Policy Topics | Policy Briefings

COLLAPSE

• 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

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

HealthBY TESSIE SANCI

• The agency’s 2024-25 departmental results report uses rates from a 2021 survey. Newer data is available, but that source doesn’t include rates from all

Feds should ‘sharpen’ definition of Canadian to ensure new ‘Buy Canadian’ procurement policy works, says industry

Government contractsBY IREM KOCA

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

HeritageBY DAVIS LEGREE

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

HealthBY TESSIE SANCI

Canada’s rising disaster costs call for adaptive design

Defence & SecurityBY HOSSEIN BONAKDARI

The missing piece in Canada’s innovation strategy

InnovationBY VINCENT CUSTODE

Derzhavnost and ‘respect’

Foreign PolicyBY GWYNNE DYER

Redesigning Canada’s health policy to spur innovation

HealthBY E. RICHARD GOLD

A decade of delays on Indigenous rights

Indigenous RelationsBY ROSE LEMAY

MOST RECENT POLICY BRIEFINGS

Environment

• DOWNLOAD

The Hill Times’ 100 Best Books 2025

• DOWNLOAD

The North Policy Briefing

• DOWNLOAD

• VIEW ALL POLICY BRIEFINGS

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

HealthBY SOPHIA LAPORTE

• The federal government will invest $1.2-million in a project created by the City of Ottawa and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction

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

Foreign PolicyBY DAVIS LEGREE

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

Indigenous RelationsBY PETER MAZEREEUW

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

Foreign PolicyBY NEIL MOSS

A deeper dive into Fraser’s crime bill

JusticeBY PETER MAZEREEUW

‘End our suffering’: refugees from Africa face inequity and delays resettling in Canada

ImmigrationBY ASMA FAIZI

Geoengineering for grown-ups

EnvironmentBY GWYNNE DYER

The Elsie effect: women are essential to security

Defence & SecurityBY NATHALIE CHUARD

A self-sustaining path to recovery for Ukraine

Defence & SecurityBY MICHAEL CHOLOD, KATHERINE MULHERN

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

See all

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

See all

DEFENCE & SECURITY

Ukraine-Russia: next steps

OpinionBY DAVID CARMENT, DANI BELO

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

NewsBY STUART BENSON

Is an 88-jet fleet already out of date?

OpinionBY MICHAEL P.A. MURPHY

Military service rests on a bedrock of trust

OpinionBY NISHIKA JARDINE

See all

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

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

OpinionBY JOSH LAUGHREN

Canada’s PFAS opportunity: why smart chemicals policy is smart trade policy

OpinionBY RéMY ALEXANDRE

See all

FINANCE

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

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

See all

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

See all

FOREIGN POLICY

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

OpinionBY MICHAEL HARRIS

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

See all

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

See all

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

See all

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

See all

innovation

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

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

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

See all

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

See all

Get The Policy Briefings Newsletter

Get into the weeds on hot policy issues and the players shaping them.

SIGN UP

By entering your email address you consent to receive email from The Hill Times containing news, analysis, updates and offers. You may unsubscribe at any time. See our privacy policy

justice

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

See all

Labour & employment

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

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

OpinionBY LORIN MACDONALD

See all

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

See all

natural resources and energy

Jump-starting a Canadian power grid

OpinionBY MADELEINE MCPHERSON, PETER FAIRLEY

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

OpinionBY APOORV SINHA

Likelihood of reaching long-term climate goals unclear until more details emerge from Alberta MOU, say environment experts

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

The MOU’s real value may be for those on the outside looking in

OpinionBY TIM POWERS

See all

Women, Gender and Diversity

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

Constituent seeking help for brother and others fleeing Sudan civil war says immigration minister ‘angry, rude, and dismissive’ in phone call

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

See all

Indigenous Relations

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

Canada’s renewed pipeline fixation threatens more than the environment

OpinionBY ALIENOR ROUGEOT

See all

Upcoming Policy briefings

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