The Mowat Centre was an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

public policy Public policy is an institutionalized proposal or a decided set of elements like laws, regulations, guidelines, and actions to solve or address relevant and real-world problems, guided by a conception and often implemented by programs. Public ...

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmental ...

associated with the

Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy The Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto is an interdisciplinary academic centre with various research and educational programs committed to the field of globalization. Located in Toronto, Ontario, it offers ...

at th
University of Toronto
It was established in 2009 with support from the

government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor ...

, and published its first report in February 2010. It closed in June 2019 after its funding agreement with the Government of Ontario was cancelled. It was named after Ontario's longest-serving Premier, Sir Oliver Mowat.

About

The Mowat Centre described itself as "Ontario's non-partisan, evidence-based voice on public policy." It "undertakes collaborative applied policy research, proposes innovative research-driven recommendations, and engages in public dialogue on Canada's most important national issues." Academic experts the Mowat Centre collaborated with include

Robin Boadway Robin William Boadway, (born June 10, 1943) is a Canadian economist. He held the David Smith Chair at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Earlier he was Sir Edward Peacock Professor of Economic Theory at Queen's University. He has taught ...

, Sujit Choudhry, Tom Courchene, and others. Organizations Mowat collaborated with include the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, the Broadbent Institute, the

Brookings Institution The Brookings Institution, often stylized as simply Brookings, is an American research group founded in 1916. Located on Think Tank Row in Washington, D.C., the organization conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in e ...

, the Caledon Institute of Social Policy, the Canada West Foundation,

Corporate Knights Corporate Knights is a media and research company based in Toronto, Canada, focused on advancing a sustainable economy. The company publishes an award-winning magazine,  ''Corporate Knights'', and produces global rankings, research reports, a ...

, KPMG,

Leger Marketing Leger or Léger may refer to: People * Léger (surname), a list of people with the surname Léger or Leger * Leodegar or Leger (615-679), Chalcedonian saint, martyr and Bishop of Autun * Leger Djime (born 1987), Chadian footballer * Leger Do ...

, and others. According to a 2015 report analyzing its own policy impact and public footprint, the Mowat Centre played a role in the passage of the ''Fair Representation Act 2011'' and reforms made to policy proposals that led to the

Canada Job Grant The Canada Job Grant is a skill and trade training program established by the Government of Canada subsequent to the passage of the 2013 federal budget. It will be funded by the Canada Job Fund, a fund transfer from the federal government to prov ...

and income splitting in Canada. According to the same report, in the years 2010 through 2014 the Mowat Centre published 101 reports, was mentioned in 1317 media reports, and was referenced 59 times in policy reports and 87 times in academic research.

Research

The Mowat Centre's research focused on two areas: intergovernmental economic and social policy and government transformation. In addition, The Mowat Centre was home to three research hubs, two of which have also closed. One was focused on

energy policy Energy policy is the manner in which a given entity (often governmental) has decided to address issues of energy development including energy conversion, distribution and use as well as reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in order to cont ...

in Ontario and Canada. The other was focused on education and skills. A third research hub, focused on the not-for-profit sector in Ontario and Canada, remains active. In the area of intergovernmental economic and social policy, the Mowat Centre published research into policy areas such as Canadian transfer payments, equalization payments in Canada,

fiscal federalism As a subfield of public economics, fiscal federalism is concerned with "understanding which functions and instruments are best centralized and which are best placed in the sphere of decentralized levels of government" (Oates, 1999). In other words, ...

in Canada, intergovernmental relations in Canada,

poverty reduction Poverty reduction, poverty relief, or poverty alleviation, is a set of measures, both economic and humanitarian, that are intended to permanently lift people out of poverty. Measures, like those promoted by Henry George in his economics clas ...

and

social programs in Canada Social programs in Canada (french: programmes sociaux) include all Canadian government programs designed to give assistance to citizens outside of what the market provides. The Canadian social safety net includes a broad spectrum of programs, ma ...

, Canada's

Employment Insurance Unemployment benefits, also called unemployment insurance, unemployment payment, unemployment compensation, or simply unemployment, are payments made by authorized bodies to unemployment, unemployed people. In the United States, benefits are fun ...

program, Canada's immigration system and the economic impact of immigrants in Canada, Canadians’ attitudes towards the Canadian federation, the distribution of electoral ridings in Canada, the economy of Ontario and Canada and others. The Mowat Centre also led the Mowat Centre EI Task Force, a task force of leading experts and public figures co-chaired by Ratna Omidvar and

Roy Romanow Roy John Romanow (born August 12, 1939) is a Canadian politician and the 12th premier of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 2001. Early life Romanow was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, to Tekla and Michael Romanow, who were Ukrainian immigrants from O ...

, which reviewed Canada's Employment Insurance (EI) system, conducted public consultations about its relevance to contemporary realities, commissioned research on various aspects of the system from leading Canadian academic experts, and made recommendations about improving Canada's support system for the unemployed. In the area of government transformation, the Mowat Centre published work examining "how governments can improve their ability to deliver high-quality public services and public policy, even in times of fiscal constraint", through

public service A public service is any Service (economics), service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through pub ...

reform. Issues have included improvements to the health care system in Canada, the integration of human services, outcomes-based funding, insights for governments from behavioural science, the regulation of disruptive technologies, the role of

government procurement Government procurement or public procurement is the procurement of goods, services and works on behalf of a public authority, such as a government agency. Amounting to 12 percent of global GDP in 2018, government procurement accounts for a sub ...

xviii 18 (eighteen) is the natural number following 17 and preceding 19. In mathematics * Eighteen is a composite number, its divisors being 1, 2, 3, 6 and 9. Three of these divisors (3, 6 and 9) add up to 18, hence 18 is a semiperfect number. ...

, community benefits agreements and other topics. Mowat NFP, Mowat's research hub focused on the not-for-profit sector, published research on

human capital Human capital is a concept used by social scientists to designate personal attributes considered useful in the production process. It encompasses employee knowledge, skills, know-how, good health, and education. Human capital has a substanti ...

and capacity building in the not-for-profit sector,

social enterprise A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners. Social enterprises ca ...

social impact bond A social impact bond, also known as pay-for-success financing, pay-for-success bond, social benefit bond or simply a social bond, is one form of outcomes-based contracting. Although there is no single agreed definition of social impact bonds, mo ...

s, data priorities for the not-for-profit sector, wages in the not-for-profit sector and other topics. Mowat Energy, Mowat's research hub focused on energy policy, published research on

energy security Energy security is the association between national security and the availability of natural resources for energy consumption. Access to (relatively) cheap energy has become essential to the functioning of modern economies. However, the uneven ...

, energy r&d funding, social license and public engagement in energy policy decisions, an analysis of the

economic impact An economic impact analysis (EIA) examines the effect of an event on the economy in a specified area, ranging from a single neighborhood to the entire globe. It usually measures changes in business revenue, business profits, personal wages, and/ ...

xxxivon Ontario of the Energy East proposal, and carbon pricing in Canada.

Other activities

In addition to public policy research, the Mowat Centre engages in a variety of public policy knowledge transfer and convening activities. In 2010 it co-organized, with the Institute of Intergovernmental Relations, the 2010 State of the Federation conference. In 2011 the Mowat Centre co-organized, with the Brookings Institution, the Windsor-Detroit summit. Following the summit, the Mowat Centre took a leading role in creating the Council of the Great Lakes Region, which was launched in 2013. Mowat has since collaborated with the Council of the Great Lakes Region on several research projects.

Leadership and funding

The Mowat Centre's founding director was Matthew Mendelsohn. Mendelsohn is a former political science professor at Queens University and a former Deputy Minister in the Ontario Public Service, and has advised governments and political candidates on various policy matters, drawing on his academic expertise as well as Mowat research. He left the Mowat Centre in January 2016 for a senior position with the

Public Service of Canada The Public Service of Canada (known as the Civil Service of Canada prior to 1967) is the civilian workforce of the Government of Canada's departments, agencies, and other public bodies. While the Government of Canada has employed civil servants ...

. The Mowat Centre was established with funding from the Ontario government. According to the Mowat Centre's public reports, the core grant constitutes less than 40% of the Centre's annual funding ($900,000 out of a total budget of $2,289,410 in fiscal year 2014-2015), with the remainder of its funding raised independently. The Mowat Centre's advisory board is composed of experts, education and policy leaders, and public figures, and includes former Ontario cabinet ministers from all major parties:

Sean Conway Sean Conway, (born July 24, 1951) is a former provincial politician in Ontario, Canada and a university professor. He served for 28 years as a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1975 to 2003, and was a high-profile ca ...

, Joseph Cordiano, Dianne Cunningham, and

Frances Lankin Frances Lankin, (born April 16, 1954), is a Canadian senator, former president and CEO of United Way Toronto, and a former Ontario MPP and cabinet minister in the NDP government of Bob Rae between 1990 and 1995. From 2010 to 2012, she co-chai ...

. Among other members of the Mowat Centre's advisory board are

Alan Broadbent Alan Leonard Broadbent (born 23 April 1947) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, arranger, and composer known for his work with artists such as Sue Raney, Charlie Haden, Woody Herman, Chet Baker, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Natalie Cole, Warne Marsh ...

, Lisa De Wilde, Tony Dean, Dominic Giroux, John Honderich,

Shirley Hoy Shirley Hoy (born 1951) is a Canadian public servant who was the city manager for the City of Toronto from 2001 to 2008. She was CEO of the Toronto Lands Corporation (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Toronto District School Board) from 2009 to 2014 ...

, Danielle Martin, and

André Pratte André Pratte (born May 12, 1957) is a Canadian journalist and former senator who represented the De Salaberry division in Quebec. Before being appointed to the Senate by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on March 18, 2016, Pratte was a journalist fo ...

References

External links