Executive Summary – Bilingualism in Canada’s Court System: The Role of the Federal Government

Disponible en français. There are various rules governing the use of French and English within the Canadian judicial system. This Background Paper focuses on the federal government’s role in the matter, looking particularly at the issues relating to bilingualism within the Canadian court system. There are a number of different acts that govern the administration of justice in the two official languages, including the Constitution Act, 1867, Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Official Languages Act. In addition to these constitutional and legislative obligations, there are a number of other…

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Executive Summary / Law, justice and rights

Executive Summary – Overview of the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement

Disponible en français. Refugees are people who flee their countries because of a well-founded fear of persecution. Once refugees arrive in another country and seek asylum, international law protects them from being sent back to face serious threats. Of course, not all asylum claims are successful. Some asylum seekers may not meet the legal definition of…

COVID-19 / Employment and labour

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program and COVID-19

15 February 2021, 10:10 a.m. Disponible en français. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the movement of goods and people in and out of Canada, affected the wellbeing of temporary foreign workers, as well as led to changes in workplace health and safety requirements. This in turn has had repercussions for the Temporary Foreign Worker Program…

Canada / Government, Parliament and politics

The Role of the Administrator as the Crown’s Representative

Disponible 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 of the Government of Canada. He will fulfill the duties of Governor General until a…

Executive Summary – The Evolution of Defence Procurement in Canada: A Hundred-Year History

(Disponible en français : Résumé – L’évolution de l’approvisionnement en matière de défense au Canada : une histoire centenaire) In Canada, defence procurement currently involves several federal departments and agencies, including the Department of National Defence; Public Services and Procurement Canada; Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada; and the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. Each…

Managing Federal Debt in the Context of COVID-19

20 January 2021, 9:10 a.m. (Disponible en français : La gestion de la dette fédérale dans le contexte de la COVID-19) In 2020–2021, the federal government is forecasting a significant budgetary deficit and increase to the federal debt. This is largely a result of decreased revenues and financial supports provided to individuals and businesses during…

Income Supports and Other Protections Available to Federally Regulated Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

19 January 2021, 9:00 a.m. (Disponible en français : Mesures de soutien du revenu et autres protections offertes aux employés de milieux de travail sous réglementation fédérale pendant la pandémie de COVID-19) Some 900,000 employees work in Canada’s 18,000 federally regulated workplaces. Under the Canada Labour Code (Code), employers in these workplaces must ensure the health…

Executive Summary – Services for Indigenous People Living in Urban Areas

(Disponible en français : Résumé – Services destinés aux autochtones vivant en milieu urbain) Over the past 70 years, growing numbers of Indigenous people in Canada have moved to urban centres. Today, more than half of the Indigenous population live in urban areas. Indigenous people may move permanently or temporarily to the city to access…

Executive Summary – Canada’s Federal Privacy Laws

(Disponible en français : Résumé – Les lois fédérales du Canada sur la protection de la vie privée) The right to privacy is recognized as a quasi-constitutional right in Canada. At the federal level, two pieces of legislation provide some privacy protections: the Privacy Act, which applies to the public sector, and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic…

Executive Summary – Official Languages in the Federal Public Service

(Disponible en français : Résumé – Les langues officielles dans la fonction publique fédérale) The purpose of the Official Languages Act (OLA) is to ensure respect for English and French as the official languages of Canada. Pursuant to the OLA and to regulations and current policies, federal institutions are guided by certain fundamental principles that help them…

COVID-19 and Selected Artificial Intelligence Research and Applications

(Disponible en français : La COVID-19 et certains services et applications d’intelligence artificielle) Given their capacity to tackle problems by combing vast stores of data using considerable computational power, Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications are valuable tools in the fight against COVID-19. The term “artificial intelligence” refers to replicating human cognitive and predictive abilities by artificial…

The Rise and Fall of Arms Control?

(Disponible en français : Contrôle des armements : après l’essor, le déclin?) In the late 1980s and early 1990s, superpower tensions began to fade. As a result, it became possible to negotiate complex agreements on conventional arms and weapons of mass destruction. However, as the geopolitical context evolves, assessments can change, and momentum can be…

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Research and analysis from Canada's Library of Parliament