Author Archives
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Executive Summary – Official Languages or National Languages? Canada’s Decision
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. In 2013–2014 and again since June 2020, some Canadian political figures have used the terms “national languages” and “official languages” interchangeably to refer to English and French when discussing the federal language regime. However, these two terms are not equivalent. “Official” status requires the government to… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Canada’s Approach to the Treaty-Making Process
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. In Canada, the treaty-making process is controlled by the executive branch of the federal government, while the Parliament of Canada (“Parliament”) is often responsible for passing legislation to implement international treaties at the federal level. The treaty-making… Read More ›
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Improving Access to Menstrual Products in Canada
Reading Time: 4 minutesNote: This publication was updated in December, 2023: Improving Equitable Access to Menstrual Products in Canada Disponible en français. All over the world, many people who menstruate lack access to safe, hygienic menstrual products, or the means to manage their… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – An Examination of the Duty to Accommodate in the Canadian Human Rights Context
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. This Background Paper provides an overview of the duty to accommodate – a fundamental principle of equality included in all Canadian human rights laws – and describes how that principle has been interpreted and applied in Canadian jurisprudence. The duty… Read More ›
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Judicial Independence of Military Judges
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. In 2020, military judges were forced to direct a stay of proceedings of four courts martial (Edwards, Crépeau [in French], Fontaine [in French], and Iredale) after determining that an order issued by the then-Chief of the Defence… Read More ›
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The Rights of Nature: Canadian and International Developments in Granting Legal Rights to Rivers
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Environmental laws enacted for the benefit of humans are widespread. Less common are laws that protect nature for its own sake, independent of human interests. In February 2021, the Quebec municipality of Minganie [in French] and the… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Refugee Protection in Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Refugees are people who flee their country because it is unsafe. Most refugees seek protection in a country neighbouring their own. Others make their way to countries like Canada and seek protection once they have arrived. This paper describes the steps to obtain protection when a person is already in Canada. International law and Canadian… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Early Childhood Education and Care in Canada
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français In Canada, the systems of early childhood education and care services are different from one province or territory to another; they differ significantly in their affordability, accessibility and rate of participation. These factors affect the labour force… Read More ›
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Impacts of COVID-19 on Employment: 101 Sectors in Four Colours
Reading Time: 4 minutes8 April 2021, 10:50 a.m. Disponible en français. The COVID-19 pandemic and the related business restrictions and lockdown measures decreased employment in Canada by 16% from February to April 2020. By February 2021, one year after the pandemic started, total employment… Read More ›
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Overview of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. On 15 November 2020, 15 countries signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a regional trade agreement between Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, as well as the 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)… Read More ›