The Canadian SHIELD Institute: A rad, not radical think tank

A year ago, there was no doubt that affordability of basic goods and services – or lack thereof – was top-of-mind for Canadians. Along with that was the growing realization by policy makers and the public that corporate concentration in numerous industries is a prime driver of the problem.But for big stretches of this year, a different story has dominated the national psyche: The U.S. trade war and continuing talk of Canada’s annexation by President Donald Trump.Amid this turmoil, a new think tank emerges. Spawned of the Canadian Council of Innovators, an advocacy group for 150 scale-up firms, and armed with a $10 million investment from BlackBerry co-founder Jim Balsillie, the Canadian SHIELD Institute aims to bridge the gap between the two issues. Renowned competition advocate Vass Bednar took the helm of the new think tank in June as its first managing director. In the latest episode of Do Not Pass Go, she explains how Canada’s push for economic sovereignty and its continuing effort to improve competition aren’t actually separate issues, but rather part of the same mission. Get full access to Do Not Pass Go at www.donotpassgo.ca/subscribe