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It was a counter-intuitive report issued by an apparent free-market ally: Earlier this year, the C.D. Howe Institute released a study calling for the federal government to ignore its relatively tiny deficit in favour of some job-creating stimulus spending. Finance Minister Joe Oliver rejected the proposal, although the think-tank suggested that more liberal spending could create 75,000 jobs — but that still raise the question: who are these groups that often hold so much sway over government policy? They credit themselves with enormous influence over both government policy and the Canadian mind — but what are the philosophies behind Canada’s top think-tanks? The Post’s Jen Gerson looks at a few of the country’s most notable institutions.

