Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. The COVID-19 pandemic forced many legislatures around the world to adopt or expand their use of digital technologies in order to continue exercising their core functions of legislating, studying issues of public policy, scrutinizing governments and representing… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible 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 minuteDisponible 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: 5 minutesRevised 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 ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible 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: 6 minutesDisponible en français. Launched in 2016, the Investing in Canada Plan is a long-term federal infrastructure plan involving the investment of $188 billion over 12 years. Of this total, $96 billion is new funding, and $92 billion is from existing infrastructure programs. Although the… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible 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: 5 minutesDisponible en français. One hundred years ago, on 6 December 1921, Agnes Campbell Macphail became the first woman elected to the House of Commons and the first woman parliamentarian in the Parliament of Canada. This HillNote provides an overview of selected notable firsts… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible 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 minutesDisponible 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 ›