Economic ideas for a stronger Canada

Canada needs better policies to address today’s economic challenges, and that starts with bold discourse. The McGill Max Bell Lectures focus on the analysis, balance, and practicality needed to plan for a more prosperous future. The lectures are held in three Canadian cities annually, and the associated book is published each year ahead of the lecture series by Sutherland House.

Learn more about the lectures.

Environmental policy reform

When Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission wound up its operations in 2019, the donors signed over the remaining funds to the Max Bell School of Public Policy to finance a series of ten annual conferences on policy issues at the intersection of the economy and the environment.

See the 2023 conference, "The Energy Transition We Need."

See the 2024 conference, "Unexpected Climate Connections: Advancing good policy for the economy and the environment."

Building evaluation capacity

The Evaluation Capacity Case Challenge (EC³) is an annual initiative dedicated to strengthening the evaluation capacity of institutions to foster and sustain high-quality evaluation practice. A real-world organization will present an evaluation capacity building (ECB) challenge each spring to teams comprising the best and brightest minds from across the U.S. and Canada.

Learn more about EC³.

Max Bell School-Wilson Center

Examining specific security issues through a Canada-US lens to identify practical ways to respond and strengthen international security, the Max Bell School and the Wilson Center in Washington have established a strategic partnership to enrich the study of the Canada-US relationship.

Learn about the 2024 conference, "Canada, the United States, and an Ascendant China."

Learn more about the inaugural conference in June 2023 on Arctic security.

Learn more about the December 2022 panel, "Canada and the United States: Managing the China Challenge."

Douglas-Coldwell-Layton Foundation

In honour of Jack Layton, a proud McGill graduate who went on to be a scholar and academic, and then an activist, and eventually a political leader at the municipal and federal levels, and in partnership with the Douglas-Coldwell-Layton Foundation, the Max Bell School offers a graduate student essay contest and accompanying policy discussion each winter.

See the 2023 panel, "Should Canadians Worry About Inflation? Is the Cure Worse than the Disease?"

See the 2024 panel, "Time to Bust the Trusts and Cartels? Addressing the Problem of Rising Corporate Concentration"

See the 2025 panel, "Reassessing Immigration in Canada: Goals, Perceptions, and Policy Challenges"