Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Officers of Parliament support both houses in their accountability and scrutiny functions by carrying out independent oversight responsibilities assigned to them by statute. These officers are responsible directly to Parliament rather than to the government or a… Read More ›
Government, Parliament and politics
Executive Summary – Transition to the 44th Parliament: Questions and Answers
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Canada’s founding document, the Constitution Act, 1867, established the country as a parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. Executive authority resides with the Sovereign or that person’s representative (i.e., the Governor General of Canada). The Constitution assigns the Governor General a wide range… Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
Executive Summary – Recognition of the Foreign Qualifications of Immigrants
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Qualification recognition is the process of verifying that the knowledge, skills, work experience and education obtained in another country is comparable to the standards established for Canadian professionals and tradespersons. Far from simple, this process is different… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Resettling Refugees: Canada’s Humanitarian Commitments
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates that more than 1.44 million refugees are currently in need of resettlement to a third country. These are refugees who, according to the UNHCR, can neither return to… Read More ›
The Role of the Administrator as the Crown’s Representative
Reading Time: 4 minutesDisponible 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… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Services for Indigenous People Living in Urban Areas
Reading Time: < 1 minute(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… Read More ›
Corruption: Defining, Measuring and Addressing
Reading Time: 5 minutes(Disponible en français : La corruption : la définir, la mesurer et y faire échec) International Anti-Corruption Day occurs on 9 December annually, bringing awareness to the global issue of corruption. Because government spending related to the COVID-19 pandemic may… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Distribution of Federal Revenues and Expenditures by Province
Reading Time: < 1 minute(Disponible en français : Résumé – La répartition des revenus et des dépenses du gouvernement fédéral par province) The federal government collects revenues and makes expenditures in all provinces. Per capita federal revenues and spending vary from province to province, depending… Read More ›