Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. At the federal level, there are several sequential stages that must be completed for a policy proposal to be transformed from an idea into a law. The process involves all three components of the legislative branch (the Sovereign, the Senate and… Read More ›
Law, justice and rights
Immigration Detention in Canada
Reading Time: 9 minutesDisponible en français. Canada’s immigration detention system is governed by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) and the international human rights treaties ratified by the government. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA)… Read More ›
Leadership Changes and Transfers of Responsibilities in Parliament: The Role of Constitutional Conventions and Other Rules
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. Beyond the strategic, media and political considerations at play in federal party leadership campaigns, there are constitutional conventions and rules, often less well known, governing the departure of leaders and their replacement in the Senate or the… Read More ›
Canada–United States Border Security: Drug Trafficking and Irregular Migration
Reading Time: 7 minutesDisponible en français. A secure border helps keep the population safe from various criminal threats while allowing for the legal movement of people and goods across the border. With this in mind, States must work together to address major issues,… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Gender Equality in Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. Gender equality means that every person, regardless of their gender identity, has the same rights, responsibilities and opportunities. While in Canada, every individual is equal and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law,… Read More ›
Mandatory Minimum Sentences and Section 12 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: Supreme Court of Canada Case Law
Reading Time: 7 minutesDisponible en français. Mandatory minimum sentences are set by Parliament to limit judicial discretion when it comes to imposing punishment. There were six offences with mandatory minimum sentences when the first Criminal Code (the Code) was enacted in 1892, for… Read More ›
Executive Summary – Canadian Citizenship: Practice and Policy
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. Canadian citizenship can be obtained through birth on Canadian soil, by descent through birth or adoption outside of Canada to a Canadian citizen, or through naturalization (the process by which citizenship is obtained by a foreign national)…. Read More ›
The International Framework for Gender Equality
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible en français. The year 2025 marks several significant anniversaries for international gender equality mechanisms. These include the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (the Beijing Declaration), the 25th anniversary of United Nations (UN) Security Council… Read More ›
Executive Summary – The Notwithstanding Clause of the Charter
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Section 33(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (the Charter) permits Parliament or the legislature of a province to adopt legislation to override certain rights and freedoms for a limited period, subject to renewal. Such a use… Read More ›
Executive Summary – The Federal Lobbying System: The Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. The preamble to the Lobbying Act states that free and open access to government is an important matter of public interest, that lobbying public office holders is a legitimate activity, that it is desirable for public office holders and… Read More ›