Author Archives
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Biannual Update on the Canadian Economy: Third and Fourth Quarters of 2021
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. This HillNote highlights key trends in the Canadian economy in the third and fourth quarters of 2021. Although the economy improved in the second half of 2021, the recovery remains uneven among certain sectors and population groups…. Read More ›
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The 2022 Federal Budget at a Glance
Reading Time: 3 minutes Disponible en français. The federal budget outlines the government’s revenue estimates and expenditure priorities for the fiscal year. It is a key component of the financial cycle. The outlook for budgetary revenues and expenses can be found in the 2022… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Official Languages and Parliament
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. In the Canadian parliamentary context, English and French enjoy equality of status and use. In fact, there are a number of constitutional and legislative provisions governing the use of both official languages in Parliament. These provisions, which have evolved over the… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: The Development of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Approach to Equality Rights Under the Charter
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. The Supreme Court of Canada (the Court) has consistently interpreted this right as protecting substantive equality. This means that laws – as well as government activities and policies – must not simply treat people the same. Instead, the effect that a law has on different… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Strategies to Optimize Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. The deceased organ donor rate in Canada is lower than that of top-performing countries, but Canada’s rate has improved in recent years. Although the gap between the number of Canadians awaiting organ transplants and the number of… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Funding New Government Initiatives: From Announcement to Money Allocation
Reading Time: < 1 minute Disponible en français. New government initiatives are announced through different sources, including the Speech from the Throne, the federal budget, international agreements, federal–provincial-territorial agreements, ministerial mandate letters and ministerial proposals. However, before a new initiative receives funding, approvals from Cabinet, the Treasury Board and Parliament are needed. This paper describes these approvals along with the role… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations
Reading Time: < 1 minute Disponible en français. The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations (the committee) plays a vital role in the parliamentary oversight of federal regulations. Whenever Parliament delegates legislative authority to the executive branch or other regulation-making bodies, the committee ensures that… Read More ›
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The Emergencies Act: Parliament’s Role During a National Emergency
Reading Time: 5 minutes Revised on 23 February 2022, 8:40 a.m. Disponible en français. On 14 February 2022, in response to the ongoing blockades and protests taking place in Ottawa and at some border crossings, the Prime Minister announced that the Governor in Council… Read More ›
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Executive Summary – Trafficking in Persons
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. Trafficking in persons is an increasingly pressing issue in global migration policy, particularly in the wake of the COVID‑19 pandemic that has exacerbated many contributing factors. The United Nations describes trafficking in persons as “the recruitment, transportation,… Read More ›
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The Growing Importance of Open-Source Intelligence to National Security
Reading Time: 6 minutes Disponible en français. Intelligence agencies around the world, including the Communications Security Establishment (CSE), are increasingly acquiring, analyzing, using and sharing publicly available information (see Figure 1). Given the scale of data involved, artificial intelligence (AI) – particularly machine learning… Read More ›