Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the CRPD) is an international treaty that was adopted in 2006 to help protect the rights of people with disabilities around the world. Canada and 183 other states parties have… Read More ›
Law, justice and rights
Executive Summary – Strategies to Optimize Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. The deceased organ donor rate in Canada is lower than that of top-performing countries, but Canada’s rate has improved in recent years. Although the gap between the number of Canadians awaiting organ transplants and the number of… Read More ›
Executive Summary – The Standing Joint Committee for the Scrutiny of Regulations
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 ›
The Emergencies Act: Parliament’s Role During a National Emergency
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 ›
Executive Summary – Trafficking in Persons
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 ›
The Growing Importance of Open-Source Intelligence to National Security
Reading Time: 6 minutesDisponible 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 ›
Executive Summary – Medical Assistance in Dying: The Law in Selected Jurisdictions Outside Canada
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible 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 minutesDisponible 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 ›
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 ›