welcome to the institute

Dear Carlisle Friends and Partners,

Welcome to the Carlisle Institute. The genesis of the idea of the Institute came from discussions about how the forces of economic liberalization, changes in capital market developments, dramatic advances in technology and profound demographic shifts are combining to produce a realignment of economic, political and social activity wholly unanticipated as recently as five years ago.

In Canada, this rapidly changing global economy will completely alter the economic landscape over the next twenty years. The global sea-change in the way economies function will have an impact not only on every industry, but also will create challenges to governance, productivity and competitiveness, on environmental stewardship, and on the future of work for millions around the world.

One of the greatest challenges in this new world is reserved for governments. Many governments are faced with rising deficits and debt coupled with increasing demands in health care, education, programs that protect the most vulnerable in our society. It is becoming increasingly clear that governments are examining all options to manage their fiscal challenges. At the same time, government is a critical player to assist industry to make the transition to new models of global competition.

One of the major obstacles that governments face is gaining the support of the public through what arguably is the most comprehensive change environment in history. For the public to make informed decisions about their futures, governance models will need to change. People want to know substantially more about the global scope and scale of the challenges they face and they want access to knowledge to make informed decisions about the changes that need to be made.

As a non-partisan, non-profit research centre and think tank, the Carlisle Institute seeks to play a supporting role in providing a window to this global landscape. The objective of our research, our events and our education programs is to democratize this knowledge and to make it available to the public everywhere in ways that emphasize transparency, accountability and trust.

We believe that our new Institute can make a difference. We encourage you to communicate with us, by letter, by telephone, by email, through our blogs or social media. We want to hear from you.

We want to help people become more enlightened in their work and enriched in their lives. Together we can learn one of the critical lessons to being successful in business, leadership and life: that we can balance conflicting values in order to find common ground with our fellow citizens while consistently adhering to our principles and ideals.

Peter Lindfield
Chair & CEO
Carlisle Institute Inc.

Contact me directly at Peter Lindfield