Bearing Institute
Safe passage for good policy.
A Canadian non-partisan policy institute producing rigorously cited, actionable research—designed for the legislative process.
Research
Featured research
Submitted to Parliament. Grounded in primary government sources. Written for the people who need to act on it.
Bill C-9: The Combatting Hate Act
Between 2010 and 2024, 771 children were sentenced under UK speech laws structurally similar to Bill C-9. This submission examines what Canada’s hate legislation risks producing — and what the Senate can do about it.
Bill C-223: An Act to amend the Divorce Act
When courts cannot agree on what to call parental alienation, children pay the price. This submission examines how Bill C-223’s statutory language risks constraining judicial discretion in exactly the cases where it is needed most.
Bill S-5: The Connected Care for Canadians Act
Canada spends more on healthcare per capita than almost any peer nation yet delivers some of the worst access in the developed world. This submission supports Bill S-5 with six amendments targeting the structural crisis it leaves untreated.
PMB: BC Autism Funding Cuts: A Policy Analysis
BC’s decision to replace individualized autism funding with a broader disability benefit will leave roughly 10,000 children with less support — and 5,200 with none. This submission examines whether the new model meets the province’s own stated standard of equity for children with complex needs.
PMB: Democratic Mandate Integrity Act
Five MPs crossed the floor. The Liberals went from minority to majority. Subtract those five and you get 169 seats — a minority. This is the first time in Canadian history a federal government switched from minority to majority between elections. This model bill gives every province and territory a constitutional tool to formally demand accountability and protect their residents from laws passed without a democratic mandate.
Who We Are
Independent, non-partisan, and built for the public record.
Bearing Institute produces original research extracted from primary government sources — including data that has not previously been published in analytical form. Our submissions go directly to Parliament, our citations are designed to hold up in committee and under media scrutiny, and our recommendations are written in language that can be tabled immediately.
We write for parliamentary staff, Senators, journalists, and civil society organizations working on active legislation.
Co-founders Matthew Trenholm and Alexis Roumanis at the University of Liverpool convocation, where Trenholm received his MSc.
What we do
We produce original legislative research and submit it directly to Parliament. Every paper includes primary-source data, and ready-to-table amendments — so decision-makers can act on what they read.
How we work
A few quick answers for readers, staffers, and journalists using our research.
Are you partisan?
No. Bearing Institute is non-partisan. We do not advocate for parties or ideological positions — we identify legislative gaps, document consequences, and recommend specific amendments.
What makes your research actionable?
Our submissions include ready-to-table amendments written in legislative language, original data charts sourced directly from government files, and recommendations structured for immediate use in committee or at Senate stage.
Where does your data come from?
We go directly to primary government sources. Our submission on Bill C-9 drew on fifteen years of sentencing data extracted from UK Ministry of Justice source files — data that had not previously been published in this form. Every claim is cited and traceable to the public record.
Can I cite your papers?
Yes. Every paper includes author names, submission date, and topic tags to support straightforward citation in Hansard, media, or academic work.
Do you take commissions or advocacy work?
We focus on independent research. We do not accept commissions that would direct our findings or compromise our non-partisan standard. If you have a policy question you would like us to examine, contact us.
How do I get in touch?
Email alexis@bearinginstitute.ca or matthew@bearinginstitute.ca or use the contact form below.
Need a source you can cite — or language you can table?
Our research is free to read, download, and cite. If you need clarification on a finding, a specific amendment, or want to discuss a policy area we have not yet covered — we want to hear from you.