Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. The Governor General is currently appointed by the Crown on the advice of the prime minister. The selection and appointment process has evolved considerably since Confederation. Early in Canada’s history, the Canadian executive had little influence on… Read More ›
Reading Time: 4 minutesDisponible en français. On 21 January 2021, the Governor General, the Right Honourable Julie Payette announced her resignation. The resignation led to a relatively uncommon situation – the Chief Justice of Canada, the Right Honourable Richard Wagner, was appointed Administrator… Read More ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. For several decades, VIA Rail Canada Inc. (VIA Rail), a Crown corporation created in 1977, has had limited ability to improve service because most of its trains operate on tracks shared with freight trains. VIA Rail relies heavily on funding from the Government… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. This HillStudy is the second of a two-part examination of how the Supreme Court of Canada (the Supreme Court or the Court) has interpreted federal environmental law in light of Canada’s constitutional division of powers. It is a companion piece to the… Read More ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. Environmental legislation can serve a variety of important ends. For example, it can regulate water and air quality, manage toxic substances, protect fish and migratory birds and their habitats, and determine how infrastructure and natural resource projects… Read More ›
Reading Time: 3 minutesDisponible en français. The appropriate sentence for a crime is a hotly contested topic. Some people feel that more weight should be given to the objectives of deterrence and punishment, while others want to focus on rehabilitation, for example. While… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. The peoples, ecosystems, lands and waters of the Arctic region face many of the same opportunities and challenges. As a result, international cooperation plays a key role in advancing knowledge of the region through the sharing of… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. The bilingualism bonus is a sum of $800 that is paid to certain categories of public servants. Created in 1977 in the context of linguistic tensions within the federal public service in Quebec, the bonus was intended… Read More ›
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. In the words of Ted McWhinney, Member of Parliament, on 21 March 1994, on the occasion of the retirement of Erik John Spicer, the parliamentary librarian at the time, “the Library of Parliament represents a treasure house. It… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. The Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on Their Destruction (also referred to as the Anti Personnel Mine Ban Convention or the Ottawa Treaty) was signed by 122 countries in… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. In Canada’s criminal justice system, people are sometimes found guilty of crimes that they did not commit. These errors are known as wrongful convictions. The number of wrongful convictions in Canada is unknown. This is in part because it is… Read More ›
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. The United Nations’ (UN’s) “special procedures” constitute an international system for monitoring human rights. Special procedures draw on the expertise of independent human rights experts who act independently and are mandated to report and advise on human rights,… Read More ›