Policy Topics | Policy Briefings

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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

Foregin Policy

Imagining a post-Ayatollah Iran

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

• Of the Iranian regime’s proxies, all but one are defunct or gravely weakened. Syria has changed sides, Hamas in the Gaza Strip is defeated and may be forced to disarm, Hezbollah in Lebanon faces the same fate, and only the Houthi in Yemen are still useful allies.

Imagining a post-Ayatollah Iran

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

• Of the Iranian regime’s proxies, all but one are defunct or gravely weakened. Syria has changed sides, Hamas in the Gaza Strip is defeated and may be forced to disarm, Hezbollah in Lebanon faces the same fate, and only the Houthi in Yemen are still useful allies.

Trump’s hit on Venezuela just gave Canada a bruise

OpinionBY ERICA IFILL

It’s ‘back to the darkest days of United States imperialism’ says NDP critic Boulerice as MPs celebrate, decry Venezuela attack

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

With Maduro’s capture, be careful what you celebrate

OpinionBY LIBERAL MP MARCUS POLOWSKI, JOHN MCKAY

U.S. capture of Maduro raises geopolitical stakes for global oil trade, Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere, and Canada’s own strategic economic interests

OpinionBY SHAWN MCCARTHY

Trump, Venezuela, and seriously bad decisions

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

New GAC report on ‘game-changing’ Canada-Indonesia deal reduces projected export growth by more than half 

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

Carney government showing a ‘clear reluctance’ to criticize Trump with lack of direct condemnation over Venezuela raid, says past Liberal foreign minister Axworthy

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

Brazil: a catalyst of plurilateralism

OpinionBY EDWARD JACKSON

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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Senate’s Africa report exposes Canada’s strategic blind spot

OpinionBY SELAH GETAHUN

• The question is no longer whether deeper engagement with Africa makes sense. Parliament has answered that. The question now is whether Canada is prepared to act with the consistency, seriousness, and confidence that true partnership requires.

Senate’s Africa report exposes Canada’s strategic blind spot

OpinionBY SELAH GETAHUN

• The question is no longer whether deeper engagement with Africa makes sense. Parliament has answered that. The question now is whether Canada is prepared to act with the consistency, seriousness, and confidence that true partnership requires.

CUSMA must do more than protect trade—it must secure Canada’s life sciences future

OpinionBY CAMERON GROOME

A new morning for Canada-Japan economic relations

OpinionBY KANJI YAMANOUCHI

‘Most dangerous period that we’ve been in’: Carney urged to bolster ‘Team Canada’ approach ahead of CUSMA review

NewsBY NEIL MOSS

Facing reality: Canada and the challenge of refugee protection

OpinionBY NINETTE KELLEY

The coming CUSMA squeeze and how security policy will rewrite the trade terms

OpinionBY KEITH JANSA

Canada’s grand strategy in a multipolar world

OpinionBY DANIEL ARAYA

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

OpinionBY DAVID CRANE

Derzhavnost and ‘respect’

OpinionBY GWYNNE DYER

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

All eyes on the Arctic

OpinionBY SCOTT TAYLOR

Where is the real threat to Canadian security coming from?

OpinionBY CHRISTOPHER INGRAM, ERROL MENDES, JOSEPH INGRAM

Civil and defence aerospace are two sides of the same coin

OpinionBY PIERRE PYUN

In Canada’s defence: re-establishing a true militia

OpinionBY SCOTT TAYLOR

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Environment

Buried in the MOU: a licence to lie

OpinionBY LEAH TEMPER, SAMANTHA GREEN

A Faustian climate bargain

OpinionBY DOREEN BARRIE

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

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FINANCE

Canada’s trillion-dollar opportunity depends on data

OpinionBY ANN FITZ-GERALD, DMYTRO CHUMACHENKO

Federal government’s financial reporting is late and misleading

OpinionBY MATTHEW LAU

Faster payments and true transparency: delivering payments modernization in Canada

OpinionBY BRIGIT CARROLL

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

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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Fisheries and oceans

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

OpinionBY JOSH LAUGHREN

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

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health

Five affordable ways to improve access to health care in 2026 

OpinionBY MARGOT BURNELL

Alberta’s health-care reforms don’t go far enough  

OpinionBY NADEEM ESMAIL, TEGAN HILL

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

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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

Bill 13 is Alberta’s law—but all Canadians must pay attention

OpinionBY BUKOLA SALAMI, NNAMDI NDUBUKA, SUME NDUMBE EYOH, MODUPE TUNDE-BYASS

Canada is building AI infrastructure. Now it must build AI companies

OpinionBY DANIEL WIGDOR

Feds ‘on track’ to connect every household to high-speed internet by 2030, as critics point to gaps in rural and Northern Canada

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

Canada’s EV experience shows why our strategy needs new tools in an age of uncertainty

OpinionBY DAVID ABONYI, GEORGE ABONYI

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intergovernmental

Next year ‘an important one for Quebec’ as possibility of referendum looms, say Bloc MP, politicos

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Nothing is sacred in Doug Ford’s Ontario

OpinionBY JENN JEFFERYS

Charting our course: four shores, one voice

OpinionBY GRO SENATOR IRIS PETTEN

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

NewsBY SOPHIA LAPORTE

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justice

Bill C-16 ‘progress,’ but needs tougher language to codify femicide as a standalone crime, advocates say

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

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

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

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

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Labour & employment

Why all governments must follow Ontario in scrapping the ‘Canadian experience’ requirement

OpinionBY AKOLISA UFODIKE

Canada is falling behind in the global race for skilled workers

OpinionBY KUMARAN NADESAN

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

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Lobbying

Joly top-lobbied minister in November, universities push to attract research talent driven away from U.S.

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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

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natural resources and energy

Canada’s rising disaster costs call for adaptive design

OpinionBY HOSSEIN BONAKDARI

Four key steps can help secure Canadian sovereignty

OpinionBY JON SHELL

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