Fraser Institute Annual Report 2011

EVENTS
The Events department organizes high-quality
functions that support and promote the Institute’s
mission and research. Under the direction of Fiona
Marshall White, managing director, and supported by
senior event coordinators Trisha Girard and Heather
Corbett, the department staged 29 events and hosted
more than 2,900 guests in 2011. These events included
luncheon Policy Briefings, the Influential Speakers
Program, Behind the Spin reception and dinner events,
Founder’s Award galas, fundraising dinners, a multi-day
conference on mining risk, the Economic Freedom of the
World gala in Hong Kong, the Annual General Meeting
and featured Dr. Harold W. Siebens Lecture, and an elite
policy excursion to Washington, DC.
Policy Briefings and Influential Speakers
Our cross-country Policy Briefings and Influential
Speakers Program provide a forum for a wide spectrum
of public policy discussions. These events, held in
Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, and Montreal, feature
knowledgeable and highly respected experts presenting
their ideas to attentive, intimate audiences. In 2011,
featured topics included “Confessions of a Greenpeace
Dropout” with Patrick Moore, author and founding
member of Greenpeace; “Immigration and the 2011
Federal Election” with Martin Collacott, Fraser Institute
senior fellow and former Canadian ambassador; “Is the
Supreme Court Undermining Your Economic Freedom?”
with Chris Schafer, executive director of the Canadian
Constitution Foundation; and “The Impact of Excessive
Government Intervention on the Market” with
Peter Schiff, CEO and chief global strategist at Euro
Pacific Capital.
Behind the Spin
During these evening programs, guests network and
share ideas over cocktails and then participate in a
lively discussion session with the featured speaker. An
intimate dinner with the speaker follows, during which
a small group of guests may continue to discuss the
ideas presented. In 2011, Behind the Spin events were
held in Calgary and Toronto with Andrei Illarionov,
Cato Institute senior fellow and former senior advisor to
Vladimir Putin; J. Scott Carpenter, Keston Family fellow
Hon. Gordon Campbell, Canadian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and
former BC premier speaking at the Fraser Institute’s Dr. Harold W. Siebens Annual
Lecture in Vancouver.
at the Washington Institute for Near East Studies; Peter
Cowley, Fraser Institute director of school performance
studies, with Annie Kidder, executive director of People
for Education; Bill Tufts, author and pension expert; and
Patrick Moore.
Other significant events
Every year, the Institute hosts its prestigious T. Patrick
Boyle Founder’s Award galas, recognizing individuals who
exemplify the mission and philosophy of the Fraser Institute
to an outstanding degree. In 2011, the Founder’s Award
was presented in Toronto to Frank Stronach, founder and
honorary chairman of Magna International; in Calgary
to Hal Kvisle, former CEO of TransCanada Corp.; and
in Vancouver to Darren Entwistle, president and CEO of
Telus. The galas celebrate the business and philanthropic
accomplishments of the honorees.
Our 2011 Annual General Meeting and accompanying
Dr. Harold W. Siebens Lecture featuring the Hon. Gordon
Campbell, former premier of British Columbia, took place
in Vancouver in June. Campbell was honoured for having
earned the top ranking in the 2010 Fraser Institute report
Measuring the Fiscal Performance of Canada’s Premiers.
26 Fraser Institute 2011 Annual Report www.fraserinstitute.org