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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
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 ›
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. Over the last few decades, movements have arisen in several jurisdictions around the world to legalize medical assistance in dying. Until recently, only a few jurisdictions permitted medical assistance in dying, including Oregon, Washington State, Vermont, the… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minute Disponible en français. The year 2021 marks 100 years since Drs. Banting and Best first isolated insulin at the University of Toronto. The discovery soon changed the lives of people with diabetes worldwide. Several advances have been made since that… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minute Disponible en français. Opioid‑related harms have reached crisis proportions in many countries, including Canada. Almost 23,000 Canadians died due to apparent opioid toxicity between January 2016 and March 2021. Many other people faced life‑threatening medical emergencies or other harms. These… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minute Disponible en français. Understanding economic statistics and federal government finances can be complex. Through 23 questions and answers, this HillStudy explores key economic and financial concepts, including production: gross domestic product (GDP); inflation: consumer price index; nominal and real GDP; raw… Read More ›
Reading Time: 3 minutes Disponible en français. One of Parliament’s fundamental roles is to review and approve the government’s taxation and spending plans. To fulfill this role, parliamentarians follow the parliamentary financial cycle, which consists of a continuous loop of activities that take place… Read More ›