Conference Board of Canada

Conference Board of Canada
Name	Conference Board of Canada
Formation	1954
Type	Research organization
Headquarters	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Leader title	President and CEO

Conference Board of Canada is a Canadian applied research organization and policy institute focused on public policy, business strategy, and performance measurement. Based in Ottawa, it produces research for corporate, nonprofit, and public sector clients and provides advisory services, benchmarking, and conferences. The organization interacts with a range of institutions across Canada and internationally, engaging with stakeholders from provinces such as Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta and federal agencies in Ottawa.

History

The organization was founded in 1954 during a period of postwar expansion alongside institutions like Canadian Chamber of Commerce, Royal Bank of Canada, Bank of Montreal, Ontario Hydro and Export Development Canada. Early activities paralleled work by Brookings Institution, Fraser Institute, Rand Corporation, C.D. Howe Institute and Institute for Research on Public Policy in shaping policy debates on trade, labour, and industrial development. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s it expanded research on issues connected to jurisdictions such as Province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and national programs like Trans-Canada Highway initiatives. By the 1990s it engaged with global actors including World Bank, International Monetary Fund, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, United Nations, and private firms like Deloitte, KPMG, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Ernst & Young.

Organization and Governance

Governance structures mirror corporate and nonprofit boards such as those of CBC/Radio-Canada, University of Toronto, McGill University, Canadian Red Cross and Royal Ontario Museum. Senior leadership positions have interacted with figures who previously served at agencies like Health Canada, Statistics Canada, Bank of Canada, Natural Resources Canada and departments associated with leaders from Prime Minister of Canada offices. The board of directors historically included executives from firms such as Scotiabank, Canadian Pacific Railway, Air Canada, Rogers Communications and Suncor Energy, as well as representatives from academic institutions like York University and Queen's University. Organizational units resemble research centres at Harvard Kennedy School, London School of Economics, School of Public Policy at University of Calgary and think tanks like Chatham House.

Research and Programs

Research programs cover labour markets, productivity, demographic trends, and sectoral analyses comparable to studies by Statistics Canada, Canadian Labour Congress, Confederation of British Industry, European Commission, and United States Census Bureau. The organization runs benchmarking and leadership development programs similar to those at National Research Council Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Ontario Ministry of Labour, and private training providers such as FranklinCovey and Dale Carnegie. Topic areas have included energy and resources alongside stakeholders like Alberta Energy Regulator, Hydro-Québec, Enbridge, TransCanada Corporation, and environmental actors such as David Suzuki Foundation, Pembina Institute and World Wildlife Fund. It has produced studies relevant to infrastructure projects like GTA West Corridor, public pension discussions involving Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, and trade analyses touching United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement, North American Free Trade Agreement and Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Publications and Reports

The organization publishes reports, briefs, and indices that are widely cited by media outlets such as The Globe and Mail, National Post, CBC News, CTV News and journals like Canadian Public Policy. Its benchmarking indices and outlooks have been compared to releases from Conference Board (United States), OECD Economic Outlook, IMF World Economic Outlook, and proprietary indices from Moody's, S&P Global, and Fitch Ratings. Reports often analyze subjects involving corporations like Bombardier, Magna International, Shopify, Tim Hortons and sectors represented by associations such as Canadian Federation of Independent Business and Mining Association of Canada.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding sources have included corporate members, philanthropic foundations, and government contracts similar to arrangements seen with McConnell Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and provincial ministries such as Ontario Ministry of Finance and Alberta Treasury Board. Partnerships and collaborative projects have involved universities like University of British Columbia, McMaster University, University of Alberta, research networks including C.D. Howe Institute and international organizations such as World Economic Forum, United Nations Development Programme, and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forums. Corporate sponsors have included firms like Royal Bank of Canada, TD Bank Group, CIBC, Bell Canada and Telus.

Impact and Criticism

Work has influenced policymaking at levels involving premiers like Doug Ford, François Legault, Rachel Notley and federal ministers such as Chrystia Freeland and Bill Morneau, and has been cited in legislative hearings in bodies like House of Commons of Canada and provincial legislatures including Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Critiques mirror those leveled at peer institutions such as Fraser Institute and C.D. Howe Institute concerning funding transparency, potential corporate influence, methodological assumptions, and perceived advocacy versus neutral analysis. Academic commentators from University of Toronto, Queen's University, Carleton University and University of Ottawa have debated its models and projections alongside responses from economists affiliated with Bank of Canada, Bank of England, Harvard University, Yale University and London School of Economics.

Category:Think tanks based in Canada