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

Justice

Ottawa set to revive online harms legislation in 2026: government source

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

• Justice Minister Sean Fraser had previously suggested the government wouldn’t ‘copy and paste’ Bill C-63, formerly known as the Online Harms Act, but child protection advocates remained hopeful the Liberals would bring forward a new online safety law.

Ottawa set to revive online harms legislation in 2026: government source

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

• Justice Minister Sean Fraser had previously suggested the government wouldn’t ‘copy and paste’ Bill C-63, formerly known as the Online Harms Act, but child protection advocates remained hopeful the Liberals would bring forward a new online safety law.

Bill to create modern treaty commissioner wins Bloc, NDP, and Green support

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

A deeper dive into Fraser’s crime bill

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

Alberta’s intent to suspend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms for trans health care for youth sets a dangerous precedent

OpinionBY JENNIFER EVANS, ALISON LI, JACQUELINE MURRAY

How best to stop coverups: end government misuse of non-disclosure agreements

OpinionBY INDEPENDENT SENATOR MARILOU MCPHEDRAN, JULIE MACFARLANE

A debt of gratitude for Ivan Zinger, correctional investigator

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

OGGO hearing confirms: our government continues to persecute whistleblowers rather than protect them

OpinionBY DAVID HUTTON

Prison watchdog leaves post early with ‘frustrations’ as final report keys in on ‘grossly inadequate’ mental health care behind bars

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

Meeting feds’ ‘ambitious’ RCMP hiring pledge will require ‘imaginative’ ideas, says advisory board chair

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

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Poilievre’s Trumpian language to appease some supporters risks his losing the rest of the country

OpinionBY SHEILA COPPS

• Quebec Conservatives are now privately speaking out against their leader to the media. Whether these MPs are worried enough to organize their delegations to get to Calgary in January remains to be seen.

Poilievre’s Trumpian language to appease some supporters risks his losing the rest of the country

OpinionBY SHEILA COPPS

• Quebec Conservatives are now privately speaking out against their leader to the media. Whether these MPs are worried enough to organize their delegations to get to Calgary in January remains to be seen.

Justice Minister Fraser unveils bill to tighten Canada’s bail and sentencing regimes

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

Budget cuts won’t impact RCMP hiring push, says public safety minister 

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

Civil liberties groups urge Liberals to withdraw ‘vague’ anti-hate bill that opposition MPs say is ‘trying to lower the bar’ for prosecution

NewsBY STUART BENSON

Bill C-3 corrects inequalities, brings Citizenship Act into compliance with the Charter

OpinionBY DON CHAPMAN

AGRICULTURE

Bloc joins push for mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Dabrusin top-lobbied cabinet minister, Nature Canada pushes for nature strategy after absence of support in budget

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Scaling climate-resilient farming solutions for global impact

OpinionBY CAROL THIESSEN

The easiest policy win in Ottawa might just be hiding in plain sight

OpinionBY ORVILLE BOVENSCHEN

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Biotechnology

PMPRB closes all open drug-pricing investigations before implementing new guidelines on Jan. 1

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Canada’s research strength is world-class—now we need to all pull in the same direction

OpinionBY BENOIT-ANTOINE BACON

Canada could have access to more than 10,000 doctors if licensing were less complicated, House Health Committee hears

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Turning innovation into impact: Canada’s biotech advantage

OpinionBY WENDY ZATYLNY

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DEFENCE & SECURITY

Canada’s rising disaster costs call for adaptive design

OpinionBY HOSSEIN BONAKDARI

Ukraine-Russia: next steps

OpinionBY DAVID CARMENT, DANI BELO

Is an 88-jet fleet already out of date?

OpinionBY MICHAEL P.A. MURPHY

‘A disturbing sign for allies’: Trump’s national security strategy raises red flags as Ottawa works on Canada’s response

NewsBY STUART BENSON

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Environment

It’s time to double down on ocean protection

OpinionBY SHEENA KENNEDY

2026: Another year on the edge for Carney and Canada

OpinionBY LES WHITTINGTON

Geoengineering for grown-ups

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

Canada’s plan to boost its economy must include rebuilding wild fisheries

OpinionBY JOSH LAUGHREN

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FINANCE

Transforming Canada’s economy for a better future is an enormous challenge

OpinionBY DAVID CRANE

Record-breaking November lobbying sees U.S. trade war and federal budget among top concerns

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Four key steps can help secure Canadian sovereignty

OpinionBY JON SHELL

MPs approve House admin spending trim, but overall budgets still on the rise

NewsBY LAURA RYCKEWAERT

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Fisheries and oceans

Coastal communities ‘running out of time’ without fisheries fund renewal, say opposition critics as DFO faces $544M in cuts

NewsBY STUART BENSON

Q&A | Cod quota ‘pressure is enormous’ on fisheries minister

NewsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

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

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FOREIGN POLICY

Canada’s grand strategy in a multipolar world

OpinionBY DANIEL ARAYA

Derzhavnost and ‘respect’

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

One of the best things about Canada is we’ll never elect a Donald Trump

OpinionBY MICHAEL HARRIS

Trump’s trade rep targets Online Streaming Act, Online News Act, raising questions about future of Canada’s cultural exemption

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

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health

PHAC lacks timely national data on children’s vaccination rates as report finds agency is not meeting targets 

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Redesigning Canada’s health policy to spur innovation

OpinionBY E. RICHARD GOLD

Solution to substance abuse in Ottawa will come from collaboration, say area politicians

NewsBY SOPHIA LAPORTE

Lack of primary care so ‘chronic’ that patients don’t even talk about it, says Liberal MP and doctor Powlowski

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

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Industry and Manufacturing

Renewable energy sector adds concerns about wind-tower costs to steel industry crisis talks: ‘there’s a ton of urgency’

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Steel tariff missteps threaten Canada’s energy future

OpinionBY VITTORIA BELLISSIMO, FERNANDO MELO

‘Quiet buzz’ on Bay Street about Carney’s ‘nation-building’ major projects, says Tobin

NewsBY CHRISTOPHER GULY

Canada’s ZEV mandate will leave 450,000 drivers stranded

OpinionBY BRIAN LIVINGSTON

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infrastructure and transport

Can Build Canada Homes make a dent in the housing crisis?

OpinionBY ALAN BROADBENT

The joys of winter biking aren’t without politics

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

Time to strengthen Canada’s infrastructure planning 

OpinionBY JENNIFER ANGEL, PETER WELTMAN

Chief says feds’ engagement with First Nations ‘needs to improve’ after ‘very limited’ contact on major projects

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

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innovation

The missing piece in Canada’s innovation strategy

OpinionBY VINCENT CUSTODE

Ottawa’s AI strategy could help Canada capitalize on homegrown innovation, say task force members

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

After America’s Genesis Mission, where is Canada’s AI North Star?

OpinionBY ALEXANDER LANDRY, BRENDAN CONWAY-SMITH

App store age verification won’t keep young people safe

OpinionBY JOSH TABISH

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intergovernmental

Time to look back, and ahead

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

Quebec MPs noncommittal on support for province’s controversial constitution bill

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Canadian experts challenge proposed authoritarian Quebec constitution at UN and under international law

OpinionBY ERROL MENDES, STéPHANE BEAULAC

‘He’s a welcome dose of fresh air’: Kinew ranked most popular premier

NewsBY CHRISTOPHER GULY

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justice

Here’s the best Canadian strategy on the U.S. Supreme Court’s review of Trump’s potentially illegal global tariffs

OpinionBY ERROL MENDES

Convoy protest organizers Lich, Barber sentenced to house arrest

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

Carney’s so-called Combatting Hate Act is an attack on pro-Palestine expression

OpinionBY ARASH GHIASSI, RIAZ SAYANI

Without clarity, Kneecap ban appears as a ‘politically motivated PR stunt,’ say critics, civil liberties, and immigration experts

NewsBY STUART BENSON

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Labour & employment

Work stoppages are crippling Canada’s economy—it’s time for Parliament to act

OpinionBY JASMIN GUéNETTE, CHRISTINA SANTINI

Government agencies are hardly trying when it comes to transparency

OpinionBY KEN RUBIN

Effective nation-building starts with the people and places where it happens

OpinionBY SHAIMAA YASSIN, ABIGAIL JACKSON, NOEL BALDWIN

Feds must stay strong on restricting for-profit childcare

OpinionBY CANDACE RENNICK

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Lobbying

House Ethics Committee to review Lobbying Act in 2026 after AI study, says chair Brassard

NewsBY HUNTER CRESSWELL

Blanchard defends Carney’s ethics screen as a ‘rigorous process’

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

The unintended consequences of stricter rules on public policy engagement

OpinionBY JACQUES J.M. SHORE, SUZANNE SABOURIN

Budget a step in the right direction, but fails to deliver on the ‘hype,’ say lobbyists

NewsBY SERGIY SLIPCHENKO

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natural resources and energy

Alberta’s new energy MOU could kick-start a race to the bottom on climate

OpinionBY RICK SMITH, DALE BEUGIN, DAVE SAWYER

Canada must find its climate path beyond fossil fuels

OpinionBY DAMON MATTHEWS

The Alberta energy deal is worse than you think

OpinionBY STEPHEN THOMAS

Jump-starting a Canadian power grid

OpinionBY MADELEINE MCPHERSON, PETER FAIRLEY

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Women, Gender and Diversity

The Elsie effect: women are essential to security

OpinionBY NATHALIE CHUARD

Democracy, like a Christmas gift, is best unwrapped

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

How Mark Carney can win back friends and influence critical outcomes

OpinionBY SHARI GRAYDON

Liberal women are taking notice, Carney would be wise to remember the estrogen wave that handed him the election

OpinionBY SHEILA COPPS

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Indigenous Relations

A decade of delays on Indigenous rights

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

No, Indigenous people are not coming for your privately owned land

OpinionBY COREY SHEFMAN

There’s no security without Indigenous sovereignty

OpinionBY ERICA IFILL

Feds removed 643 more companies from its Indigenous business directory this year

NewsBY IREM KOCA

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Exclusive lists

Take The Hill Times year-end news quiz

Take The Hill Times year-end news quiz

First-quarter expenses: MPs spent nearly $28-million

First-quarter expenses: MPs spent nearly $28-million

This Parliament’s ethics roundup: blind trusts, recusals, gifts, and more

This Parliament’s ethics roundup: blind trusts, recusals, gifts, and more

Take The Hill Times politics quiz

Take The Hill Times politics quiz

Carney government bills: tracking their progress into law

Carney government bills: tracking their progress into law

The number of sick days claimed by bureaucrats, broken down by department

The number of sick days claimed by bureaucrats, broken down by department

Take The Hill Times politics quiz

Take The Hill Times politics quiz

MPs’ annual office budgets for 2025-26

MPs’ annual office budgets for 2025-26