Visuals: Law, justice and rights

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Maps

Pilotage Authorities in Canada

Map showing the four pilotage authorities in Canada : Pacific, Great Lakes, Laurentian and Atlantic.

 

Compulsory Pilotage Areas Under the Authority of the Pacific Pilotage Authority

This map illustrates the compulsory pilotage areas under the Pacific Pilotage Authority as defined by the Pilotage Act. The compulsory pilotage areas are in the Canadian waters in and around the province of British Columbia. Under the Pacific Pilotage Authority there are five designated compulsory pilotage areas. They are identified on the map by a zone with dark blue outline and a blue fill.

Compulsory Pilotage Areas Under the Authority of the Great Lakes and Laurentian Pilotage Authorities

This map illustrates the compulsory pilotage areas under the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority and Laurentian Pilotage Authority as defined by the Pilotage Act. Under the Great Lakes Pilotage Authority the map depicts five areas that are established as compulsory pilotage areas, from east to west: - Cornwall District, being the waters of the St. Lawrence River between the Port of Montréal and the pilot boarding station near Cornwall. - International District 1, being the waters of the St. Lawrence River from the boarding station near Cornwall to Kingston. - Lake Ontario District. - International District 2, being the waters of the Welland Canal, Lake Erie and the waters of the connecting channels between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. - International District 3, being the waters of Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior including the connecting waters. Under the Laurentian Pilotage Authority the map depicts three areas that are established as compulsory pilotage areas, from south to north: - District 1.1, being the waters of the St. Lawrence River in the Port of Montréal. - District 1, being the waters of the St. Lawrence River between the Port of Montréal and Québec. - District 2, being the waters of the St. Lawrence River between Québec and Les Escoumins as well as the navigable waters of the Saguenay River.

Compulsory Pilotage Areas Under the Authority of the Atlantic Pilotage Authority

This map illustrates the compulsory pilotage areas under the Atlantic Pilotage Authority as defined by the Pilotage Act. The compulsory pilotage areas are in the Canadian waters in and around the provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Under the Atlantic Pilotage Authority there are 17 designated compulsory pilotage areas. They are identified on the map by a dark blue circle.
Read the HillNote: Marine Pilotage in Canada: En Route to Modernizing the Pilotage Act (2020)

 

Bilingual Regions of Canada for Language‑of‑Work Purposes, 1977 to Present

The regions of Canada that are considered bilingual for the purpose of language of work, as determined by the federal government in 1977, include the National Capital Region, the province of New Brunswick, some parts of the Montreal census metropolitan area, certain other parts of Quebec and parts of eastern and northern Ontario.
Read the HillStudy: Official Languages in the Federal Public Service (2023)

 

Infographics

Main Categories of Anti-Personnel Mines

The image shows two types of anti-personnel mines: blast mines and fragmentation mines. A blast mine is detonated when pressure is applied by stepping on it. The explosion causes severe lower-limb injuries. A fragmentation mine is armed and waits to be triggered by trip wire, for example. The explosion causes metal fragments to scatter, injuring multiple people.

 Read the HillStudy: The Future of the Ottawa Treaty (2026)

 

Collective Bargaining Process

A flowchart maps out the steps in the collective bargaining process, as set out in the Canada Labour Code. Consult the long description below the figure for the details about each step.

Read the HillNote: Constitutional Protection of the Right to Strike (2025)

 

Recognizing Genocide: Canada’s Approach

The infographic illustrates Canada’s approach to the recognition of genocide. It first recognizes the jurisdiction of international and national courts. However, it may also make political designations. Canada takes any allegations of genocide very seriously and collaborates, if necessary, with the international community to conduct investigations. The genocides officially recognized by Canada show that recognition is not systematically based on legal decisions, and that a decision by a competent court does not necessarily guarantee political recognition.

Read the HillNote: State Recognition of Genocide (2025)

 

Other Federal Legislation with Disability-Related Provisions

The table provides a non-exhaustive list of other federal legislation with disability-related provisions enacted across several policy areas. Consult text version below the table for detailed information.
Read the HillNote: Federal and International Legislative Protections for People with Disabilities: Where We Are Today (2025)

 

Specific Rights of Persons in Immigration Detention

The infographic presents the rights of persons placed in immigration detention.

Read the HillNote: Immigration Detention in Canada (2025)

 

Timeline of United Nations Gender Equality Mechanisms and Canadian Actions

This timeline highlights key milestones in international and Canadian efforts toward gender equality. On one side, it depicts major initiatives undertaken or endorsed by the United Nations, including non-binding declarations and development goals, as well as binding conventions. On the other side are the corresponding Canadian responses and actions, including the ratification of international agreements, as well as laws and policies enacted at a national level to respond to Canada’s international obligations. More information on each of the milestones is available in the linked table that follows the figure.

 

 

 
Read the HillNote: The International Framework for Gender Equality (2025)

 

Risk Factors Affecting the Mental Health of Refugees

This figure represents three elements that converge to foster mental health resilience: individual well-being, socio-economic connection, and rights and values.

Elements that Promote Mental Health Resilience

This infographic represents the different risk factors for poor mental health among adult and children refugees at three different stages: pre-migration, migration and post-migration. During pre-migration for adult refugees, risk factors include status in the country of origin, trauma, disruption of social roles and network, and political involvement. During migration, the four factors are uncertainty about migration outcome, disruption of family and community networks, harsh living conditions (e.g., in refugee camps), and route and duration. During post-migration, factors are uncertainty about refugee status, loss of social status, under- or unemployment, concern about family left behind and possibility of reunification, and difficulties learning language, acculturating and adapting. During pre-migration for child refugee children, risk factors include disruption of education, age and development stage, and separation from extended family and peer networks. During migration, the factors include separation from caregiver, harsh living conditions (e.g., in refugee camps), uncertainty about future, exposure to violence and poor nutrition. During post-migration, factors include challenges acculturating, difficulties learning in new language, stresses related to family’s adaptation, and discrimination and social exclusion.
Read the HillNote: Mental Health Needs of Refugees in Canada (2022)

 

Search and Seizure Powers

The title of the table is: search and seizure powers. The table is divided into two columns. The left-hand column is entitled: reasonable expectation of privacy (warrant). This column contains nine rows whose text is written in superimposition on the image of a judge's robe in red and black. These nine rows contain the following text: Text messages saved in another person’s device. Electronic interception of private communication between a suspect and police. Bag on passenger seat during random roadside check. Buccal swabs, hair samples and teeth impressions. Visual, olfactory and aural observations made by police officers around a suspect’s home. Locker at a bus depot. Tissue discarded in a wastebasket by a suspect detained in a police station. Employer-issued laptop computer. Name and address of a subscriber in the computerized records of an Internet service provider. The right-hand column is entitled: no reasonable expectation of privacy (no warrant). This column contains nine rows with text superimposed on the image of a police officer seen from behind wearing a blue uniform with the word "police" written on it. These nine rows contain the following text: Search of a cellular phone during an arrest. Facebook communications between an adult and a fictitious child created by police. Vehicle passenger with tenuous link to the vehicle owner. Penile swabs taken during an arrest. Heat radiating from a private residence recorded by an infrared camera. Search with a sniffer dog based on reasonable suspicion. Household waste placed at the edge of a property for collection. Apartment of an accused’s girlfriend to which the accused has a key. Computerized records and electricity consumption patterns.
Read the HillNote: The Right to Be Left Alone and Police Powers in Canada: Is an Update Needed? (2020)

 

Surveillance Systems

The infographic depicts surveillance cameras in a public setting and shows that surveillance systems can track individuals, as well as categorize them based on clothing, gender, race, age and actions. It shows surveillance cameras identifying individuals through facial recognition and by their gait. It also depicts cameras detecting people loitering and entering forbidden areas.

Read the HillNote: Taming State Surveillance: Reconciling Camera Surveillance Technology with Human Rights Obligations (2020)

 

Context, Forms and Impacts of Harassment and Abuse in Sport

Figure 1 provides information on the context, forms and impacts of harassment and abuse in sport. The cultural context of harassment and abuse in sport is rooted in discrimination and power imbalances based on various identity factors (disability, age, gender, sex, etc.). Harassment and abuse of athletes can take many forms (psychological harm, sexual harm, physical harm and neglect). Finally, the impacts of these acts can be devastating to athletes and have repercussions for sport federations.
Read the HillNote: Harassment and Abuse in Canadian Sport (2022)

 

Examples of Nations Whose Intelligence Agencies Have Arti­ficial Intelligence (AI)–Enabled Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) Capabilities

Each country in the Five Eyes intelligence alliance – Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand – has artificial intelligence (AI)–enabled open-source intelligence (OSINT) capabilities. Examples of countries that have AI-enabled OSINT capabilities and cooperative relations with the Five Eyes intelligence alliance include France, Israel, Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Japan. Russia and China have longstanding OSINT programs. Their implication in recent large-scale database breaches in the United States and elsewhere suggests these two countries’ intelligence services have AI capabilities.
Read the HillNote: The Growing Importance of Open-Source Intelligence to National Security (2022)

 

Language Regimes in the Provinces and Territories

The figure shows the characteristics of the language regimes of each province and territory in Canada. Official documents exist in every province and territory, except British Columbia. These documents consist of constitutional provisions in Manitoba, Quebec and New Brunswick. Acts and regulations have been passed everywhere, except in British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Policies have been implemented in Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador. A strategic plan has been adopted in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick. In the three territories, legislation cannot be amended without the assent of the Parliament of Canada. In the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick, a timeframe for the review of provisions or official documents is set out in a law or policy. Official documents recognize the status of the minority language in various domains. Except in British Columbia and Quebec, they specify the provisions that apply to the delivery of government services. Provisions on services provided by third parties exist in Nunavut, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Active offer provisions exist in all jurisdictions except British Columbia, Quebec and Nova Scotia. Official documents also specify the language provisions for the legislative assemblies, justice and legislation in all three territories and in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. The status of official-language minority communities is recognized in a law or policy in Nunavut, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. In some cases, laws or policies governing health, education, police forces and municipal services recognize the status of the minority language. Provisions that enable residents to file complaints are entrenched in legislation in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Offices responsible for minority-language services or for relations with the official-language minority community exist everywhere under various names. An ombudsman or agency is responsible for upholding language rights in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. In Quebec, the competent organizations handle complaints relating to the majority language, while in the other four jurisdictions, the competent organizations handle complaints relating to the minority language.

Read the HillStudy: Language Regimes In the Provinces and Territories (2022)

 

Federal Electoral Boundaries Readjustment Process

As part of the federal electoral boundaries readjustment process, a readjustment of the seat count in the House of Commons and the boundaries of federal electoral districts occurs every 10 years. It involves only the ten provinces. Canada’s three territories are assigned one seat each. Presently, British Columbia has 43 seats, Alberta has 37, Saskatchewan 14, Manitoba 14, Ontario 122, Quebec 78, New Brunswick 10, Nova Scotia 11, Prince Edward Island 4, and Newfoundland and Labrador 7. Under section 51(1) of the Constitution Act, 1867, there are four ways provinces can be assigned seats in the House of Commons: (1) Rapid comparative population growth, for example, Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. (2) The senatorial clause, where the number of seats a province has in the House Commons cannot be less than the number of senators representing that province, for example, New Brunswick and PEI. (3) The amended grandfather clause where the number of seats a province has in the House of Commons cannot fall below its seat allocation during the 43rd Parliament, for example, Manitoba, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Quebec and Saskatchewan. (4) The representation rule, where a province’s share of seats in the House is about equal to its share of the total population of all provinces; this rule was not applied in 2021. Independent, neutral three-member commissions set each province’s electoral boundaries. Elections Canada has no involvement in making decisions about a province’s electoral boundaries The commission’s decisions are based on communities of interest, communities of identity, the historical pattern of an electoral district in the province and manageable geographic size. As part of the process followed, each commission makes an initial proposal of electoral districts with names, holds one or more public meetings and receives feedback. Then, each commission prepares a report that is tabled in the House of Commons. Members’ feedback is compiled and returned to commissions. Lastly, each commission prepares a final report that establishes the new electoral districts and their names for all provincial electoral boundaries.
Read the HillStudy: The Process for Readjusting the Seat Count in the House of Commons and the Boundaries of Electoral Districts (2022)

 

Typical Distribution of Frequency Bands

Different spectrum frequency bands are used depending on geography and population density. Low-frequency bands, such as those in the 600 MHz range, are ideal for covering large geographic areas and penetrating buildings, which makes it important in rural and urban areas. Medium-frequency bands provide both coverage and capacity. The medium-frequency 3800 MHz band is commonly used in rural regions in Canada. High-frequency bands, such as those in the 24 GHz range, are often used in major cities, as they have limited coverage but high data transfer capacity.

Spectrum Allocation Process in Canada

The spectrum allocation process has a number of steps in Canada: 1) The first step is public consultations, which takes six to nine months. At this step, the federal government is seeking to understand stakeholder needs for spectrum licences and to set the auction parameters, including the size of spectrum blocks to be allocated and the service area tiers. 2) The second step in the process is the public auctions, which take somewhere between a few days and a few weeks. During the auction, applicants can bid on multiple licences. It uses a live electronic bidding system, with multiple simultaneous auctions in a series of rounds. The results of each round are announced before the start of the next round. 3) The third step in the process is that winners must pay in full for the licences they obtained. Buyers may share the licences they obtained if the licence conditions are met.

Read the HillNote: Understanding Spectrum Management in Canada (2022)

 

Cross-cutting Responsibilities with Respect to Official Languages

Cross-cutting responsibilities of the President of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Justice, the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Minister of Canadian Heritage with respect to the implementation and operation of the Official Languages Act. For more information, see the text version below the figure.

Specific Responsibilities with Respect to Official Languages (Parts I to VI of the Official Languages Act)

Specific responsibilities related to the implementation of parts I to VI of the Official Languages Act. Parliamentary institutions, federal courts, the Office of the Commissioner for Federal Judicial Affairs and the President of the Treasury Board have a role to play in this regard. For more information, see the text version below the figure.

Specific Responsibilities with Respect to Official Languages (Parts VII to X of the Official Languages Act)

Specific responsibilities related to the implementation of parts VII to X of the Official Languages Act. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Federal Court of Canada have a role to play in this regard. For more information, see the text version below the figure.
Read the HillStudy: The Official Languages Act: Understanding Its Principles and Implementation (2023)