Policy Topics | Policy Briefings

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• Agriculture
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• 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

Labour and employment

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

OpinionBY ALAN BROADBENT

• The new agency will face pressure from the development industry to give away public land or sell it cheaply; from big lenders to avoid borrowing rate competition by keeping the cost of capital high; and from housing co-operatives to transfer ownership of public land to them.

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

OpinionBY ALAN BROADBENT

• The new agency will face pressure from the development industry to give away public land or sell it cheaply; from big lenders to avoid borrowing rate competition by keeping the cost of capital high; and from housing co-operatives to transfer ownership of public land to them.

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

Time to strengthen Canada’s infrastructure planning 

OpinionBY JENNIFER ANGEL, PETER WELTMAN

Feds must stay strong on restricting for-profit childcare

OpinionBY CANDACE RENNICK

The missing 27 per cent: why disability is DEI’s greatest opportunity

OpinionBY LORIN MACDONALD

Demystifying the detection of fraud and coerced victims

OpinionBY KEN RUBIN

Striking a balance

OpinionBY CSG SENATOR TODD LEWIS

Canada’s local infrastructure fund must be fair to workers

OpinionBY RENZE NAUTA

MOST RECENT POLICY BRIEFINGS

Canada Part I: Interprovincial Trade & Labour

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Homebuilding & Affordable Housing

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University and College Research

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Canada at a crossroads as history repeats itself

OpinionBY JOSEPHINE GREY, SHEILA REGEHR

• We have not learned the lessons of 1995, when that NAFTA era budget dramatically reduced social spending and gutted the civil service. Once again, Canada is meeting a moment with a budget that abandons people and the environment to fuel corporate growth.

Canada at a crossroads as history repeats itself

OpinionBY JOSEPHINE GREY, SHEILA REGEHR

• We have not learned the lessons of 1995, when that NAFTA era budget dramatically reduced social spending and gutted the civil service. Once again, Canada is meeting a moment with a budget that abandons people and the environment to fuel corporate growth.

Unspinning the Trumpian disinformation on DEI: why it matters for all Canadians

OpinionBY KAIT LAFORCE, WILL SHELLING

‘Prices have to go down’: housing experts say new agency’s success must be measured in cost, not construction outcomes

NewsBY STUART BENSON

Federal childcare program falls far short as costs balloon 

OpinionBY PETER JON MITCHELL

Fast, employer-aligned training is key to Canada’s economic recovery

OpinionBY MICHAEL SANGSTER

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

AGRICULTURE

Thinking clearly about the EV-canola tradeoff

OpinionBY BO CHEN, ISG SENATOR YUEN PAU WOO

Investing in the future of Canadian agriculture: a strategic imperative

OpinionBY TREVOR HECK

Canada can lead global efforts in tackling hunger

OpinionBY ANDY HARRINGTON

Canada must keep its promises to protect animals

OpinionBY EWA DEMIANOWICZ

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Biotechnology

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

‘Cutting red tape,’ mental health and primary care on the health docket this fall

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

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DEFENCE & SECURITY

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

Military service rests on a bedrock of trust

OpinionBY NISHIKA JARDINE

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Environment

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

Jump-starting a Canadian power grid

OpinionBY MADELEINE MCPHERSON, PETER FAIRLEY

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FINANCE

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

NewsBY LAURA RYCKEWAERT

A self-sustaining path to recovery for Ukraine

OpinionBY MICHAEL CHOLOD, KATHERINE MULHERN

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

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Budget bill waits for House’s January return as ‘slow’ session comes to a close

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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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

Rubio’s fantasy and the risk of forever war in Venezuela

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

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

OpinionBY ALEXANDER LANDRY, BRENDAN CONWAY-SMITH

Indo-Pacific strategy a rare example of clear-eyed realism

OpinionBY HARRY H.J. TSENG

Redactions up: foreign ministry hiding more memo titles with 38 per cent kept secret this year

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

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health

Bill calling for more serious punishment for assaulting first responders not fast-tracked despite Conservative MPs’ efforts

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Minister called to de-haze budget math on cuts to veterans’ medical cannabis reimbursement

NewsBY STUART BENSON

New report recommends making pharmacare permanent with annual funding as progress on bilaterals remains stalled 

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

House Health Committee shines spotlight on foreign-funded medical residencies and feds’ role in attracting health-care workers

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

The joys of winter biking aren’t without politics

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

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

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

B.C. offers a warning to Ottawa’s billion-dollar construction fund

OpinionBY RYAN MITTON

Living in Canada’s Arctic North: why federal investment matters

OpinionBY SOLOMON AWA

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innovation

App store age verification won’t keep young people safe

OpinionBY JOSH TABISH

Budget suggests Carney blinked again in pursuit of digital sovereignty

OpinionBY ANDREW CLEMENT

Building up Canada’s defence sector will depend on long-term homegrown support

OpinionBY DAVID CRANE

Canadian AI sovereignty requires more than just servers

OpinionBY DANIEL ESCOTT

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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

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

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Labour & employment

Feds need clearer focus on youth as unemployment hits 15-year high, critics say

NewsBY GRACE BESTARD

Let’s not forget Canada Post is a public service

OpinionBY WOJTEK GWIAZDA

Canada’s Student Work Placement Program a youth employment lifeline 

OpinionBY ROB HENDERSON

Easter Seals, CFIB lobbying feds to end Canada Post’s strike

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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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

Canada’s chance to lead the critical minerals race should be based not only on extraction, but also on tech

OpinionBY APOORV SINHA

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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

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

Canada’s renewed pipeline fixation threatens more than the environment

OpinionBY ALIENOR ROUGEOT

The responsibility to avoid fraud

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

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Upcoming Policy briefings

Exclusive lists

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

Take The Hill Times politics quiz

Take The Hill Times politics quiz