Research and publications The institute self-publishes a variety of reports: •
Economic Freedom Index: The institute's annual
Economic Freedom of the World index ranks the countries of the world according to their degrees of
economic freedom. The institute has also published regional and sub-national reports ranking the economic freedom of North America, Latin America, the Arab World, and the Francophonie. These reports are distributed worldwide through the Economic Freedom Network, a global network of 80 think-tanks. The index presents a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. The index covers the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, and Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. The Human Freedom Index was created in 2015, covering 152 countries for years 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. In January 2016 data for 2013 was added, covering 157 countries. •
Waiting Your Turn: Wait Times for Health Care in Canada is the institute's annual report on hospital waiting times in Canada, based on a nationwide survey of physicians and health care practitioners. The twentieth annual survey, released December 2010, found that the total waiting time between referral from a general practitioner and delivery of elective treatment by a specialist, averaged across 12 specialties and 10 provinces surveyed, had risen from 16.1 weeks in 2009 to 18.2 weeks in 2010. •
Survey of Mining Companies: Published annually, the global
Survey of Mining Companies ranks the investment climates of mining jurisdictions around the world, based on the opinions of mining industry executives and managers. •
Global Petroleum Survey: An annual survey of petroleum executives regarding barriers to investment in oil- and gas-producing regions around the world. •
Canadian Provincial Investment Climate: A series of reports measuring the extent to which Canadian provinces embrace public policies that contribute to, and sustain, positive investment climates. •
Firearms reports. The Fraser Institute issued a number of articles and statements opposing Canadian
gun control laws, including
firearms registry. •
School Report Cards: Every year, the institute publishes a series of
School Report Cards ranking the academic performance of schools in
British Columbia,
Alberta,
Ontario,
Quebec, and
Washington state based on the publicly available results of standardized testing mandated and administered by the provinces. The website www.compareschoolrankings.org allows users to compare up to five schools at once, based on a variety of performance indicators. •
Tax Freedom Day: The institute's annual
Tax Freedom Day report calculates the day the average Canadian family has paid off the total tax bill and royalties imposed on them and corporations by all levels of government. In 2016, Tax Freedom Day was June 7 with $45,167 (42.9 per cent of income) having been collected per family. The institute also offers a personal
Tax Freedom Day calculator. • The institute publishes three magazines:
Fraser Forum, a bi-monthly review of public policy in Canada;
Perspectives, a French-language review of public policy in
Quebec and
la Francophonie; and
Canadian Student Review, a look at current affairs written for students, by students. • In March 2010, the institute released
Did Government Stimulus Fuel Economic Growth in Canada? An Analysis of Statistics Canada Data, a report critical of the Harper government's Economic Action Plan, concluding that the stimulus package did not have a material impact on Canada's economic turnaround in the latter half of 2009.
Other initiatives Children First Canada's first privately funded program of its kind,
Children First: School Choice Trust, offers tuition assistance grants to help parents in financial need send their children to an independent school of their choice. The program was discontinued in 2012.
Donner Awards Canada's largest non-profit recognition program, the
Donner Canadian Foundation Awards for Excellence in the Delivery of Social Services recognize non-profit social service agencies that, despite budget limitations, excel in terms of management and service delivery. Winners are selected every year in a variety of categories, and share in $60,000 prize money.
Education programs The institute periodically hosts free seminars across Canada for students, teachers, and journalists, focusing on key economic concepts and timely issues in public policy. In 2010, the institute hosted eight one-day student seminars, attracting more than 775 participants. The Fraser Institute also offers an internship program, to which more than 431 individuals applied in 2010. ==Funding==