Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. *The acronym “2SLGBTQI+” is used domestically in Canada to refer to Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people, and those from sexually and gender-diverse communities. The acronym “LGBTQI+” is used in international contexts and will… Read More ›
Law, justice and rights
‘Welfare’ of a Nation: The Origins of ‘Peace, Order and Good Government’
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Some 160 years ago, Canada’s Fathers of Confederation hit upon a phrase that has come to define Parliament’s lawmaking authority in relation to the provinces. The phrase “peace, order and good government” is found in the opening… Read More ›
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. On 13 May 2025, the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, announced the members of his new Cabinet, including the new Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, Evan Solomon. An individual mandate letter, which would provide details on his… Read More ›
Online Banking Fraud: Protecting Consumers from Unauthorized Transactions
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Canadians are increasingly using technological tools such as laptops, tablets and smartphones for online banking. However, there are currently no legislative or regulatory protections, applicable nationwide, to limit consumers’ liability in the event of an unauthorized transaction… Read More ›
Modernizing Canada’s Competition Act: A Legal and Policy Overview
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. This HillNote is the first in a series of five on competition policy and law in Canada. The second in the series examines drip pricing and junk fees in the airline industry. The third analyzes the balance… Read More ›
Constitutional Protection of the Right to Strike
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. On 30 January 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada (the Court) recognized a constitutional protection of the right to strike, ruling in Saskatchewan Federation of Labour v. Saskatchewan that this right is an “indispensable” part of collective bargaining. In… Read More ›
Women in the Parliament of Canada: Beyond the Numbers
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. Women’s right to full and equal participation in the public and political life of their country is recognized by the 1979 United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. The proportion or number… Read More ›
State Recognition of Genocide
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Genocide, a crime under international law, has been officially recognized in several cases by national or international courts and tribunals, such as the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. However, states, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental organizations such as… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Language Regimes in the Provinces and Territories
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. This HillStudy presents a non-exhaustive overview of the language regimes in place in the provinces and territories, and it briefly describes the main features of each one. In Canada, jurisdiction over language is shared between the various levels… Read More ›
The Constitution, Carbon Pricing and Environmental Assessment
Reading Time: 5 minutesDisponible en français. Two environmental laws. Two constitutional challenges. Two Supreme Court of Canada (Supreme Court) opinions. Two different outcomes. An examination of two recent environmental law cases demonstrates the reach and limitations of the federal government’s ability to make… Read More ›