About | Aristotle Foundation

Who we are

The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy is a new think tank that aims to renew a civil, common-sense approach to public discourse and public policy in Canada.

Our vision

A Canada where the sacrifices and successes of past generations are cherished and built upon; where citizens value each other for their character and merit; and where open inquiry and free expression are prized as the best path to a flourishing future for all.

Our mission

We champion reason, democracy, and civilization so that all can participate in a free, flourishing Canada.

Our theory of change: Canada’s idea culture is critical

Ideas—what people believe—come first in any change for ill or good. We will challenge ideas and policies where in error and buttress ideas anchored in reality and excellence.

Why name it after Aristotle?

The ancient Greek philosopher asserted that reality and reason matter to solving problems; ancient Greece was an incubator for experiments in democracy; Athenian citizens debated justice and the good life. All such elements—reason, democracy, and civilization—yet matter today to human flourishing.

Everyone’s family built Canada

Most Canadians aspire to what Martin Luther King Jr. famously desired for his own country: to be judged not “by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

That’s why I’ve always looked at people as individuals. It is also why I have:

Fought for taxpayers, free enterprise, and equal opportunity;
Argued for spending on the poor and not the politically-connected;
Advocated for the equal treatment of all and special privileges for none;

I’ve also tried to help others advance a freer, more flourishing Canada.

For example, I once commissioned a study on “honour killings.” It was a ground-breaking analysis about a new threat to freedom and how it affected the most vulnerable, i.e., immigrant women. It went viral and it found a champion in then-federal cabinet minister Rona Ambrose.

That type of innovative work is what the Aristotle Foundation will advance. That’s because we want to tackle modern-day problems.

We face new challenges today from those who see only past problems but not Canada’s virtues, or think Canada was created out of “privilege.”

But all our families built Canada from scratch: Just before the Great Depression, my grandmother cleaned homes in Edmonton to help her immigrant family stay afloat. In the depths of the early 1980s recession, my mom worked at a Sears coffee shop in Kelowna to pay the bills.

That’s how my family helped build Canada. Your family likely has similar stories.

If you want to help advance reason, informed history, and smart policy, please sign up, support our efforts with a charitable donation, and share our work.

Thank you,

President, The Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy

Mark Milke and the great-grandson of Sir Winston Churchill, Randolph Churchill III, at the unveiling of the Churchill statue in Calgary on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2024.

Mark Milke, PhD, is the founder and president of the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. Mark is a public policy analyst and author with six books, over 70 studies, and more than 1,000 columns published in the last 25 years. His policy work has been published by numerous think tanks in Canada and internationally, including the Fraser Institute, the Montreal Economic Institute, American Enterprise Institute, and Brussels-based Centre for European Studies. He is editor of the Aristotle Foundation’s first book, The 1867 Project: Why Canada Should Be Cherished–Not Cancelled. Mark is also the past-president of the Sir Winston Churchill Society of Calgary where he drove ahead the commissioning, fundraising, and installation of a statue of Churchill in Calgary on June 6, 2024—the 80^th anniversary of D-Day. His sixth book, The Victim Cult: How grievance culture is wrecking civilization, is an Amazon bestseller. You can find Mark’s columns in media across Canada including in the National Post, Globe and Mail, and Maclean’s as well as in the United States in National Review. In 2022, Mark was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal in recognition of his service to the province of Alberta.

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David Hunt, BBA, MPP, is the research director for the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy. David has deep and wide experience including as an entrepreneur, business consultant, and director of education programs. David has published over one dozen peer-reviewed research studies, written dozens of columns, hosted multiple forums on education, given dozens of speeches on education-related topics including on the benefits of school choice, and has been widely interviewed by the media over the past decade. Three of David’s research papers have been submitted as evidence or referenced by experts in court proceedings, including at the Supreme Court of Canada. David also teaches occasional courses at the Melville School of Business at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. David holds a Master of Public Policy from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Business Administration (with distinction) from Kwantlen Polytechnic University where he was the Dean’s Medal recipient. David shepherds all Aristotle Foundation research from the idea stage to publication. Born and raised in British Columbia, David and his wife and children live in Metro Vancouver. When not at the beach, David and his family regularly hike and ski in beautiful British Columbia.

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Sam Stopp, BA Hons., is the development manager for the Aristotle Foundation. Sam focuses on donor relations including keeping our supporters “in the loop” on the impact our young think tank is having in the world of ideas, education, and public policy. Sam has a degree in History and Politics from the University of Warwick in England and has worked in data marketing including on an account with the UK grocery chain Tesco. He has worked in business development roles in the pharmaceutical sector and in crisis communications roles for companies such as Nestlé. More recently, he spent four years as the key political adviser to the chief executive on the £10 billion Lower Thames Crossing project. He also played a key role in building up Kanda Consulting to help make it the largest consultancy in London focused on the politics of planning.

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Ven Venkatachalam Ph.D. is the senior economist with the Aristotle Foundation and empirically anchors our work in data and statistics. He is an economic and social researcher with expertise in a number of areas including economic and fiscal policy, international relations, trade, energy, governance, education, immigration, tourism, and NGO matters. He has consulted for governments, NGOs, and private sector organizations across Asia, Europe, Canada, and the United States.

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Danny Randell, BA (Hist.) & MPP is a researcher with the Aristotle Foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in History from Ambrose University and a Master’s of Public Policy from the University of Calgary. He has worked in technology, finance, and in government, has hosted history podcasts, and is the editor of Have Rations, Will Cook!, a collection of Canadian wartime recipes. His columns have been published in the National Post, Western Standard, Ottawa Citizen, and Calgary Herald.

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Ava Peacock BA (Hist.), BEd, MA (Engl.), is the executive coordinator for the Aristotle Foundation. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Ambrose University, a Bachelor of Education from the University of Calgary, and a Master of Arts in English from the University of Calgary. She has worked in a variety of positions within the education and publishing sectors. In addition to her duties as the executive coordinator, Ava serves as a proofreader/editor for the Aristotle Foundation.

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Danella Aichele BA (Engl.), BEd, is interning with the Aristotle Foundation while she completes her Master of Public Policy at the University of Calgary. She is a former teacher with the Calgary Board of Education with 10 years of experience including Grade 9 Social Studies and English but also served as a mental health teacher for high school students with severe mental health challenges. Starting this fall, she will help us educate the Canadian public, including students, about public policy issues and what’s happening in Canada’s schools.

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Tamara Rosenblum, is our video producer at the Aristotle Foundation. Tamara ensures our research is marketed far and wide. Tamara was the co-owner of a 45-person marketing company, Mantaray Creative, for 15 years where she was the senior strategist and creative director in charge of brand engagement initiatives, brand story development, marketing, and communications strategies. Tamara also served as Director of Marketing and Media Relations for the Canadian Energy Centre and has also been a senior strategist and Chief Marketing Officer contractor across various industries.

Aristotle Foundation published research includes fact sheets, longer studies, and columns from a variety of scholars and research fellows:

Dr. Rima Azar is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Mount Allison University, Sackville, New Brunswick.

Dr. Peter Baehr, Fellow at the Center of Social and Political Thought, University of South Florida; formerly Research Professor in Social Theory and Dean, Head of Department, Lingnan University, Hong Kong.

Mr. Ahmad Banki is a Lecturer, Department of Economics, Dawson College Montreal.

Ms. Vivian Bercovici is the founder and publisher of stateoftelaviv.com, a former Canadian ambassador to Israel and former lawyer.

Dr. David Bercuson is Director Emeritus of the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.

Dr. Michael Bonner is a Canadian political consultant, and a specialist, historian, and author of two books on Iran with a doctorate in Iranian history from the University of Oxford. His most recent book is In Defense of Civilization: How Our Past Can Renew Our Present.

Ms. Anita Bromberg, LLB, is Executive Director of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and former National Director of Legal Affairs for B’nai Brith Canada.

Dr. Marc Champagne is a Regular Faculty Member in the Department of Philosophy at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where he also teaches courses for the Policy Studies program. He has authored numerous scholarly articles and books, including Myth, Meaning, and Antifragile Individualism: On the Ideas of Jordan Peterson.

Dr. Barry Cooper is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Calgary, author of 35 books and 200 studies, and is a Fellow of the Aristotle Foundation for Public Policy and the Royal Society of Canada.

Dr. Roy Eappen is a Montreal endocrinologist with published work on gender transition policy in Europe including from Do No Harm Medicine.

Dr. Caroline Elliott is a policy analyst and commentator appearing on numerous podcasts, TV panels, radio programs, and in national publications. She previously taught at Simon Fraser University, and specializes in democratic theory with a focus on tensions between group and individual rights.

Mr. Nadeem Esmail is an economist, entrepreneur, and policy analyst.

Hon. Bronwyn Eyre, LLB, is Saskatchewan’s former Minister of Justice and Attorney General — the first female to hold each position — as well as a former and long-serving Minister of Energy.

Dr. Janice Fiamengo is a Professor of English at the University of Ottawa.

Dr. Tom Flanagan is Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Distinguished Fellow of the School of Public Policy at the University of Calgary.

Mr. Michel Jacques Gagné is a tenured lecturer in the Humanities department of Champlain College Saint-Lambert near Montreal.

Ms. Marjorie Gann, M. Ed., is the author of history books for children and young adults and the co-author of Five Thousand Years of Slavery and Speak a Word for Freedom: Women Against Slavery.

Dr. Bruce Gilley is a Professor of Political Science and Urban and Public Affairs at Portland State University.

Dr. David M. Haskell is an Associate Professor, Faculty of Liberal Arts, at Wilfrid Laurier University.

Dr. Patanjali Kambhampati is a Professor in the Department of Chemistry at McGill University.

Dr. Borys M. Kowalsky is a former professor of liberal arts at Georgian College of Applied Arts and Technology

Dr. Lawrence M. Krauss is a world-renowned theoretical physicist, commentator, bestselling author and president of The Origins Project Foundation. Prof. Krauss’ professorships and distinguished research appointments include institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, University of Chicago, Boston University, University of Zurich, University of California at Santa Barbara, Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN), Case Western Reserve University, Australian National University, Arizona State University, and New College of Humanities.

Mr. Matthew Lau, CFA is a financial analyst and adjunct scholar at various think tanks.

Dr. J. Edward Les is a Calgary pediatrician with a research interest in the literature on teenage gender transition.

Peter MacKinnon OC, KC, is a former dean of law and served as president of the University of Saskatchewan, Athabasca University and Dalhousie University. He is a co-editor or sole author of seven books; the latest is Confronting Illiberalism: A Canadian Perspective.

Dr. Patrick Malcolmson is Professor Emeritus Department of Political Science St. Thomas University.

Mr. Collin May is a lawyer and Adjunct Lecturer in Community Health Sciences at the University of Calgary, with degrees in law (Dalhousie University), a Masters in Theological Studies (Harvard) and a Diplome d’etudes approfondies (Ecole des hautes etudes, Paris).

Dr. John Merrifield is a Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Texas at San Antonio.

Dr. Martin Mrazik is Associate Chair of the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Waller R. Newell is a Professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Carleton University and Adjunct Fellow of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Zachary Patterson is a full professor at Montreal’s Concordia University Institute for Systems Engineering. In addition to his core academic research expertise in transportation, he works on Canadian higher education reform.

Prof. Bruce Pardy is a professor of law at Queen’s University.

Mr. Greg Piasetzki is a Toronto-based intellectual property lawyer, a Fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada, and a citizen of the Metis Nation of Ontario.

Dr. John Robson is an adjunct professor at Augustine College (Ottawa), historian, author, columnist, and documentary filmmaker.

Mr. Joseph Quesnel is a policy analyst with a focus on indigenous issues.

Ms. Raheel Raza is President of the Council for Muslims Facing Tomorrow.

Ms. Rupa Subramanya is an economist and National Post columnist.

Dr. Jim Swaffield is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Business at Athabasca University.

John Weissenberger, Ph.D., is a petroleum geologist and executive. He is currently also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Alberta, has managed industrial/academic research partnerships, served on the boards of two federal granting agencies and a major university.

Dr. L. Daniel Wilson is an Assistant Professor and Chair in Business Law & Regulation, Faculty of Law, University of Calgary.

Mr. Adam Zivo is a policy analyst and journalist.