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.

Ottawa Parliament Hill

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