(Disponible en français : Troisième examen périodique universel du Canada devant le Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies) On 11 May, Canada’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General will lead a delegation of senior federal civil servants and representatives from the governments of Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador to appear before a working group…
(Disponible en français : Être ou ne pas être un haut fonctionnaire du Parlement, telle est la question) The year 2017 produced a new crop of officers of Parliament. New incumbents have been appointed in the roles of Commissioner of Official Languages, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Commissioner of Lobbying and Information Commissioner. In addition, the…
(Disponible en français : Qu’est-ce qui a mal tourné pour la baleine noire de l’Atlantique Nord?) The North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) reached a turning point in 2017. Between June and September, 12 of the whales were found dead in Canadian waters in the Gulf of St. Lawrence (see Figure 1). An additional five were…
(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…
(Disponible en français : Le bien-être au cœur des politiques publiques : l’État devrait-il se soucier du bonheur?) In 2012, the United Nations (UN) recognized March 20th as the International Day of Happiness. Since then, the World Happiness Report, an index of happiness levels in different countries, has been released in anticipation of that date. The index…
(Disponible en français : Journée internationale des femmes : Comprendre la budgétisation sensible à la sexospécificité) International Women’s Day – observed every year on March 8th – provides Canadians with an opportunity to reflect on women’s achievements and to promote the advancement of gender equality. This year, Canada’s theme is #MyFeminism, “inspired by the role feminism…
(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,…
(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…
(Disponible en français : Le point sur la cartographie du Recensement de la population : Qui, quoi, où?) About the Census of Population As a requirement of the Statistics Act, Statistics Canada conducts a census of population and agriculture every five years in the years that end in ‘1’ and ‘6’. Data are collected using both short…
(Disponible en français : Consentement pour le don d’organes au Canada) Every week, five Canadians die waiting for an organ transplant. Deceased donors are an important source of organs for transplantation since each donor can provide up to eight organs. Between 2006 and 2015, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reported a 28% increase in…
(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.…
(Disponible en français : Mise à jour — La violence faite aux femmes au Canada : la Journée nationale de commémoration et d’action contre la violence faite aux femmes) Every year on 6 December, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women provides an opportunity to reflect on how violence affects women in…
(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…
(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…
(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…
