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 ›
Law, justice and rights
Executive Summary – Medical Assistance in Dying: The Law in Selected Jurisdictions Outside Canada
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 ›
Executive Summary – Trafficking in Human Organs: An Overview
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. Organ transplantation surgery has saved countless lives since its advent in the 1950s. As the techniques and technologies used in transplantation medicine improve, positive outcomes for donors and recipients are increasing. Demand for this treatment, however, far… Read More ›
The Role of the Supreme Court of Canada – Membership and the Nomination Process
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. The Supreme Court of Canada was created by statute in 1875. This HillNote describes the evolution of the membership and nomination process for Supreme Court justices over the years. Role of the Supreme Court The Supreme Court… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Official Languages or National Languages? Canada’s Decision
Reading Time: < 1 minute Disponible 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 minutes Disponible 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 – An Examination of the Duty to Accommodate in the Canadian Human Rights Context
Reading Time: 2 minutes Disponible en français. This Background Paper provides an overview of the duty to accommodate – a fundamental principle of equality included in all Canadian human rights laws – and describes how that principle has been interpreted and applied in Canadian jurisprudence. The duty… Read More ›
Judicial Independence of Military Judges
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. In 2020, military judges were forced to direct a stay of proceedings of four courts martial (Edwards, Crépeau [in French], Fontaine [in French], and Iredale) after determining that an order issued by the then-Chief of the Defence… Read More ›
Understanding Spectrum Management in Canada
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. Wireless communications services are constantly changing how Canadians live and participate in society. They improve connectivity across the country, especially in sparsely populated areas. Wireless services are also at the forefront of technological developments, such as fifth… Read More ›
The Rights of Nature: Canadian and International Developments in Granting Legal Rights to Rivers
Reading Time: 5 minutes Disponible en français. Environmental laws enacted for the benefit of humans are widespread. Less common are laws that protect nature for its own sake, independent of human interests. In February 2021, the Quebec municipality of Minganie [in French] and the… Read More ›