What Does Budget 2018 Tell Us about Projected Federal Revenues, Expenditures, Budgetary Balance and Debt?

(Disponible en français : Que nous apprend le budget fédéral de 2018 sur les projections relatives aux recettes, aux dépenses, au solde budgétaire et à l’endettement?) One of Parliament’s fundamental roles is to review and approve the government’s spending and taxation proposals. This HillNote analyzes the projected federal revenues, expenditures, budgetary balance and debt presented in Budget…

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Economics and finance

Aligning the Budget and the Main Estimates — Recent Changes to the Parliamentary Financial Cycle

(Disponible en français : Assurer la cohésion entre le budget et le budget principal des dépenses — Changements récents apportés au cycle financier parlementaire) The Government of Canada outlines its spending and tax priorities to Parliament and Canadians in its annual budget, and presents its spending plans for parliamentary approval in estimates documents. In the past,…

Agriculture, environment and natural resources / environment

Joint Action to Reduce Methane Emissions: Canada and the United States

(Disponible en français : Mesure conjointe pour la réduction des émissions de méthane : Le Canada et les États‑Unis) Carbon dioxide (CO2) is a well-known greenhouse gas. However, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada, methane’s impact as a warming agent is estimated to be 86 times greater over a 20-year period and 34 times…

Unreasonable Delays in Criminal Trials: the Impact of the Jordan Decision

(Disponible en français : Délais déraisonnables lors des procès criminels : les suites de l’arrêt Jordan) For a summary of the Jordan decision, see Maxime Charron-Tousignant, Unreasonable Delays in Criminal Trials: New Legal Framework, HillNotes, 17 August 2016. The Supreme Court of Canada’s landmark decision on 8 July 2016 in R. v. Jordan “has rocked” the Canadian justice system.…

Image of Canadian House of Commons, Speakers Chair at far end.

Young Parliamentarians around the World

(Disponible en français : Les jeunes parlementaires dans le monde) Cynics would have you believe that young people are just not interested in parliamentary politics. Despite the conventional wisdom that young people do not want to participate in democracy, statistics say otherwise: around the world, the number of young parliamentarians is on the rise. In…

Canada’s Seal Harvest

(Disponible en français : La chasse au phoque au Canada) In Canada, the seal harvest is managed by the federal government as a fishery and not, as is commonly believed, by provincial/territorial governments as a hunting activity. The Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard is granted this authority through legislation, including the…

The Trans-Pacific Partnership: Status and Next Steps for Canada

(Disponible en français : Le Partenariat transpacifique : situation actuelle et prochaines étapes pour le Canada) With the North American Free Trade Agreement negotiations frequently in the news, that agreement may be uppermost in the minds of legislators and Canadians. However, for Canada, gaining greater access to growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region would support efforts…

Girls and Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

(Disponible en français: Les filles et les femmes dans les domaines de la science, de la technologie, du génie et des mathématiques) In recognition of International Day of the Girl, celebrated each year on October 11th, this HillNote explores the participation of girls and women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, commonly…

The Supreme Court of Canada’s Re-Examination of Internal Trade: The Case of Beer

(Disponible en français : Affaire Gérard Comeau : Le commerce intérieur bientôt dans la mire de la Cour suprême du Canada) About 150 years ago, Canada’s Fathers of Confederation contemplated trade across provincial boundaries when drafting section 121 of the British North America Act, 1867, now the Constitution Act, 1867. According to section 121, “[a]ll…

Asian Carp on the Doorstep of the Great Lakes

Revised 29 January 2018 (Disponible en français : La carpe asiatique aux portes des Grands Lacs) The recent discovery of Asian carp near the Great Lakes and the confirmation of the presence of grass carp DNA in the St. Lawrence River system seem to indicate that the fight against this invasive aquatic species is on…