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 ›| HillNotes
Two environmental laws. Two constitutional challenges. Two Supreme Court of Canada 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 laws in relation to environmental issues.| HillNotes
Under Section 94 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which came into effect 28 June 2002, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is required to table an annual report to Parliament on the immigration initiatives and actions of the previous year. The report to Parliament must also set the department’s targets for the number of immigrants to be admitted to Canada the following year. These targets are known as the immigration levels plan, and in 2017, a multi-year approach was...| HillNotes
The Critical Minerals Supply Chain: Building Canada’s Resilience| HillNotes
This HillNote focuses specifically on the definitions of “urban,” “rural” and “remoteness” according to Statistics Canada. A clear understanding of these statistical definitions and classifications is crucial to identifying the target populations for relevant government initiatives and policies. This paper also features various maps to illustrate the differences between these definitions.| HillNotes
This note provides a statistical overview of wildfires in Canada since 2005, including their impacts, evacuations, and response efforts.| HillNotes
Reading Time: 6minutesDisponible en français. On 21 June, National Indigenous Peoples Day, communities across Canada hold events that celebrate Indigenous cultures and contributions. To highlight this special day, the following HillNote focuses on examples of Indigenous leadership in elementary and secondary education,... Read More › The post Celebrating Indigenous Leadership in Elementary and Secondary Education appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Reading Time: 6minutesDisponible en français. Given the growing frequency and intensity of severe weather events around the world, like hurricanes, wildfires, floods and violent storms, households have had to make increasingly costly home insurance claims. Canada has not been spared; it even... Read More › The post The Home Insurance Market and Severe Weather Events in Canada appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Reading Time: < 1minuteDisponible en français. This HillStudy consists of a series of questions and answers intended to provide a better understanding of economic statistics and federal government finances. It covers such topics as the following: production: gross domestic product (GDP); inflation: consumer price index; nominal and real... Read More › The post Executive Summary – Federal Government Finances: Questions and Answers appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Reading Time: 2minutesDisponible en français. Population and income growth are leading to an increasing demand for animal proteins. However, there are concerns related to the world’s capacity to meet that growing demand, as well as to the environmental and health effects of... Read More › The post Executive Summary – Expanding Protein Options: Emerging Science and Policy Implications appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Reading Time: < 1minuteDisponible en français. The COVID‑19 pandemic drove many legislatures around the world to adopt or expand their use of digital technologies in order to continue exercising their core functions of legislating, studying issues of public policy, scrutinizing governments and representing... Read More › The post Executive Summary – Digital Parliament: Canada in Context appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
Reading Time: 5minutesDisponible en français. In early 2025, Canadian potash exports became an important issue in the changing trade relationship between Canada and the United States (U.S.). Potash refers to a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium, an element vital... Read More › The post Potash and the Canada–United States Trade Relationship appeared first on HillNotes.| HillNotes
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 exceeds organ availability. It is estimated that legal transplants performed cover the needs of only 10% of all patients on waiting lists worldwide. As a result, thousands of people die every year waiting for this procedure.| HillNotes
Celebrating Indigenous Leadership in Elementary and Secondary Education| HillNotes
Poverty Reduction Efforts in Canada| HillNotes
This HillNote is the first in a series of four publications about productivity. The second in the series presents Canada’s productivity performance compared to other advanced economies. The third analyzes the main potential causes of Canada’s relatively low productivity growth, and the fourth analyzes the principal potential solutions.| HillNotes
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 the House of Commons) operating in concert. In the case of government bills, these stages are the Cabinet stage, the parliamentary stage, the Royal Assent stage and the coming-into-force stage.| HillNotes
In today's complex world, the lack of clear boundaries between domestic and foreign policy regularly pushes Canadian parliamentarians to take action on the international stage. More and more of them are engaged in direct exchanges with their foreign counterparts on issues of national and global importance. In Canada, diplomatic engagement has long been an integral part of our parliamentarians' activities, and is generally aimed at the following three objectives: exchanging ideas and best prac...| HillNotes
One of Parliament’s fundamental roles is to review and approve the government’s taxation and spending plans. To fulfill this role, parliamentarians follow the parliamentary financial cycle, which consists of a continuous loop of activities that take place throughout the calendar year. Because the federal government’s fiscal year begins on 1 April and ends on 31 March, activities that take place during a single calendar year may relate to different fiscal years.| HillNotes
Officers of Parliament support both houses in their accountability and scrutiny functions by carrying out independent oversight responsibilities assigned to them by statute. These officers are responsible directly to Parliament rather than to the government or a federal minister. While no statutory definition exists of what constitutes officers of Parliament, they should not be confused with officials who assist Parliament in procedural and administrative matters.| HillNotes
A general election is followed by the opening of a new session of the Parliament of Canada, marking the beginning of a new parliamentary cycle. The opening involves a series of parliamentary ceremonies and procedures that precede and follow the Speech from the Throne. The opening of a Parliament typically lasts two days, as it did, for example, with the 42nd Parliament in 2015, although it can take place over the course of a single day, as it did with the opening of the 43rd Parliament in 201...| HillNotes
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 General a wide range of powers. However, as a constitutional monarchy, these powers are generally only exercised on the advice of Canada’s prime minister and the federal Cabinet.| HillNotes
Domestically, discussions about Canada’s defence spending are generally focused on the Department of National Defence (DND), including the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF).However, in reporting their defence spending to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, or the Alliance), Canada and other NATO member states can also include expenditures relating to other departments and agencies.Moreover, calculations of defence spending as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP) vary, depending ...| HillNotes
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, such as drug and firearms trafficking, and irregular migration.| HillNotes
In May 2024, the Supreme Court of Canada ordered a new trial in French for an accused who had not been informed of his right to be tried in the official language of his choice. The accused had been convicted of sexual assault following a trial that was conducted in English.| HillNotes
Under Section 94 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, which came into effect 28 June 2002, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is required to table an annual report to Parliament on the immigration initiatives and actions of the previous year. The report to Parliament must also set the department’s targets for the number of immigrants to be admitted to Canada for the following year. These targets are known as the immigration levels plan, and in 2017, with the intention of ...| HillNotes
Executive Summary – Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: The Development of the Supreme Court of Canada’s Approach to Equality Rights Under the Charter| HillNotes
The purpose of Canada’s retirement income system is twofold: to alleviate poverty among seniors and to help seniors who are better off to avoid significant declines in living standards when they retire. This HillStudy outlines the different components of the system, who they target, how much they cost and how they are financed. While there is general agreement that the retirement income system is a policy success story, a broader discussion of how well the system is meeting its objectives t...| HillNotes
A rental housing co-operative (co-op) is a non-profit corporation in which each member-resident owns one share. A form of community housing, rental co-ops are democratically governed by their members, who may also participate in management and operational functions. Shares do not appreciate and cannot be sold, and rents are generally set to break even with operating costs such that no profit accumulates. Any surpluses are saved in a reserve fund. Canada’s rental co-ops follow a non-equity m...| HillNotes
On 21 June, National Indigenous Peoples Day, communities across Canada hold events to celebrate Indigenous cultures and contributions. To mark the occasion, this HillNote provides information about research and data collected about Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous data sovereignty, the federal government’s role in data collection and Indigenous-led data initiatives.| HillNotes
On 20 June 2022, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly adopted resolution 76/269, declaring June 24 of each year the International Day of Women in Diplomacy. The UN resolution recognizes the contributions that women make to diplomacy; it notes their global underrepresentation in this field and invites member states and other stakeholders to observe the day in a manner they consider appropriate, including through education and activities that raise public awareness, to promote the “full...| HillNotes
Explore Canada's Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) initiative. Learn its history, definitions, implementation, federal responsibilities, Indigenous perspectives, and ongoing critiques.| HillNotes
Over the past few years, global demand for minerals and metals has grown significantly, primarily owing to an energy transition that is getting under way and to technological advances. Thanks to its vast mineral reserves and industrial capacity, Canada is well positioned to take advantage of the increase in global demand and to develop the associated value chains. To achieve that goal, however, Canada must first identify stakeholders that have an impact on the extraction and processing of its...| HillNotes
The federal budget outlines the government’s revenue estimates and expenditure priorities for the fiscal year. It is a key component of the parliamentary financial cycle. The outlook for budgetary revenues and expenses can be found in tables A1.6 and A1.7 of Budget 2024.| HillNotes
Compared to later federal–provincial agreements, the Canada–Quebec Accord is also the most extensive. Under this Accord, for instance, Quebec has exclusive responsibility for selecting economic immigrants destined for that province – and for the criteria by which they are selected – rather than simply assessing and nominating some of them to address specific labour market and economic needs. Quebec, uniquely, sets the number of economic immigrants it will receive, rather than consulti...| HillNotes
This HillNote explores the publicly available data on National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) procurement between 1 April 2010 and 23 October 2023. It looks at which firms have been awarded contracts, the values of these contracts and the products and services for which they were awarded.| HillNotes
In February 2015, the Supreme Court of Canada released Carter v. Canada (Attorney General), an important decision about the law on assisted dying. The decision found that the Criminal Code provisions that made it a crime to help a person end their life violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As a result, several groups were formed to study the issue of assisted dying and to consider options for changing the law and related policies. This included a joint Senate and Hou...| HillNotes
With the majority of grains produced in Western Canada intended for export, the grain trade relies on a complex supply chain in which rail transportation is the cornerstone. Rail makes it possible to cover the vast distances between grain elevators where farmers deliver their grain and the port terminals from where grain is shipped to international markets. Most grain rail traffic is bound for the ports of Vancouver, Thunder Bay and Prince Rupert.| HillNotes
A healthy environment is essential to human life, health and well-being. Climate change is increasingly impacting the environment in ways that harm people. Climate change affects the air we breathe, the availability of food and water, and the rate and intensity of extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and storms that have great potential to cause harm to human populations.| HillNotes
This HillNote describes the WTO’s dispute-settlement process and discusses the Appellate Body’s current status. Because the Appellate Body is currently not functioning, it also examines the implications of appealing “into the void” and identifies certain other dispute-settlement options that some WTO members are using.| HillNotes
This document provides an overview of the various factors and players that shape Canada's immigration policy, sheds light on the legislative framework and the roles and responsibilities of the various levels of government, and presents a few of the essential components and instruments in this field.| HillNotes
