Policy Topics | Policy Briefings

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• Agriculture
• Biotechnology
• Defence & Security
• Environment
• Finance
• Fisheries and Oceans

• Foreign Policy​
• Health
• Industry and Manufacturing
• Infrastructure and Transport
• Innovation
• Intergovernmental

• Indigenous Relations
• Justice
• Labour & Employment
• Lobbying
• Natural Resources and Energy
• Women, Gender and Diversity

Foregin Policy

House committee summons ministers, CEOs to testify on $1-billion loan for Chinese-made ships

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

• BC Ferries announced in June plans to purchase four ships built by a Chinese state-owned company, with help from a Canada Infrastructure Bank loan. Now, MPs are calling on Ministers Gregor Robertson and Chrystia Freeland to answer for what Conservatives call an 'outrageous' loan.

House committee summons ministers, CEOs to testify on $1-billion loan for Chinese-made ships

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

• BC Ferries announced in June plans to purchase four ships built by a Chinese state-owned company, with help from a Canada Infrastructure Bank loan. Now, MPs are calling on Ministers Gregor Robertson and Chrystia Freeland to answer for what Conservatives call an 'outrageous' loan.

Q&A | Trade talks with a ‘revisionist power’ where leverage is everything

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

Parliamentarians celebrate Fourth of July at Lornado amid trade war, annexation threats

FeatureBY NEIL MOSS

U.S. envoy Hoekstra opens his Ottawa home for July 4 festivities

FeatureBY SAM GARCIA

Long live the Dalai Lama

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

Major projects beget major challenges

OpinionBY NELSON WISEMAN

It’s Trump’s world. Other world leaders are just living in it.

OpinionBY MICHAEL HARRIS

Axworthy’s not wrong: Carney does look like he’s taking a ‘bootlicking’ approach to Trump, so far

OpinionBY EDITORIAL

Canada can’t ignore climate change just because the U.S. is missing in action

OpinionBY DAVID CRANE

MOST RECENT POLICY BRIEFINGS

Canada Part I: Interprovincial Trade & Labour

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Tariffs, trade, and the border

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Special Report: Supply Chain

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Backing down on DST is understandable, but doing so on supply management would be another story

OpinionBY SHEILA COPPS

• Trump will definitely be pushing hard for dairy concessions but Carney cannot afford to cave on supply management.

Backing down on DST is understandable, but doing so on supply management would be another story

OpinionBY SHEILA COPPS

• Trump will definitely be pushing hard for dairy concessions but Carney cannot afford to cave on supply management.

Digital services tax retreat risks showing ‘Canada will fold’ in Trump trade talks, warn experts

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

Today Tuvalu, tomorrow the world

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

Certainly in chaos: Canada’s path to unshakable leadership

OpinionBY STéPHANE PAQUET, JACQUIE GRIFFITHS

Carney’s China challenge requires a foreign policy reset

OpinionBY BHAGWANT SANDHU

Turning goals into results

OpinionBY MICHAEL HATFIELD

Ecuador: from chaos to sustained growth

OpinionBY ESTEBAN CRESPO POLO

‘What is being promised?’: NDP, labour call for more transparency in trade talks with Trump 

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

Is Trump protecting tech billionaires in U.S. fight with Canada over digital services tax?

OpinionBY ERROL MENDES

AGRICULTURE

‘They were emphatic in their foolishness’: Senate defers to House on Bloc supply management bill despite concerns

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

Rural Canada is finally getting its moment

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

Supply management consensus emerges but Grits, Tories accuse each other of past capitulation

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

Canada can be an agriculture powerhouse if we meet the moment

OpinionBY SENATOR MARY ROBINSON

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Biotechnology

Canada’s next top doctor must be a ‘focal point’ for public health amid changes in the U.S., concerns about next pandemic

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

From momentum to leadership: securing Canada’s biotech future

OpinionBY WENDY ZATYLNY

Biotechnology must factor into a broader Canadian industrial policy

OpinionBY FRANK BAYLIS

From crisis to catalyst: Canada’s opportunity to drive global health and research innovation

OpinionBY PAMELA SHAVER-WALKER, EDWARD SHORT

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DEFENCE & SECURITY

Is the CAF past the point of no return?

OpinionBY SCOTT TAYLOR

Remembering the Lac-Mégantic rail disaster

OpinionBY BRUCE CAMPBELL

Spy agency threat assessment singles out China for ‘aggressive cyber program’

NewsBY MARLO GLASS, RIDDHI KACHHELA

New DND plan gives extra seven years to meet army and navy readiness targets, lowers air force aims

NewsBY NEIL MOSS | UPDATED July 2, 2025

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Environment

Environment groups want ‘national interest’ defined in Liberals’ One Economy law

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

‘Early days’ to grade Carney’s climate policies, say advocates who point to ‘welcome’ campaign pledges

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Connecting regional electricity grids should be Canada’s top nation-building project

OpinionBY PETER NICHOLSON, RICK SMITH

Canadians’ right to a healthy environment is already being tested

OpinionBY LYNDIA DERNIS, JANE MCARTHUR

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FINANCE

Federal major projects office ‘should not take the place of proper consultation with First Nations,’ says AFN national chief

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Finance Canada to boost spending 10 per cent by 2027 as debt costs, transfers rise

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

PSPC’s three-year $17.5-billion spending plan lacks clear roadmap to future goals, say insiders

NewsBY IREM KOCA

Q&A | New five-per-cent NATO target ‘achievable’ if Canada is ‘smart about it,’ says David Perry

FeatureBY PETER MAZEREEUW

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Fisheries and oceans

Federal fish science analyses continue to muddy the waters in salmon farm fight

NewsBY STUART BENSON

The markets are hungry for Canadian cod. Will we deliver?

OpinionBY SYLVIE LAPOINTE

Oceans must take centre stage in nation-building projects

OpinionBY DEREK ARMITAGE, TREVOR SWERDFAGER

Rebuilding Canada’s fisheries for climate and economic security

OpinionBY JOSH LAUGHREN

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health

An invitation to parliamentarians: let’s build an all-party men’s mental health caucus

OpinionBY SENATOR PATRICK BRAZEAU, ROB WHITLEY, JUSTIN TROTTIER

Canada’s economic future runs on brain power

OpinionBY JENNIE Z. YOUNG, JULIAN KARAGUESIAN

National dental care program is likely more costly than advertised

OpinionBY MATTHEW LAU

The G7’s HIV/AIDS response wanes precisely when global leadership is required

OpinionBY JULIO MONTANER

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Industry and Manufacturing

Canada’s government and banks are stuck on oil—and this is a problem

OpinionBY DAVID CRANE

Why the right to repair needs to be a priority for the new government 

OpinionBY EMILY HOLTBY

Climate policy is economic policy

OpinionBY SARAH HOUDE, SIMON DONNER

Researcher, advocacy group hoping for ‘cabinet co-ordination’ on digital files with new AI and digital innovation ministry

NewsBY PHALEN TYNES-MACDONALD, PAUL PARK, HANNAH DALEY

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infrastructure and transport

All three levels of government must play their part in building up Canada’s supply chains

OpinionBY LINDSAY KISLOCK

High-speed rail in Canada is not up for debate, or is it?

OpinionBY WILLIAM MORRISON

Reconciliation is action, not just words

OpinionBY MICHELLE ROBINSON

Loophole Liberals making an ignominious power grab

OpinionBY ERICA IFILL

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innovation

Homebuilding is ready for its tech makeover

OpinionBY JAYSON MYERS

Capitalizing on the capital: Ottawa has defence hub potential

OpinionBY SONYA SHOREY, SUELING CHING

Canada and Europe can offer a united front for digital sovereignty

OpinionBY ESTELLE AZEMARD

Canada must lead in the age of AI

OpinionBY STEPHEN J. TOOPE, MARK DALEY

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intergovernmental

Saskatchewan Senator pushes for a national emergency response agency to fight wildfires

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

A new Arctic archipelagic defence concept will project Canada’s power in the North

OpinionBY ANDREW ERSKINE

Tea, tradition, and the throne

OpinionBY NON-AFFILIATED SENATOR IRIS PETTEN

‘It’s like a war zone’: Secretary of State Belanger says Saskatchewan wildfires are leaving ‘traumatic and depressing’ losses in their wake

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

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justice

Military police chief is ignoring the law, shutting down probes into complaints: watchdog report

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW, SAMANTHA WRIGHT ALLEN

Senate throws a lifeline to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

OpinionBY ERROL MENDES

Kelly looks at how governments react to judicial invalidation in Constraining the Court

FeatureBY JAMES B. KELLY

‘This is a book about gender-based violence, with a focus on intimate partner abuse,’ says Donner-nominated author of And Sometimes They Kill You

FeatureBY PAMELA CROSS

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Labour & employment

What good is a social safety net that doesn’t catch you?

OpinionBY AMANDA THERRIEN

What to do about youth unemployment?

OpinionBY ABDUL ABBASI, MATTHEW GERRITS, HANNAH HUNTER

If Carney wants to transform the economy, he needs to fix the housing crisis

OpinionBY TIM RICHTER, PEDRO BARATA, JANICE MYERS, RAY SULLIVAN

Investing in Indigenous education is an investment in Canada’s future

OpinionBY MIKE DEGAGNé

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Lobbying

Natural resources, economy top lobbying issues in May

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

‘Unusual time’ for lobbying in first quarter of 2025, with economic concerns topping communications

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

International trade, the economy top-lobbied issues in April, and Ford, GM led the way

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Lobbying rule changes coming with stricter reporting requirements, says lobbying commissioner

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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natural resources and energy

Breaking down C-5: Carney’s ‘build, baby, build’ bill draws support from business sector, but heavy pushback from environmental, Indigenous groups

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Iran’s uranium enrichment: myths, realities, and what Canada should understand

OpinionBY ERIKA SIMPSON, GORDON EDWARDS

Canada’s water is a strategic asset, so let’s treat it like one

OpinionBY SOULA CHRONOPOULOS

Pipelines or pipe dreams?

OpinionBY NELSON WISEMAN

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Women, Gender and Diversity

There’s no better time for Canada to embrace its diversity

OpinionBY JENNIFER ST. GERMAIN

‘They’re never going to silence me’: Red Chamber marks Pride month with historic number of openly queer Senators 

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

‘Survivors are waiting for it’: Sen. Boyer reintroduces bill to criminalize forced, coerced sterilizations

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Treasury Board reports gains on diversity and equity in public service, but will cuts hamper progress?

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

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Indigenous Relations

It’s time to end Canada’s control over First Nations identity

OpinionBY KYRA WILSON

Carney ‘buries Caesar’ by admitting his own mistakes

OpinionBY JAMIE CARROLL

Here are some ways to revolutionize the federal government for tomorrow’s challenges

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

Senate passes Carney’s controversial nation-building bill, citing ‘trust’ in the government

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

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Exclusive lists

House and Senate steering committee members named

House and Senate steering committee members named

All eyes on Trump: meet the top 50 foreign policy influencers navigating Canada’s role in a rocky world

All eyes on Trump: meet the top 50 foreign policy influencers navigating Canada’s role in a rocky world

Meet Carney’s parliamentary secretaries, half of whom are rookie MPs

Meet Carney’s parliamentary secretaries, half of whom are rookie MPs

The 19 entities asking for the biggest spending boosts in the 2025-26 main estimates

The 19 entities asking for the biggest spending boosts in the 2025-26 main estimates

Meet Mark Carney’s 38-member senior team

Meet Mark Carney’s 38-member senior team

The salaries of Carney’s cabinet and secretaries of state

The salaries of Carney’s cabinet and secretaries of state

Who’s in and who’s out of Carney’s post-election cabinet?

Who’s in and who’s out of Carney’s post-election cabinet?

MPs, Senators get a salary boost, Carney will now earn $419,600, Scheer $308,800, and Blanchet $280,600

MPs, Senators get a salary boost, Carney will now earn $419,600, Scheer $308,800, and Blanchet $280,600