The Canada Strong and Free Network (formerly the Manning Centre for Building Democracy (Manning Centre) based in Calgary, Alberta is a not-for-profit political advocacy group that was established in 2005 by Preston Manning to promote conservative principles.
Vision: "A free and democratic Canada where conservative principles are well articulated, communicated, funded, embraced and implemented."
Mission: "To strengthen Canada's conservative movement by nurturing, supporting, and facilitating exchanges and stronger relationships amongst the movement's various components."
Beliefs:
"The individual is the central unit of society. Government exists to serve and protect the self-determination of free, responsible and creative human beings."
"Democracy is the best system of organizing individuals; governments must be limited and responsible to the people they serve."
"The free, competitive, market economy is the best way to ensure individual flourishing."
"The wisdom of Canada's cultural, religious and democratic institutions must be respected and protected."
"The maintenance and preservation of freedom, including freedom of speech, the rule of law and property rights are essential to the maintenance and preservation of democracy."
Throughout his entire career, Preston Manning and the Reform Party advocated for socially conservative and fiscally conservative positions. Manning has been deemed the "father of modern-day Canadian Conservatism" and remains active in Conservative Party of Canada politics and campaigns. Manning is also seen as the founder of the green conservative movement in Canada. Upon his retirement, Manning founded the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education and the Manning Centre for Building Democracy [Manning Centre] - not-for-profit organizations based in Calgary, Alberta dedicated to strengthening Canadian democracy in accordance with conservative principles.
The Canada Strong and Free Network is managed by the board of directors with Troy Lanigan as president. Lanigan was formerly president of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an organization that advocates for lower taxes, less waste in public sector spending and more government accountability. Lanigan also founded SecondStreet.org, a public policy think tank and educational charity.
Prominent astroturfing ad buyers active on Facebook promoting oil and gas pipeline development belong to the Canada Strong and Free Network. These include groups such as Proud to be Canadian, New Brunswick Proud, NL Strong (Newfoundland and Labrador Strong), and Nova Scotia Proud. Proud to be Canadian describes itself as a group of "grassroots Canadians" who want to "steer Canada in the right direction."
The rise of those groups - and the political manipulation they drive - reflect parallel political and social advocacy campaigns in the United States that serve neoliberal and social conservative agenda. These include anti-abortion movements. anti-union activity, anti-gun control measures, voter suppression (gerrymandering), reductions in healthcare (religious objection to providing healthcare based on moral objections), educational reform (private schools, vouchers, Christian prayer), reductions in the right to self-determination (sexual and gender identity; same sex marriage; access to abortion care), white nationalism, xenophobia, reduction of environmental protections, legislative reform, constitutional reform. ... Prominent groups promoting those agenda include the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)], the Cato Institute, the Council for National Policy, the Heartland Institute, The Heritage Foundation, the State Policy Network. ... The State Policy Network, for example, receives dark money funding from DonorsTrust, that is dispersed to numerous "policy | research | ..." institutes and groups (well-described in "Dark Money ATM" Pumped Over $137 Million Into Right-Wing Groups in 2020), that seems to be replicated by Canada Strong and Free Network and its various provincial "proud" advocacy groups.
While we as Canadians have little control over U.S. politics, it is important to recognize and understand the forces (ultimately money | corporation driven) that shapes United States law, and the impact of those forces on Canadian politics and society. The influence of Machiavellian billionaires and dark money spending is of particular concern - noting for example that notorious libertarian Charles Koch - an American - had financial investments in the Athabasca oil sands, and provided funding to the Fraser Institute.
Troy Lanigan is also the founder and part-time CEO of a new storytelling think tank, SecondStreet.org, that examines public policy through the lens of stories and experiences shared by individuals, families and entrepreneurs impacted by government policy.
Troy Lanigan serves as past-President of World Taxpayers Associations -- an umbrella group of approximately 60 taxpayer organizations on six continents -- purposed for networking, best practices exchange, regional forums and support for new organizations.
For 26 years Troy served in various capacities with the Canadian Taxpayers Federation including 10 years as President. During his tenure as president he led significant organizational growth, authored a book Fighting for Taxpayers and helped found the campus-initiative Generation Screwed.
Prior to the CTF Troy served as National Education Director for the Virginia-based Leadership Institute conducting training programs on university and college campuses across the United States.
Troy holds a degree in economics. He and his wife Erika live in Victoria, B.C., and have four children.
Troy Lanigan (pictured in 2014; screenshot captured 2020-08-06).
[Image source. Click image to open in new window.]
Troy Lanigan has been President and CEO of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) since January 2009. Founded in 1990, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation is a citizens' advocacy group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government. An economics graduate from the University of Victoria, Troy has been with the CTF in various capacities since 1992 -- including five years as spokesperson in his home province of British Columbia. Previous to the CTF, Troy served as Director of Education for the Virginia-based Leadership Institute.
As President of the World Taxpayers Associations, Lanigan has stepped back from writing and media commentary but still speaks at conferences at home and abroad. Since 2009 Troy has served on the Board of the World Taxpayers Associations, being appointed Vice-Chair in 2014 and as Chairman in 2016.
The Canada Strong and Free Network (formerly the Manning Centre) was founded in 2005 to support Canada's conservative movement by networking best practices and ideas pertaining to limited government, free enterprise, individual responsibility and a more robust civil society.
The Manning Centre trains people to participate in federal, provincial and/or municipal partisan politics. The Manning Centre self-describes as a "do-tank" not a think tank as it "does not try to generate new ideas."
Canada Strong and Proud [federal politics] and its provincial affiliates [Alberta Proud | NL Strong (Newfoundland) | NS Proud (Nova Scotia) | Ontario Strong | Quebec Fier] all have websites with almost identical designs and tend to advocate against the current Liberal government.
These organizations were responsible for robocall, text-message or advertising campaigns prior to provincial elections in their respective provinces.
"Manning Centre" Rebranded as "Canada Strong and Free Network"
The name change comes at the request of founder and namesake Preston Manning, who is retiring this year [2020].
As I have argued in my recent book, Do Something," said Mr. Manning, "I believe that greater and more explicit networking and relationship building among the various components of the conservative movement in Canada are essential to its future political success. I consequently requested that the Centre make this its exclusive focus going forward and change its name to better reflect this focus."
"I'm very glad" he added, "that the new board and management are 'doing something' to honor this request and am very supportive of the new name, The Canada Strong and Free Network."
The Manning Centre for Building Democracy was founded in 2005 to strengthen democracy in Canada in accordance with conservative values and principles. Its current staff and board of directors remain committed to its original mission statement "To strengthen Canada's conservative movement by nurturing, supporting, and facilitating exchanges and stronger relationships amongst the movement's various components."
The Manning Networking Conference held each year in Ottawa will be now be rebranded "The Canada Strong and Free Networking Conference" starting in 2021. All regional conferences, related activities and social media will also fall under the revised branding.
For more information contact: Troy Lanigan 250-***-**** [Vancouver Island, B.C. area code].
COMMENTARY (BuriedTruth.com)
Noting the past funding of the Manning Center by Charles Koch and the multiple associations of Canada Strong and Free Network President Troy Lanigan with multiple Koch-funded affiliates, and Lanigan's 10-year tenure as President of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, one must be concerned that the Canada Strong and Free Network represents yet another extension of Charles Koch's various neoconservative, neoliberal agendae.
Laissez-faire (French: laissez faire, lit. "let do" or "let it be") is an economic system in which transactions between private parties are absent of any form of economic interventionism such as regulation and subsidies. As a system of thought, laissez-faire rests on the axioms that the individual is the basic unit in society and has a natural right to freedom; that the physical order of nature is a harmonious and self-regulating system; and that corporations are creatures of the state and therefore the citizens must watch them closely due to their propensity to disrupt the Smithian spontaneous order.
These axioms constitute the basic elements of laissez-faire thought. Another basic principle holds that markets should be competitive, a rule that the early advocates of laissez-faire always emphasized. With the aims of maximizing freedom and of allowing markets to self-regulate, early advocates of laissez-faire proposed a impôt unique, a tax on land rent to replace all taxes that they saw as damaging welfare by penalizing production.
Proponents of laissez-faire argue for a complete separation of government from the economic sector. The phrase laissez-faire is part of a larger French phrase and literally translates to "let [it/them] do", but in this context the phrase usually means to "let go". Laissez-faire capitalism started being practiced in the mid-18th century and was further popularized by Adam Smith's book The Wealth of Nations. It has been most prominent in Britain and the United States in the 19th century. While associated with capitalism in common usage, there are also non-capitalist forms of laissez-faire, including some forms of market socialism.
Against that background, and the associations between the Manning Centre | Troy Lanigan | Charles Koch (formerly also invested in the Alberta Oilsands Project), note this item posted on the Canada Strong and Free Network webpage [local copy (html, captured 2020-07-30).
Issues & Action Exchange Calls
In months that a conference is not scheduled, Canada Strong and Free Network hosts Issues and Action Exchange Calls. Exchange calls feature conservative policy experts and movement leaders offering current ideas and best practices aimed at advancing limited government, free enterprise and individual responsibility.
To receive registration information for future Exchange Calls please sign-up here or follow our Facebook page for announcements. If you'd like to suggest a topic or speaker for a future Exchange Call please e-mail Troy Lanigan here. Past Exchange Calls are catalogued below.
Under "Issues" the Fraser Institute is mentioned several times, and -- notable viz-a-viz this discussion / alarm -- under "Action" is the following 2020-05-14 presentation [local copy (html, captured 2020-07-30).
Management, Fundraising and Communications: Strategies for Resilient Non-Profits
[Canada Strong and Free Network, 2020-05-15 | duration: 59:39] Management, Fundraising & Communications: Strategies for Resilient Non-Profits. May 14, 2020. Michael Davis, Responsive Marketing Group | Kevin Gentry, Koch Companies Public Sector, LLC -- a shared-services company that provides legal, government and public affairs services to affiliates of Koch Industries, Inc. around the world | Ray Pennings, Cardus (a Canadian neo-conservative Christian think-tank).
[Source | caption source: Canada Strong and Free Network]
World Taxpayers Associations: an international alliance of self-described "taxpayer protection groups" listing London, England, as its headquarters but apparently run from the CTF's Regina offices and led by the CTF CEO; there is no indication of charitable status
Troy Lanigan is a past-President of World Taxpayers Associations -- an umbrella group of approximately 60 taxpayer organizations on six continents -- purposed for networking, best practices exchange, regional forums and support for new organizations.
In 2020, Manning Centre President, Troy Lanigan, said that the Manning Centre and the Manning Networking Conference were in the process of being renamed and "rebranded." The newly branded entity -- Canada Strong and Free Network -- will continue to break "down silos" -- "getting conservatives to work together and work strategically to create opportunities for success," as Manning had done.
Preston Manning (2014-02). [Image source. Click image to open in new window.]
The Manning Centre operates the for-profit think tank the Manning Foundation, which undertakes some research and analysis, while the Manning Centre focuses on advocacy, training and networking events for conservatives.
Ernest Preston Manning [Queen's Privy Council for Canada | Order of Canada | Alberta Order of Excellence] (born June 10, 1942) is a Canadian politician. He was a founder and the only leader of the Reform Party of Canada, a Canadian federal political party that evolved into the Canadian Alliance which in turn merged with the Progressive Conservative Party to form today's Conservative Party of Canada. Manning represented the federal constituency of Calgary Southwest in the Canadian House of Commons from 1993 until his retirement in 2002. He served as Leader of the Official Opposition from 1997 to 2000.
Upon his retirement Manning founded the Manning Foundation for Democratic Education, and the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, not-for-profit organizations dedicated to strengthening Canadian democracy in accordance with conservative principles. Manning is seen as the founder of the green conservative movement in Canada.
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[Alberta] Fair Deal panel
On November 9, 2019, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney announced that Preston Manning would lead an Alberta panel focused on getting a "fair deal" in Confederation, along with expanding the autonomy of the Alberta government. The panel is considering measures such as withdrawing Alberta workers from the Canada Pension Plan, the establishment of a provincial tax collection agency, ending the use of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and creating an independent police force, and establishing a formal Alberta constitution. This announcement was made during a speech by Premier Jason Kenney at the Manning Centre in Red Deer, Alberta. The panel submitted its final report.
In 2005, Manning left the House of Commons and founded the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, a not-for-profit "political think tank and advocacy group" that promoted conservative principles. The Manning Centre had provided a networking opportunity for "conservatives from different provincial parties," and their "federal counterparts" and a space to "exchange ideas and propose policy initiatives," according to Chuck Strahl, who had served as a Reform MP and Conservative cabinet minister. Prior to the creation of the Manning Centre, there "wasn't a networking opportunity for what Preston always called the 'conservative movement,' as opposed to political parties." Preston believed that "the conservative movement benefited from getting together, in all of its facets, and without having the party hierarchy managing it or overlooking it. This was the best way to get the best conservative ideas."
For twelve years, the Manning Centre organized the annual Manning Networking Conference.
In July 2016, Manning resigned from his executive functions with the Foundation and Centre, although he continues to support and pursue its objectives in his role as Founder. Management of the Centre and Foundation is currently the responsibility of their Boards of Directors as the conduct the search for Manning's successor.
In the run up to the 2019 Canadian federal election, the Manning Centre provided a "total of $312,450 to a network of related third-party advertising groups" operating on Facebook and Instagram. This included $240,000 to Canada Strong and Proud for a "series of anti-Trudeau and anti-Liberal campaign ads." The Centre also "gave $4,500 to Newfoundland and Labrador Strong, and another $11,200 to Nova Scotia Strong.
On January 16, 2020 Manning announced that he was retiring from the Centre, to spend more time with his family. Troy Lanigan, the President of the Manning Centre, said that the Centre and the "high-profile conferences it organizes," were in the process of being renamed and "rebranded." The newly branded entity will continue to break "down silos and getting conservatives to work together and work strategically to create opportunities for success," as Manning had done.
The Manning Centre for Building Democracy (MCBD) or Manning Centre based in Calgary, Alberta is a not-for-profit political advocacy group that was established in 2005 by Preston Manning to promote conservative principles. It was known for the annual "high-profile" Manning Networking Conference (MNC).
The Manning Centre operates the for-profit think tank the Manning Foundation, which undertakes some research and analysis, while the Manning Centre self-describes as a "do-tank," that focuses on advocacy, training and networking events for conservatives.
Administration
The Manning Centre for Building Democracy is managed by the board of directors with Troy Lanigan as President. Lanigan was formerly President of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, an organization that advocates for lower taxes, less waste in public sector spending and more government accountability. Current members of the board of directors include Joe Oliver, who served as Finance Minister under then Prime Minister Stephen Harper and is now on the board of directors of High Arctic Energy Services. Cliff Fryers, Jocelyn Williams Bamford, Chuck Strahl, and Questerre Energy's CEO Michael Binnion, who also serves on the High Arctic Energy Services board, and Preston Manning.
Preston Manning [Queen's Privy Council for Canada | Order of Canada | Alberta Order of Excellence], was the founding father of the Manning Centre for Building Democracy and served as its director until July 2016, when he resigned from his executive functions with the Manning Foundation and the Manning Centre for Building Democracy. He continued to support and pursue its objectives.
On January 16, 2020 Manning announced that he was retiring from the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, to spend more time with his family.
Members of the board of trustees have included former Premier of Ontario, Mike Harris and Gwyn Morgan CM, who has also served as a trustee of the Fraser Institute's, and on the board of directors of SNC-Lavalin and EnCana Corporation. In 2003, Morgan was "the most powerful man in Canada's oil patch," according to Maclean's magazine. Past directors include Kevin Lacey, the Atlantic representative of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
Activities and mandate
The Manning Centre supports small government, free market, and individual liberties and promotes "Canada's conservative movement."
The motto is "Networking Canada's Conservative Movement."
The Manning Centre trains people to participate in federal, provincial and/or municipal partisan politics. The Manning Centre self-describes as a "do-tank" not a think tank as it "does not try to generate new ideas."
In his 2016 publication on the "global think tank phenomenon," Donald E. Abelson described the different functions of the Manning Foundation, the Manning Centre and the Manning Networking Conference. While Jan Gerson's September 20, 2014 National Post profile of five Canadian think tanks included the Manning Centre, Abelson said that MCBD does not "conduct research and analysis," which is the function of the for-profit institute, the Manning Foundation. The Foundation is the think tank and the MCBD helps "educate and train future leaders of the conservative movement" by "offering internships and sponsoring various educational programs, seminars, and workshops," and by participating in "several partisan-related activities and events." He said that the "express purpose" of the MNC is to "organize larger events at which policy-makers, academics, journalists, students, donors, and other groups of individuals can interact."
The Manning Centre for Building Democracy's charitable branch the Manning Foundation does conducts some research and provides a way for donors to support them. However Manning said that neither the Manning Centre nor the Manning Foundation conduct original research. He said that instead of "trying to compete or replace the conservative-oriented think tanks, The Manning Centre is "basically trying to take much of the work think tanks do, interpret it and try to translate it into some action that results in the implementation of policies."
The Manning Centre has often been compared to the progressive and social democratic think tank Broadbent Institute, which was established in 2011. They were both founded by "former political party leaders" and they both "identify as partisan organizations." However, the Broadbent Institute and the Manning Foundation -- unlike other organizations operating within the think tank sector -- are not registered as charities, which "allows them to operate without limits on their partisanship." Both organizations focus on "communicating and developing the skills of the masses and attempting to influence public policy from the bottom up."
Funding
The annual budget of the Manning Centre is not made public. However, in a 2011 presentation, Nicholas Gafuik, who was then a MC Senior Fellow and previously a managing director, said that since its inception in 2005, the Manning Centre had won "commitments for funding" of about $30 million, which represented about $4 million a year.
Some corporate sponsors support both the Manning Networking Conference and the Broadbent Institute's Progress Summit. Banks and the petroleum industry tend to support the MNC while labour unions tended to support the Progress Summit.
The lead sponsor of the Manning Networking Conference 2019 held in March in Ottawa was the Modern Miracle Network (MMN), an advocacy organization that was incorporated in 2016 by Michael Binnion and operates out of Questerre Energy's offices.
Background
Preston Manning founded the Manning Centre for Building Democracy in 2005 and the Manning Foundation, shortly after he retired from a lengthy career in politics.
Manning and Mike Harris wrote a series together that was published by the Fraser Institute including "A Canada Strong and Free" in 2005, "Rebalanced and revitalized: A Canada strong and free" and "Building Prosperity in a Canada Strong and Free" in 2006, "International Leadership by a Canada Strong and Free" in May 2017 and "Vision for a Canada Strong and Free" in 2007.
The Manning Centre provided a networking opportunity for "conservatives from different provincial parties," and their "federal counterparts" and a space to "exchange ideas and propose policy initiatives," according to Chuck Strahl, who was Manning Centre's chairman and had served as a Reform MP and Conservative cabinet minister under Prime Minister Harper. Prior to the creation of the Manning Centre, there "wasn't a networking opportunity for what Preston always called the 'conservative movement,' as opposed to political parties." Preston believed that "the conservative movement benefited from getting together, in all of its facets, and without having the party hierarchy managing it or overlooking it. This was the best way to get the best conservative ideas."
Conservatives that the MC targets include "card-carrying Tory loyalists," "those who feel more comfortable outside the tent," and "those who lean more towards the libertarian or social conservative side of the true-blue ideological spectrum."
There is an interlocking of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Manning Centre at the level of the board of directors, staff members, and participation at the annual conferences.
In 2018, as the Manning Centre shifted away from advocacy and towards the increased focus on hosting conferences. As a result, about 50 percent of the permanent staff were laid off and part of its Calgary downtown building was leased.
In 2020, Troy Lanigan said that the Manning Centre and the Manning Networking Conference were in the process of being renamed and "rebranded." The newly branded entity will continue to break "down silos" -- "getting conservatives to work together and work strategically to create opportunities for success," as Manning had done.
The rebranding will not change the mandate of "supporting conservatism in Canada...by networking best practices and ideas pertaining to limited government, free enterprise, individual responsibility and a more robust civil society."
Manning Networking Conference
For twelve years, the Manning Centre organized the annual "high-profile" Manning Networking Conference. Global News journalist Tom Clark said that Manning Networking Conference (MNC) was like "Woodstock for Conservative Canadians." and the Hill Times called it the Coachella for conservatives.
In 2010, Nicholas Gafuik, who was at that time the Executive Director of the Manning Centre, said the reason behind the 2010 Manning Centre's Conference on Alberta's Future was that Alberta was in a "time of change" and there was a "need to generate ideas, proposals, and plans for shaping a more positive and inspiring future" for Alberta. Keynote speakers included Mark Milke from the Frontier Centre for Public Policy, Michael Percy, Marlo Raynolds from the Pembina Institute, Peter McCormick, Peter Cowley and Nadeem Esmail from the Fraser Institute, and Monte Solberg a former Federal Minister.
The 2011 MNC included Nicholas Gafuik as a key speaker.
The 2013 Manning Networking Conference (MNC13) key note speakers included Ezra Levant, Ron Paul, and Jason Kenney.
In 2014, CBC News described the two-day annual conference, which was then in its sixth year, as a "pre-spring tradition" where "small-c and big-C conservatives" converge in Ottawa to "hobnob with senior federal cabinet ministers, talk policy with provincial premiers and trade tips with some of the country's most successful campaign strategists." The CBC said that the MNC had "grown steadily in size, scope and -- perhaps most critically -- influence within Canada's conservative movement." The "political debate" was "spirited and substantial" and the "ManningFest" was at that time "one of the hottest political tickets in town." Key speakers included Mark Steyn, Jim Prentice, Brad Wall and Ross Douthat. Breakout sessions included speakers such as Jason Kenney, Dimitri Pantazopoulos on "Conservatives and the City," Susan Delacourt on "Shopping for Votes," Paul Wells on "The Longer I'm Prime Minister," Bob Plamandon "The Truth About Trudeau," and Tom Flanagan on "Winning Power." There was a panel for journalists which include CBC News Network's Power & Politics contributors, John Ivison from the National Post, Jennifer Ditchburn from the Canadian Press, Bob Fife from CTV News, and Luiza Ch. Savage from Maclean's.
Key speakers at the at the 2015 Manning Networking Conference (MNC15), which was held on March 7 and 8, included Christy Clark, Jim Prentice, Darrell Pasloski, Tony Clement and James Moore. Topics discussed included "Technology and Politics" "Perpetual Fundraising Machine," "income-splitting," "market-based environmentalism, euthanasia, "Islamic extremism, municipalities and the runaway Supreme Court." Jason Kenney, who was then serving as Defence Minister under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, gave a speech on "defending Canada's values and interests" and Strahl talk was on the "State of the Conservative Movement." In his March 2015 article, National Post columnist Andrew Coyne described as "emptiness" and "careerism" displaying "how vapid Canadian conservatism has become."
Sponsors for the tenth annual MNC held in Ottawa for four days in February, included Enbridge, the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), and CN Railways, according to Maclean's. Questerre Energy's CEO, Micheal Binnion, who is also on the CAPP's board of governors, was a prominent speaker at the 2018 MNC. During the panel discussion entitled "Development and Sustainability," Binnion took credit for outlining the "key elements of the Conservative's energy platform." Binnion suggested alternatives to the carbon tax introduced by federal government under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Binnion notes included alternatives such as "regulation by target reductions," "targeted regulation by caps," an "incentive-based approach," "conservationism," "green technology credits, or doing nothing until Canada's trading partners demand it."
Municipal governance project
In early March 2013 at a conference in Ottawa, David Seymour, a Manning senior fellow the project manager for the Manning Centre's municipal governance project -- Dimitri Pantazopoulos, described the changes they wanted to see in municipal politics which they described as a "field dominated by over-spenders and over-regulators." The Manning Centre launched their municipal governance project during the 2013 Calgary municipal election, providing free seminars and receiving free training to five municipal candidates in five wards, as part of their "mission to make city halls across Canada more conservative." Calgarians have voted conservative at the federal and provincial level but are far less conservative at the municipal level. The candidate "largely agreed that city council needs to be more conservative." [Pantazopoulos did "strategy and public opinion research" for both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Joe Clark, and more recently for Ontario premier Doug Ford and as "senior strategic adviser" for Jason Kenney's United Conservative Party campaign.]
2019 Canadian federal election
In the run up to the 2019 Canadian federal election, the Manning Centre provided a "total of $312,450 to a network of related third-party advertising groups" operating on Facebook and Instagram. This included $240,000 to Canada Strong and Proud for a "series of anti-Trudeau and anti-Liberal campaign ads." The Manning Centre also "gave $4,500 to Newfoundland and Labrador Strong and another $11,200 to Nova Scotia Strong.
In 2018, the Manning Centre called for a "co-ordinated response" by governments, companies, and citizens Canadians to the opposition against pipelines, by creating a Corridors Coalition. The Corridors Coalition would create and maintain a transportation corridor for Canadian oil and natural resources, running from the Pacific to the Atlantic, and eventually to the Arctic Ocean. The Manning Centre called for the creation of the Corridors Coalition for mid-2019 to "offer a clear and powerful challenge to the federal political parties contesting the 2019 federal election in the fall."
