail sector0.87%$22,000
Professional services sector0.49%$12,363
Construction sector0.36%$9,091
Manufacturing sector0.24%$6,000
Printing and media sector0.20%$5,000
Real estate sector0.04%$1,000
TOTAL100.00%$2,520,004

The following funding data are based on information retrieved from the Canadian Revenue Agency and combined by DeSmog for MEI/IEDM charity business registration number 876185877RR0001.

Note that it only includes data from Canadian nonprofit donors, not individuals or businesses. You can also download the attached spreadsheet to view the Montreal Economic Institute’s nonprofit funding by year (.xlsx).

Annual Reports

Key People

The following is based on a combination of MEI’s annual reports and data via the Internet Archive. For additional information, view the attached spreadsheet of Montreal Economic Institute people by year (.xlsx).

“Free Markets Series” on PBS Affiliates

MEI launched a “Free Markets Series” program “for American and Canadian audiences produced by The World Show in partnership with the MEI and broadcast on PBS affiliates.”22“The Series,” Free Markets Series. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HGEgG

According to the series’s website, “The Free Markets Series is an exceptional opportunity for viewers to be exposed to free-market ideas for the first time, or to deepen their knowledge of those ideas, and also to get to know some of the key individuals involved in the movement.”23“The Series,” Free Markets Series. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HGEgG

The John Templeton Foundation lists a 2013 grant to the Montreal Economic Institute towards a “Free Markets Series” on PBS Affiliates for $50,000 in the funding area of “Individual Freedom and Free Markets.”24“The Free-Market Thinkers Series On PBS Affiliates,” John Templeton Foundation. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/6yfwM

The John Templeton Foundation provided two additional grants for the following seasons of the program, including one for $300,000 in 2015 and one for $216,570 in 2018, for a total of $566,570 for all three years.

Many speakers featured in the series have close ties to the Atlas Network and its global network of free-market think tanks, many of which billionaire industrialist Koch brothers Charles and the late David Koch funded.

Below are some notable speeches in the series (this is not a complete list):

Michel Kelly-Gagnon

John A. Allison

John A. Allison was the head of the Koch-backed Cato Institute from 2012 to April 2015, and it continues to list him as a board member.25“John A. Allison,” Cato Institute. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/OrpCF

Tom Palmer

Tom Palmer is executive vice president for international programs at the Atlas Network and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.26“Dr. Tom Palmer,” Atlas Network. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3a9z0

Richard A. Epstein

Richard Epstein is an adjunct Peter and Kirsten Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.27“Richard A. Epstein,” Hoover Institution. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/rGMdM

Michael Walker

Michael Walker is the former executive director of the Fraser Institute and co-founder, along with Milton and Rose Friedman, of the Economic Freedom of the World project.28“Michael Walker,” Fraser Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/uMz92 The Mont Pelerin Society also listed Walker as a previous member in one of their past directories.

Lawrence W. Reed

Lawrence Reed was president of the Foundation for Economic Education from 2008 to 2019 and former president of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.29“Lawrence W. Reed,” Foundation for Economic Education. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3YgUG

The National Center for Policy Analysis listed Reed on their “Environmental Task Force.”30“Environmental Task Force,” National Center for Policy Analysis. Archived February 6, 2007. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/MyUwq

He has also been listed on the Virginia Institute for Public Policy‘s Board of Scholars.31“A Pro-Growth Tax Reform Agenda for Virginia” (PDF), Policy Report No. 16 (April 2015). Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. He is on the advisory council32“Advisory Council,” Talent Market. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ecShN to Talent Market, a recruitment agency that the New York Times described as the “Right Wing’s Casting Agency.”33Noam Scheiber. “The Right Wing’s Casting Agency, and Its Agent,” New York Times, March 6, 2016. Archived July 2, 2019. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/23YM6

Robert A. Sirico

Former president and co-founder of the Acton Institute, Robert Sirico, has also been on the board of advisors to the Cornwall Alliance,34“Board of Advisors,” Cornwall Alliance. Archived June 8, 2011. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/nA3iC board of scholars to the Mackinac Center, and is a member of the Mont Pelerin Society.35“Rev. Robert A. Sirico,” Acton Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/CPw38

Reuven Brenner

According to his CV, Brenner was a former adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute and a former board member of IEDM/MEI. He “served as [a] consultant or did research for” the Fraser Institute.36“CURRICULUM VITAE,” February 2012. Retrieved from McGill University. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Steven Horwitz

Steven Horwitz is a former senior fellow with the Fraser Institute and former affiliated senior scholar with the Koch-funded Mercatus Center at George Mason University.37“Steven Horwitz,” Fraser Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/TYouB He was also on the “faculty” of the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE).38“STEVEN HORWITZ,” Foundation for Economic Education. Archived December 15, 2011. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ubSM3

David Gratzer

David Gratzer is a former senior fellow with the Manhattan Institute39“David Gratzer,” Manhattan Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/LbxZd and with the Montreal Economic Institute. He has won the Donner Prize.40“David Gratzer joins Montreal Economic Institute as senior fellow,” Montreal Economic Institute, November 4, 2011. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qq15S The Donner Canadian Foundation is a significant funder of right-wing think tanks in Canada.

Kris Mauren

Kris Alan Mauren is the co-founder and president of the Acton Institute. The Acton Institute received the Templeton Freedom Award in 2015 from the Atlas Network.41“Season 2 – Episode 1 Freedom and the poverty industry,” Free Markets Series. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/4UOM6He is a director or advisor to several groups, including the Donors Capital Fund, Foundation for Economic Education, and John Templeton Foundation.42“Kris Alan Mauren,” Acton Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/HvicL

Luis Henrique Ball

Luis Henrique Ball is a board member of the Atlas Network.43“Atlas Network’s Board Members Team,” Atlas Network. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/elXhG

John Stossel

John Stossel was a former Fox Business television host before joining the libertarian Reason Foundation, where he hosts “Stossel on Reason.”44“John Stossel: Host and Creator, Stossel on Reason,” Reason.com. Archived December 29, 2017. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/heHg8

He has described himself as an “educator” with the Charles Koch Institute.45John Stossel. “John Stossel: What a skating rink can tell us about life (and government),” Fox News, December 14, 2016. Archived January 7, 2018. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Ate2y. He is a board member of the Center for Independent Thought,46“Board of Directors” Center for Independent Thought. Archived November 15, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/oJFw5 the parent foundation for several of his initiatives, including Stossel TV and Stossel in the Classroom.47Center for Independent Thought homepage. Archived November 15, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/AcWEI The Center for Independent Thought is an associate member of the State Policy Network.

Brad Lips

Brad Lips is CEO of the Atlas Network and serves on the American Friends of the Institute of Economic Affairs and Donors Capital Fund boards. He is also a member of the Mont Pelerin Society, chairs the organizing committee for its 2016 general meeting, and chairs its membership committee.48“Brad Lips,” Atlas Network. Archived October 6, 2022. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zOh6p

Lawrence White

Lawrence H White is a professor at the Koch-funded George Mason University. White has also been a visiting research fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, a senior scholar with the Cato Institute, and a distinguished senior fellow with the Mercatus Center‘s F. A. Hayek Program for Advanced Study in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.49“Lawrence H White,” George Mason University Department of Economics. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/H53fL

He was formerly listed as a “Faculty” member50“FEE FACULTY,” Foundation for Economic Education. Archived March 12, 2012. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/ubSM3 of the FEE and has sat on its board of scholars.51“Board of Scholars,” FEE. Archived May 9, 2013. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/9TGQb

Matt Kibbe

Matt Kibbe is the founder and former president of the key Koch organization, FreedomWorks. He is president and chief community organizer at Free the People. He was formerly the budget director for the US Chamber of Commerce.52“Matt Kibbe,” Free the People. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/qUJgu

Nick Gillespie

Nick Gillespie has been an officer of the Reason Foundation as recently as 201853“Reason Trustees and Officers,” Reason Foundation. Archived August 15, 2018. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/XbHFN and is editor-at-large of Reason magazine.54“Nick Gillespie,” Reason. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/UZFjS

Gabriel Calzada

Gabriel Calzada is president of Universidad Francisco Marroquín, which the Free Markets Series described as “the world’s only libertarian university.”55“Season 4 – Episode 4: Universidad Francisco Marroquín: An entrepreneurial university,” Free Markets Series. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/xPkRH

He is the founding president of Juan de Mariana Institute in Spain, which has received the Atlas Network’s Templeton Freedom Award. Calzada has been involved in Atlas Network events. He has been a Rowley fellow of the Ludwig von Mises Institute and is a fellow of the Centre for the New Europe. He interned at the Acton Institute and was a research fellow for the Mises Institute.56“PROF. GABRIEL CALZADA,” Competitive Enterprise Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Hufzc

Edwin J. Feulner

Edwin J. Feulner founded the Heritage Foundation was president from 1977 to 2013. He was the former president and long-time treasurer of the Mont Pelerin Society and twice-president of the Philadelphia Society. He has been director of the Council for National Policy, Acton Institute, the Aequus Institute, International Republican Institute, and George Mason University, among other organisations.57“Edwin J. Feulner,” The Heritage Foundation. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Pqo4K

He is also officer and director of major conservative grant-making foundations: the Sarah Scaife Foundation and the Thomas A. Roe Foundation.58“Edwin J. Feulner,” The Heritage Foundation. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Pqo4K

Daniel Hannan

Pro-Brexit, Daniel Hannan was the Conservative MEP for South East England from 1999 until the UK‘s withdrawal from the EU in January 2020.59“Daniel Hannan,” European Parliament website. Archived April 1, 2019. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/jhxAb He helped found both the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Conservative MPs in the 1990s and the Vote Leave campaign.60Daniel Hannan. “I helped found the ERG – accusations of extremism are ridiculous,” The Telegraph, February 24, 2019. Archived April 3, 2019. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/farxr 61Rajeev Syal, Jessica Elgot. “Leading Brexiter claims EU citizens in UK will be given voting rights,” The Guardian, October 25, 2008. Archived April 2, 2019. Archive.fo URL: http://archive.fo/OfBw5

James Tooley

James Tooley is on the advisory council of the Taxpayers’ Alliance62“Advisory Council,” Taxpayers’ Alliance. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tKH3K and former staff member63“About the IEA: Personnel,” Institute of Economic Affairs. Archived December 23, 2005. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/kSUGV and is an academic advisor at the Institute of Economic Affairs. The Mont Pelerin Society listed him as a past member in one of their previous directories.64“Fellows and Academic Advisors,” IEA. Archived February 9, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/cnnkE

Joseph G. Lehman

Joseph G. Lehman is the Koch-funded Mackinac Center for Public Policy president and vice chair of the National Taxpayers Union. He has served as the vice president for communications at the Cato Institute. Lehman is a member of the Atlas Network’s “Global Council of CEOs.”65“Joseph G. Lehman,” Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/rE2uv

Stephen Moore

Stephen Moore is a distinguished senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation and former economic advisor to former president Donald Trump. He is the founder and former president of the Club for Growth. He has been a senior fellow with the Cato Institute, an advisor to the Media Research Center, and a former director of Donors Capital Fund.66“Moore Passes Torch to Toomey,” The Club For Growth, January 6, 2005. Archived March 6, 2005. Archive.is URL: https://archive.is/Bnb6H 67Rachael Bade. “Stephen Moore to huddle with House GOP whips,” Politico, November 14, 2016. Archived November 15, 2016. Archive URL: https://archive.is/ywwdJ

“The Free Markets Series – Stephen Moore – Prosperity and Polarization in America.” Source: FreeMarketsSeries on YouTube.68“The Free Markets Series – Stephen Moore – Prosperity and Polarization in America,” FreeMarketsSeries on YouTube, June 10, 2019. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

David Inserra

David Inserra is a former policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation’s Davis Institute for National Security and Foreign Policy.69“David Insera,” The Heritage Foundation. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/0CM3U

Calixto Chikiamco

President of the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF). The FEF won Atlas Network’s 2019 Templeton Freedom Award.70“Foundation For Economic Freedom In The Philippines Wins 2019 Templeton Freedom Award,” Atlas Network, November 7, 2019. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/f4Huu

John Tillman

John Tillman is chairman of the Illinois Policy Institute and served as its CEO from 2007 to 2021. He is now CEO of the American Culture Project. He became chairman of the Franklin Center in 2017.71“John Tillman | Chairman,” Illinois Policy Institute. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/A2D2T

Bill Wirtz

Bill Wirtz is a senior policy analyst for the Koch- and Atlas-Foundation-funded Consumer Choice Center.72“Bill Wirtz,” Consumer Choice Center. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/6sYbk

Actions

December 19, 2023

MEI made a press release claiming “[t]he numerous support measures for the electric vehicle industry adopted by the Trudeau government go too far.”73(Press Release). “REACTION – Electric vehicles: One measure too many,” MEI, December 19. 2023. Archived March 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/nG0vu

“Ottawa already spends billions of dollars to subsidize the production of electric vehicles, and hundreds of millions to subsidize their purchase,” said MEI senior policy analyst Krystle Wittevrongel. She added “At what point will Ottawa start to say no to requests from the electric vehicle industry and its lobbyists?”74(Press Release). “REACTION – Electric vehicles: One measure too many,” MEI, December 19. 2023. Archived March 11, 2024. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/nG0vu

2021

MEI reported it had conducted a poll suggesting Canadians would not want to pay more to fight climate change.75(Press Release). “Canadians don’t believe that COP26 will be a game changer,” Montreal Economic Institute via Cision. Archived February 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zTBRF

“65% of Canadians are not prepared to pay a single cent more to fight climate change, according to a recent Ipsos poll carried out on behalf of the Montreal Economic Institute,” MEI declared in a press release.

“[W]e polled Canadians on various issues related to energy and the environment. One of the most telling results was that 65% of Canadians are not ready to pay more to fight climate change. This fact goes against the dominant narrative found in the media and among politicians,” MEI president and CEO Michel Kelly-Gagnon wrote in MEI’s 2021 annual report.76“Annual Report 2021″ (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute. 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The public can find the poll in a web archive on the MEI website. One question reads: “Are you prepared to may more in taxes to help fight climate change? If yes, how much more are you prepared to pay each year to reduce your greenhouse gas emissions?”77“MEETING CANADA’S ENERGY NEEDS (2021)” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute and Ipsos, November 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

October 2021

MEI released a publication in response to the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) advocating for carbon capture instead of “the costly regulation of economic activity” to combat climate change.78“Annual Report 2021″ (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute. 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“Currently, many measures in Canada’s climate change strategy come with uncertainties, competitive disadvantages, and job losses for manufacturing and other sectors.20 In contrast, well designed measures to incentivize the capture and utilization or storage of carbon emissions could be less costly overall, while still helping to achieve Canada’s climate goals,” the report claimed.79Krystle Wittenvrongel and Miguel Ouellette. “Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage: An Entrepreneurial Approach to Reducing GCG Emissions” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute, October 2021. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

January 20, 2021

MEI associate researcher Pierre Desrochers appeared on fossil fuel advocate Alex Epstein‘s Power Hour podcast to discuss “the history of environmental catastrophism, including but not limited to climate catastrophism.”80“Pierre Desrochers on the history of environmental catastrophism,” YouTube video uploaded by user “ImproveThePlanet,” January 20, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“Pierre Desrochers on the history of environmental catastrophism.” Source: ImproveThePlanet on YouTube. 81“ImproveThePlanet: Pierre Desrochers on the history of environmental catastrophism,” ImproveThePlanet on YouTube, January 20, 2021. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

2020

MEI claimed it had “been advising the Alberta government, with the help of Heritage Foundation expert Diane Katz,” on “reducing the regulatory burden.”82“Annual Report 2020” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“On this front, Premier Jason Kenney reported this fall that so far, his government had cut regulations by 6.84%, or 45,886 unnecessary requirement[s],” Michel Kelly-Gagnon boasted in MEI’s 2020 annual report.83“Annual Report 2020” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Kelly-Gagnon also suggested that MEI had a proposal accepted to co-host a “special meeting” of the secretive Mont Pelerin Society that would take place in October 2023 and “will explore how
Classical Liberalism could achieve a wider reach among audiences that have not traditionally been exposed to it.”84“Annual Report 2020” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

2019

MEI wrote a report suggesting that a carbon tax would stifle Canada’s oil and gas industry.

“The carbon tax is just one of the many challenges facing Canada’s oil and gas sector. There is also the lack of pipelines preventing our resources from reaching external markets, new rules that make the project approval process more burdensome, as well as a new clean fuel standard, which is actually no more and no less than another carbon tax under a different name,” MLI wrote in its 2019 annual report.85“Annual Report 2019” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“The cumulative effect of all of these measures, as our researchers explained in an in-depth
Research Paper, is going to end up stifling Canada’s oil industry, which is already being treated pretty roughly.”

June 2018

MEI boasted in its annual report that it had “launched a publication showing how the imposition of a price on carbon through the cap-and-trade scheme will have a negligible effect on GHG emissions, all while having a sizeable negative impact on the economies of Quebec and Ontario” on the same week that “new Premier Doug Ford announced that Ontario would be withdrawing from the carbon market, which also counts Quebec and California as members.”86“Annual Report 2018” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute. Archived PDF on file at DeSmog.

The publication, “The Carbon Market: Chasing Away Jobs and Capital without Reducing GHGs,” was co-written by MEI senior associate researcher Germain Belzile and “independent policy analyst” Mark Milke.87“The Carbon Market: Chasing Away Jobs and Capital without Reducing GHGs” (PDF), June 2018. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Milke has described himself as “principal policy advisor to UCP leader Jason Kenney” and notes he has “has been published by think tanks in Canada and internationally, including the Fraser Institute, the Montreal Economic Institute, American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation, and Brussels-based Centre for European Studies”88“About,” Mark Milke. Archived February 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/SE0kB

Jean Nolet, the managing director of Coop Carbone, responded critically to MEI’s piece in an article at La Presse,89“TARIFICATION DU CARBONE PRÉTEXTER L’INNOVATION POUR JUSTIFIER LE STATU QUO,” La Presse, June 20, 2018. Archived February 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/2COh9 and in turn, MEI’s Germain Belzile criticized Nolet’s response.90“Bourse du carbone : cher payé pour peu de résultats,” MEI, June 21, 2018. Archived February 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/zI025

April 10, 2018

MEI’s senior associate researcher Germain Belzile wrote a guest column at the Toronto Sun where he wrote: “[A] carbon tax is not much more than ‘virtue signalling,’ [sic] a kind of phoney commitment rather than a serious effort to achieve objectives.”91Germain Belzile. “GUEST COLUMN: A carbon tax — on two conditions only,” Toronto Sun, April 10, 2018. Archived February 6, 2023 and April 10, 2018.

2017

In its annual report, MEI claimed it “inspired” solutions chosen by the government, such as the decision for new wind projects by Hydro-Québec: (Emphasis added)92“ANNUAL REPORT 2017″ (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“Cases in which our contribution has had a concrete influence on the way debates have played out are more and more numerous, especially in Quebec. In recent years, a series of government decisions have been announced that were clearly inspired by solutions we proposed. Among others, there is the activity-based funding of hospitals, the end of new Hydro-Québec contracts for costly wind energy production, the expansion of responsibilities for nurse practitioners, the use of cadets to direct traffic in Montreal in order to reduce the cost of police services, and the transition plan for the taxi industry in
Quebec following the arrival of Uber.”

Source: MEI Annual Report 2017, page 13

MEI also claimed victories on two anti-electric vehicle initiatives in the 2017 year:

”We hit two home runs with in-depth publications on electric vehicles. These two publications generated over 1,300 media mentions and numerous interviews in the months that followed, not only in Quebec but across Canada and even elsewhere in the world. They were clearly among our most impactful publications of 2017.

“The first showed that the subsidies handed out by the Quebec and Ontario governments for the purchase of such vehicles are a waste of public funds, and that they are the least efficient and most expensive way of reducing greenhouse gases. We stepped up to the plate again a few weeks later by explaining why the electric vehicle sales quotas imposed on manufacturers are going to end up increasing the cost of conventional vehicles, which is equivalent to a new tax for consumers.

“Our researchers also used the occasion, in interviews and blog posts, to criticize the subsidies granted by the City of Montreal to the Formula E race, another ineffective and costly government intervention aiming to promote electric cars. One of the first actions of Montreal’s new municipal government, in the days following its election, was to cancel the event.”

October 19, 2017

MEI released a report titled Canada’s Oil and Gas Sector at Risk? How excessive taxes and regulations undermine our competitiveness, which the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) promoted.93“Report: Canada’s Oil and Gas Sector at Risk?” Context: Energy Examined, October 19. 2017. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/fuGCZ

“The report examines a number of challenges and reasons for concern regarding the competitiveness of Canada’s oil and natural gas sector, particularly in relation to industry taxes and regulations in Canada relative to those in the U.S.,” a post by CAPP’s Context: Energy Examined magazine.94“Report: Canada’s Oil and Gas Sector at Risk?” Context: Energy Examined, October 19. 2017. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/fuGCZ

“Overall this is a solid report that paints a grim picture of the state of competitiveness today in Canada’s oil and natural gas industry – one of the country’s largest trade industries and an engine of prosperity from coast to coast,” says CAPP spokesperson, Chelsie Klassen.95“Report: Canada’s Oil and Gas Sector at Risk?” Context: Energy Examined, October 19. 2017. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/fuGCZ

June 22, 2015

MEI hosted Alex Epstein for his presentation on “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.” MEI described the event as a “Presentation by Youri Chassin, Economist and Research Director at the MEI, as part of a Luncheon discussion with author and energy expert Alex Epstein.”96“The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels with Alex Epstein,” MEI, June 22, 2015. Archived February 6, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/tHVi3

December 9, 2015

MEI produced a video titled “What sacrifices should we make to live in a world without oil?“97“What sacrifices should we make to live in a world without oil?” YouTube video uploaded by user “IEDM – MEI,” December 9, 2015. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“What sacrifices should we make to live in a world without oil?” Source: IEDM – MEI on YouTube. 98“What sacrifices should we make to live in a world without oil?” IEDM – MEI on YouTube, December 9, 2015. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

In the video, MEI claimed, “Despite the benefits of this resource, certain activist groups want to drastically and rapidly restrict our use of oil.”

Citing their work, MEI displayed a quote from one of their articles at the end of the video: “In Quebec only, the proposals of environmentalist groups for reducing oil consumption would cost $1,875 per household per year.”

November 2015

MEI published what it described as a “voluminous paper for lay readers” in the lead-up to the Paris Climate Conference, titled “Practical Guide to the Economics of Climate Change: The Paris Conference and Its Aftermath.”99Youri Chassin and Guillaume Tremblay. “PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE ECONOMICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE THE PARIS CONFERENCE AND ITS AFTERMATH” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute, November 2015. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“This publication placed the need to fight climate change in a rational context, analyzing costs and benefits, both economic and environmental, of certain measures for tackling this issue,” MEI wrote in its annual report. “[…] we clarified, using facts and figures, a discussion too often inundated by political exaggerations or stirred up by alarmist talk.”100“Annual Report 2015” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The report makes several claims, such as that “Subsidies for renewable energy and for electric vehicles, or adding ethanol to gasoline, are ineffective in meeting targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

“Climate change has both negative and positive effects. Global warming of less than 2°C, as expected between now and the end of the century, will have positive net effects due in particular to higher crop yields,” the report claimed.

The report summarized another chapter on adapting to climate change: “The global rate of mortality due to extreme weather events has fallen by 98% since the 1920s, showing that human vulnerability to climate is due mostly to economic conditions.”

“Malnutrition, diarrhea and malaria, made more frequent by climate change, are risks associated mainly
with poverty. […] Access to cheap electricity is therefore a significant means of improving current health conditions, even if this electricity comes from fossil energy.”

November 28, 2014

MEI president and CEO Michel Kelly-Gagnon wrote an op-ed at Huffington Post titled “Subsidizing Electric Cars Is a Waste of Money.“101Michel Kelly-Gagnon. “Subsidizing Electric Cars Is a Waste of Money,” The Huffington Post, November 28, 2014. Archived December 1, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/Hcegx

“[S]ubsidizing electric cars is an extremely inefficient way of curbing GHGs. In other words, it costs a lot to reduce a little,” he wrote. “[I]f the government is looking for programs to cut, it could start with these wasteful subsidies.”

2014

MEI suggested in its annual report that its researchers had focused on “the vast energy and sustainable development file,” including the publication of “A Research Paper [that] explored the true costs of an accelerated energy transition from oil to green energy sources in order to illustrate the unrealistic nature of the proposals of certain environmentalist groups.”

“[I]t is MEI studies that were the first to question the economic model of Quebec’s wind energy sector and to highlight the positive aspects of pipeline projects,” MEI boasted in the report.102“Annual Report 2014” (PDF), MEI. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

The paper was titled “Can We Get Rid of Oil? The Costs of an Accelerated Energy Transition.” It concluded: “There is no use in demonizing a resource if there are no realistic alternatives, or in devising projects without taking into account their costs and the population’s willingness to pay them.”103“Can we Get Rid of Oil? The Costs of an Accelerated Energy Transition” (PDF), MEI. Retrieved from Numérique. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

June 2013

MEI released a publication claiming, as its author summarized, that “Quebecers pay literally hundreds of millions of dollars a year to produce electricity from wind turbines that they don’t need.”104“It will cost $695 million a year to produce wind power that Quebec doesn’t need,” MEI. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/EJBA2

2013

MEI chairman Hélène Desmarais wrote in MEI’s annual report that the think tank had “played a leading role in recent years in educating the general public, and decision-makers too, on questions about energy and the development of natural resources.”105“Ideas for a More Prosperous Nation: Annual Report 2013” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“In 2013, we took part in a concrete manner in debates on, among other things, the transportation of oil by pipeline, the rising costs of electricity in Quebec and the management of our forests.” She added,” We even participated in the launch of a new interview series on the American PBS network featuring internationally renowned experts on energy questions.”

MEI’s annual report summarized their involvement with a separate PBS “Energy Series”:

“In 2013, we pursued our partnership with The World Show on American PBS’s network of affiliated television stations. Having collaborated on the ‘Free Markets Series,’ we are collaborating this time on a television series dealing with energy questions. This series arrives at a crucial time since important decisions on energy-related matters are on the agenda and decision makers are in the process of deploying their strategies. It is imperative that we contribute to this debate through our research and our educational activities.

“This series shines a light on some of the most dynamic and influential decision makers and intellectuals in Canada and the United States. The episodes present in-depth interviews with such figures as the Honourable Joe Oliver, Canada’s Minister of Natural Resources at the time of the interview; Pierre Desrochers, professor in the geography department at the University of Toronto Mississauga; and Rick George, a partner of the Novo Investment Group and the former CEO of Suncor Energy.”

April 23, 2013

MEI’s economist, Youri Chassin, testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Natural Resources on “Market Diversification in the Energy Sector.”106“Market Diversification in the Energy Sector,” MEI, April 23, 2013. Archived February 7, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RLHsM

October 2012

MEI released a study by Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu titled “Innovation and the Greening of Alberta’s Oil Sands.”107Pierre Desrochers and Hiroko Shimizu. “Innovation and the Greening of Alberta’s Oil Sands” (PDF), Montreal Economic Institute, October 2012. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

“While not perfect, petroleum-based products were clearly superior alternatives to the technologies they displaced and are still superior to the heavily-subsidized alternatives now touted as substitutes,” Desrochers and Shimizu wrote. “For instance, wind and solar power can only deliver small and intermittent volumes of electricity. They are useless in virtually all segments of the transportation sector and provide no feedstock to other lines of work.”

“No current energy and synthetic feedstock source or combination of sources are presently technically superior and greener alternatives to crude oil,” they concluded.

The paper also aims to illustrate how “Alberta’s oil sands are being exploited and illustrates how ‘win-win-win’ innovations are now taking place that are making this industry more efficient and more environmentally friendly.”

Shimizu described herself as a research fellow at the Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) in her bio. PERC is a Koch-funded group that promotes “Free Market Environmentalism.”108“WHAT IS FME?” PERC. Archived June 6, 2014. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/76JMS

The publication led to a debate between Pierre Desrochers and Steven Guilbeault, spokesperson for Équiterre.109“IEDM – Les sables bitumineux de l’Alberta – Pierre Desrochers & Steven Guilbeault,” MEI, October 11, 2012. Archived February 8, 2023. Audio is no longer available on the MEI website. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/3J40h

April 2012

MEI associate researcher Germain Belzile conducted a study for MEI, suggesting Quebec was sitting on $400 billion in oil reserves and advocated exploiting the resource when quoted by La Presse, which reported on the study.110Helene Baril. “Le Québec assis sur l’or noir,” La Presse, April 26, 2012. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/KjxgK

April 27, 2012

MEI’s associate researcher Germain Belzile appeared on Ezra Levant‘s program at Sun News, The Source, to discuss “oil resources in Quebec.”111“IEDM – Pétrole du Québec – Germain Belzile,” MEI, April 27, 2012. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

“WIEDM Pétrole du Québec Germain Belzile” Source: IEDM – MEI on YouTube. 112“IEDM Pétrole du Québec Germain Belzile” IEDM – MEI on YouTube, August 11, 2012. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

December 2, 2005

MEI issued a questionnaire to leaders of the major federal parties “today to learn their views on the economic impact of implementing the Kyoto Protocol in Canada.”113“Montreal Economic Institute questions leaders on the economic impact of the Kyoto Protocol,” MEI, December 2, 2005. Archived February 9, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/x1o5a

In the questions posed, MEI claimed “scientists have discovered many shortcomings” in Michael Mann’s Hockey Stick graph illustrating increasing global temperatures.114“Montreal Economic Institute questions leaders on the economic impact of the Kyoto Protocol,” MEI, December 2, 2005. Archived February 9, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/x1o5a

“The curve was the scientific pillar of the Kyoto Protocol. But the pillar has fallen and even the Protocol’s proponents avoid using it today. Do you think the Government of Canada should follow in their footsteps?” MEI posed in its first question.

MEI posed their third question as follows:

“Studies confirm that the Kyoto Protocol will have a minimal effect on total greenhouse gas emissions over the next decades and will have no real influence on the evolution of the earth’s climate change. We are also told that the Kyoto Protocol is the first in a long line of necessary steps to control global warming. Do you intend to continue this process by signing or supporting the signing of other international agreements to control climate change?”

2004

MEI associate researcher Pierre Desrochers presented at a seminar held by the Fraser Institute in Toronto titled “The Environmental Responsibility of Firms is to Make a Profit.“115“The Environmental Responsibility of Firms is to Make a Profit,” MEI, November 13, 2004. Archived February 9, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/U2UbR

In 2010, Desrochers published a journal article in Industrial and Corporate Change similarly titled “The environmental responsibility of business is to increase its profits.”

According to its abstract: “The article concludes by arguing that the most promising path toward truly sustainable development lies in the unwavering pursuit of profitability within the bounds of well-defined and enforced private property rights.”116“The environmental responsibility of business is to increase its profits (by creating value within the bounds of private property rights)” Industrial and Corporate Change, Volume 19, Issue 1, (February 2010). Archive URL: https://archive.ph/DjEZ4

Contact & Address

Offices listed on the MEI website as of 2023 included:118Homepage, MEI. Archived February 8, 2023. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/RFntL

910 PEEL STREET, SUITE 600
MONTREAL (QUEBEC)
H3C 2H8 CANADA
T 514.273.0969
F 514.273.2581

150 9TH AVENUE SW, SUITE 2010
CALGARY (ALBERTA)
T2P 3H9 CANADA
T 403.478.3488

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