Policy Topics | Policy Briefings

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

Intergovernmental

Ottawa discourages health-care innovation, and patients pay the price 

OpinionBY NADEEM ESMAIL, MACKENZIE MOIR

• The federal government approach of discouraging and even penalizing provincial innovations that fall outside federal preferences has helped ensure the overpriced and under-performing status quo.

Ottawa discourages health-care innovation, and patients pay the price 

OpinionBY NADEEM ESMAIL, MACKENZIE MOIR

• The federal government approach of discouraging and even penalizing provincial innovations that fall outside federal preferences has helped ensure the overpriced and under-performing status quo.

Most Albertans don’t support separation, but referendum poses unintended, temporary consequences for Poilievre’s federal Conservatives in the province, says pollster

NewsBY AIDAN RAYNOR

‘Playing with fire’: Tony Manera recalls pushback during sovereignty debate

OpinionBY TONY MANERA

B.C.’s Eby may not be long for the job

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

New policy adding nurse practitioners to public health-care plans will go ahead April 1

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Sole Quebec NDP MP Boulerice says potential provincial run has ‘absolutely nothing to do with’ party’s status

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Four crucial outcomes Canadians need from the Alberta-Ottawa MOU talks

OpinionBY CHRIS SEVERSON-BAKER

‘This is our home, so we need to be part of the solution’: Inuit-led university to strengthen Canada’s Arctic, say Senators

NewsBY JUSTIN S. CAMPBELL

Tumbler Ridge tragedy, U.S. attacks on Canada are showing a different side of Pierre Poilievre 

OpinionBY SHEILA COPPS

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Milliard takes on the Quebec Liberal mantle

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

• Charles Milliard’s approach as the new Quebec Liberal leader is meant to appeal to so-called ‘soft nationalists’ to drain votes from opposing parties.

Milliard takes on the Quebec Liberal mantle

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

• Charles Milliard’s approach as the new Quebec Liberal leader is meant to appeal to so-called ‘soft nationalists’ to drain votes from opposing parties.

Hearings at National Assembly offer insight into Bill 1

OpinionBY ANDREW CADDELL

Alberta MPs shouldn’t just quietly wait for separatist issue to blow over

OpinionBY EDITORIAL

Will we actually see the new Arctic vehicles on order?

OpinionBY SCOTT TAYLOR

Arctic security investments must also improve living conditions in the North, say territories

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Alberta Conservative MPs ‘walking a fine line’ on politically explosive referendum issue, and don’t want to give it more oxygen, say politicos

NewsBY ABBAS RANA, JESSE CNOCKAERT

Keeping the North strong and free also means ensuring a better way of life for northerners

OpinionBY EDITORIAL

Poilievre lends credence to western separatists’ blame-it-all-on-Ottawa bias

OpinionBY LES WHITTINGTON

Referendum fever: it’s like Waiting for Godot

OpinionBY NELSON WISEMAN

AGRICULTURE

Agricultural research, innovation, and commercialization: drivers of a resilient future

OpinionBY CSG SENATOR ROB BLACK

The grass is greener where you water it

OpinionBY CSG SENATOR TODD LEWIS

Bloc MP Perron condemns ‘ridiculous’ spending cuts that will shutter research farms across Canada

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

MPs celebrate canola tariff relief, but national security, pork, remain opposition concerns with China

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

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Biotechnology

Canada’s missing life sciences industrial strategy is leaving economic growth on the table

OpinionBY MICHELLE MCLEAN

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

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Bloc joins push for mandatory labelling of genetically engineered foods

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

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

OpinionBY BENOIT-ANTOINE BACON

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DEFENCE & SECURITY

Carney’s deputy minister shuffle raises national security questions

NewsBY KATHRYN MAY

Defending Canada, where ocean capability runs deep 

OpinionBY KENDRA MACDONALD

Navy commander, SecState kibosh mixed submarine fleet that experts say would be ‘more complicated’ and ‘inefficient’ to operate

NewsBY IREM KOCA

Veteran rehab contract under scrutiny as observers call on government to return the work in-house

NewsBY IREM KOCA

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Environment

Feds mum on wilting conservation program funding as nature spending dips 62 per cent

NewsBY RIDDHI KACHHELA

The bathtub is overflowing: why Canada’s climate strategy needs to pull the plug

OpinionBY NA’IM MERCHANT

‘Once you get a carveout from one province, it’s game over’: Ottawa-Alberta MOU draws advocates with economic and environment concerns

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Pipelines or a national power grid: what should Canada build now?

OpinionBY ISG SENATOR ROSA GALVEZ, GEOFF STRONG, RICHARD VAN DER JAGT

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FINANCE

How to fix Canada’s sputtering productivity

OpinionBY ANN MARIE VAUGHAN

Main estimates set out $502.8-billion for 2026-27 as National Defence tops voted spending

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Liberals to cut CBC by $192-million in 2026-27

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

Feds are ‘silencing’ an agent of Parliament by leaving post vacant, says ex-budget watchdog Giroux

NewsBY IREM KOCA

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Fisheries and oceans

Nearly 2,000 jobs and $1.5-billion to be cut across five departments by 2030, PBO analysis shows

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

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

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FOREIGN POLICY

LeBlanc, Michel meet with pharma sector as U.S. buckles down on cutting drug prices

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Canada can no longer pretend the U.S. is ‘safe’ for refugees

OpinionBY WASHIM AHMED

Canada’s trade ambitions rest on a food system we’re dismantling

OpinionBY SEAN O’REILLY

Mark Carney’s 50 shades of grey zones

OpinionBY DAVID CARMENT

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health

Outspoken health advocate Joss Reimer talks about finding ‘common ground’ with government as she becomes Canada’s top doctor

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

‘It’s not my bill, it’s our bill’: Senator Henkel and 50 advocacy groups push for law calling for women’s health framework

NewsBY TESSIE SANCI

Ongoing grievance over public service health-plan switch an ‘interesting’ case, says labour lawyer

NewsBY MARLO GLASS

As Canada redefines its place in the world, rare disease patients are still looking south

OpinionBY KAIT LAFORCE

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Industry and Manufacturing

Canadians can’t afford to wait for Right to Repair legislation 

OpinionBY EMILY CHUNG

Industrial benefits policy needs a ‘relook,’ says ex-senior public servant, as Conservative MP pushes for contract records

NewsBY IREM KOCA

Canada’s auto sector ‘hangs in the balance’ as CUSMA review looms in 2026: ‘there’s no sugar-coating it, this is going to be a critical year for the industry’

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

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infrastructure and transport

The water emergency in Kashechewan must spur action on federal legislation

OpinionBY ALVIN FIDDLER

Trade diversification always failed, this time could be different

OpinionBY DANIELLE GOLDFARB

Diversifying Canada’s trade and ensuring Indigenous Peoples’ share in the opportunity

OpinionBY LIBERAL MP JUDY SGRO

Canada can’t trade on hope

OpinionBY RODRIGUE GILBERT

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innovation

Ottawa unsure how to regulate AI chatbots after Tumbler Ridge report, as Solomon says ‘all options are on the table’

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

‘He comes from our side’: Writers’ Union CEO calls Solomon an AI ‘cheerleader,’ asks him to slow down strategy

NewsBY MARIA COLLINS

Building a more innovative Canadian economy won’t be easy, but it will be worth it

OpinionBY DAVID CRANE

To ban or not to ban? Experts wary of restricting social media access for kids, as feds watch Australian approach

NewsBY DAVIS LEGREE

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justice

‘We’re getting closer’: religious groups lobbying feds say they’re hopeful of progress on stalled Liberal anti-hate bill

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Reconciliation is not dead, but Indigenous Peoples are still dying in Canada’s hospitals

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

Republican Party can rein in U.S. President Trump—if it’s brave enough

OpinionBY MICHAEL HARRIS

Tory Senator Housakos proposes invoking notwithstanding clause to uphold certain mandatory minimums

NewsBY LAURA RYCKEWAERT

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Labour & employment

When it comes to affordable childcare, both public and private operators need federal support

OpinionBY CHLOE DUSSER

Ottawa has a housing initiative, but not a homeownership plan

OpinionBY KEVIN LEE

Investing in Indigenous housing strengthens Canada, and the solutions are ready

OpinionBY JOHN GORDON

Solving Canada’s housing crisis starts with a reality check

OpinionBY JANICE MYERS

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Lobbying

‘A fundamental shift’: new strategy an opportunity to grow domestic industrial base, say lobbyists

NewsBY SERGIY SLIPCHENKO

Questions loom over NDP’s voter verification process as leadership contest enters final stretch

NewsBY ELEANOR WAND

Liberals see path forward for budget bill, but Conservatives still have ‘huge concerns’ with cabinet’s ‘regulatory sandbox’

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

Ottawa’s lowered lobbying registration thresholds will reshape government relations

OpinionBY SUZANNE SABOURIN, MICHAEL WALSH

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natural resources and energy

U.S.-proposed critical minerals trading bloc a ‘difficult sell,’ say natural resources experts

NewsBY JESSE CNOCKAERT

The missing critical mineral underpinning Canada’s entire defence and industrial strategy

OpinionBY W. BRETT WILSON

Building industrial strength: a regional approach to Canada’s critical materials 

OpinionBY ALISON CRETNEY

Canada’s critical mineral moment is real, but delivery depends on people

OpinionBY MEGAN GORDON

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Women, Gender and Diversity

In a fractured world, women peacebuilders are essential 

OpinionBY RACHEL WARDEN

Liberals hope ‘national unity’ council quells divisions after scrapping Islamophobia and antisemitism envoys

NewsBY STUART BENSON

The politicking of identity has always been a nation-building project

OpinionBY ERICA IFILL

Celebrating Black Canadian trailblazers who’ve played a critical role in public life

OpinionBY WAHEED KHAN

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Indigenous Relations

Urban Indigenous funding cutbacks threaten ‘backbone’ of Friendship Centre services, says Ontario federation head

NewsBY STUART BENSON

Canada’s critical minerals opportunity runs through First Nation lands

OpinionBY MARK PODLASLY

A partial table cannot deliver justice for Indigenous people

OpinionBY BRENDAN MOORE

Wide-eyed patriotism is an Indigenous value

OpinionBY ROSE LEMAY

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Exclusive lists

Who’s backing the NDP leadership contenders?

Who’s backing the NDP leadership contenders?

Tracking job cuts in the federal public service

Tracking job cuts in the federal public service

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