Broadbent Institute is a Canadian progressive and social democratic think tank. It was founded by Ed Broadbent the former leader of the federal New Democratic Party from 1975 to 1989. The mission of the Broadbent Institute is to "champion change through the promotion of democracy, equality, and sustainability and the training of a new generation of leaders." The Institute believes that “the progressive principles and collective efforts that have made us who we are as a country can inform new ways of thinking and new approaches to government that equip us to address the challenges facing Canadians.” The founding executive director of the Institute was Kathleen Monk. Rick Smith became Executive Director in 2012. The Institute now has over 20 staff members and offices in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver and is the Canadian affiliate of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies.
Structure
The Broadbent Institute’s Board of Directors is chaired by Ed Broadbent and comprises prominent progressive leaders, thinkers and campaigners from across the country. The Broadbent Institute has over 60 Fellows who inform the Institute’s research and policy agenda. The Fellows “are a diverse, multidisciplinary group of distinguished scholars, policy experts, and leaders from the Canadian business community and civil society.”
''PressProgress''
In 2013, The Broadbent Institute launched PressProgress which describes itself as "Canada's most shared source for progressive news and information." Canadaland's "Guide To New Popular, Populist Political Media" says that PressProgress regularly reports critical stories about politicians, business, and media organizations associated with right-wing politics. A 2017 podcast with PressProgress editor Luke LeBrun when questioning the institute's role in coverage, noted that they used the "traditional tools of journalism, like access to information requests, fact-checking and seeking comment from politicians". However, Canadaland also reports that PressProgress was absent of any critical coverage of the NDP. Journalist Jesse Brown questioned the claim "that there were no formal links between the federal NDP and the think tank" by stating that "PressProgress' news stories often run parallel with NDP talking points and never criticize the NDP for non-progressive choices like supporting a west-to-east pipeline". During the 2019 federal election, the Green Party filed a complaint to National NewsMedia Council after a PressProgress report over the Green Party stance on abortion.
Annual Summit
Each year the Broadbent Institute hosts its annual Progress Summit, convening progressive policy-makers, elected officials, movement-builders, thought leaders and activists from across the country. The location of the Progress Summit alternates between Ottawa and other regions in Canada. These summits have received sponsorships from major Canadian corporations such as Loblaw, Rogers, CN, Air Canada, WestJet, and Telus.
Research and Advocacy
In support of the Broadbent Institute’s mission to champion progressive change, the Institute publishes original research and promotes new ideas, policies, and tools through it’s blog, special projects and issue-based campaigns. The Institute’s current work focuses on the green economy, income inequality, and democratic renewal.
Training and Leadership
As part of the Broadbent Institute’s mission to train and support a new generation of leaders, the Institute hosts various webinars and workshops aimed at building progressive power in communities across Canada. In partnership with the Atkinson Foundation, the Institute has generated the Power Lab, an arms-length and non-partisan learning initiative centred on the people building community power, on the ground. Alejandra Bravo, the Broadbent Institute’s Director of Leadership and Training, is a Director and Co-Facilitator at the Power Lab.
