Reading Time: 8 minutesDisponible en français. In both the Senate and the House of Commons (the House), Indigenous languages are becoming more widely spoken and recognized, despite their historically limited use in Canada’s Parliament. Language is fundamental to identity and culture. Although the… Read More ›
Reading Time: 3 minutesDisponible en français. Various rules govern the use of English and French in the Canadian court system. This HillStudy focuses on the federal government’s role in the matter, looking particularly at the issues that relate to bilingualism in the Canadian court system. A number… Read More ›
Reading Time: < 1 minuteDisponible en français. Canada’s Constitution Act, 1867 does not assign transportation to either Parliament or the provincial legislatures. Instead, jurisdiction to regulate in relation to a specific transportation issue depends on which constitutional subject matter is engaged by the proposed law or regulation…. Read More ›
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 ›
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 ›
Reading Time: 7 minutesDisponible en français. The size and impact of wildfires in Canada has grown over the past 20 years. This HillNote provides a statistical portrait of wildfires in Canada since 2005, including the personnel mobilized to respond to them and the… Read More ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible 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… Read More ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms sets out the right to equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination. The Supreme Court of Canada (the Court) has consistently interpreted this right as protecting substantive equality. This means that laws – as well as government activities and policies – must not simply treat people the same. Instead, the effect… Read More ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. After each decennial census – the federally run count of Canada’s total population that occurs every 10 years – the number of members of the House of Commons and the representation of each province are adjusted according… Read More ›
Reading Time: 2 minutesDisponible en français. The distribution of legislative powers among the various levels of government is a key feature of federalism. To guide this distribution, the Constitution Act, 1867 divides legislative powers between the Parliament of Canada and the provincial legislatures. These powers are… Read More ›