Research publications

The federal budget outlines the government’s revenue estimates and expenditure priorities for the fiscal year. It is a key component of the financial cycle.

If housing supply and housing demand could talk, they would tell us that proposals that increase supply have the effect of reducing the price of housing and increasing quantity. As for proposals that increase demand, they raise both the price and quantity of housing. This HillNote presents a supply-and-demand perspective on housing affordability in Canada.

This HillNote highlights key trends in the Canadian economy in the third and fourth quarters of 2021.Although the economy improved in the second half of 2021, the recovery remains uneven among certain sectors and population groups. This is particularly the case for those working in the agricultural sector, women and Indigenous people. In 2021, the rates of unemployment for Indigenous men and women significantly exceeded the rates for non-Indigenous men and women across all age groups. Moreover, Indigenous and non-Indigenous women had higher rates of unemployment than Indigenous and non-Indigenous men.

In November 2021, Canada joined the Global Methane Pledge launched by the United States and the European Union at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. The collective goal of this pledge is to reduce human-caused methane emissions by at least 30% of 2020 levels by 2030, globally. This HillNote discusses the science and statistics behind methane emissions, Canada’s regulatory framework for methane emissions and the impact of permafrost methane emissions on Indigenous communities in the northern territories.

The Arctic Council is a forum for Canada and the other Arctic states to advance and help shape international public policy relating to the Arctic. The member states of the Arctic Council, which was founded in 1996 with the signing of the Declaration on the establishment of the Arctic Council (Ottawa Declaration), are Canada and the seven other Arctic states: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia, Sweden and the United States. The Arctic Council also includes six Indigenous organizations as permanent participants.

On June 21, National Indigenous Peoples Day, communities in Canada hold events to celebrate Indigenous cultures and contributions. To mark the occasion, this HillNote provides an overview of the history of Indigenous theatre, highlights the contributions of Indigenous playwrights, and provides information about the development of companies, collectives and organizations that support Indigenous theatre.

As a group, refugees are at greater risk than non-refugees of developing anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Although only a small proportion of refugees who settle in developed nations are known to have a mental illness, research indicates that many refugees can benefit from mental health services that are responsive to their shared experiences, such as socio-cultural dislocation. This HillNote discusses research on the mental health of refugees in Canada and the services available to them. The research applies to the refugees Canada resettles from third countries and to successful refugee claimants in Canada; mental health services are available to all of these refugees.

To be profitable, energy resources must be transported economically under favourable market conditions. Factors like the war in Ukraine, general political tensions in Eastern Europe and recent shifts in the trade dynamics of Canada’s oil sector all shed light on the critical link between transportation infrastructure and market access. A substantial portion of Canada’s oil reserves are located inland and most of Canada’s oil pipeline network connects Canadian producers to refiners and consumers in the United States. Canada’s pipeline network supplies a largely landlocked market in which the dynamics differ from those in the international, waterborne market.

Canadian farmers face unique challenges in their work, such as market volatility and extreme weather events, that are compounded by difficult farm working conditions, which involve long hours in often isolated conditions and a high risk of occupational injury. These stressors correlate with farmers experiencing mental health challenges, including anxiety and depression, at higher rates than the general population. Furthermore, farmers face personal and institutional barriers in accessing mental health services to address these issues.

On 1 July 2022, the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) had been in force for two years. CUSMA superseded the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), in force since 1994. CUSMA contains three dispute-settlement mechanisms, which are contained in the following chapters: Chapter 10 – binational review of anti-dumping duties and countervailing duties; Chapter 14 – investor–state dispute settlement; and Chapter 31 – state-to-state dispute settlement. This Hillnote focuses on Chapter 31, the chapter under which most disputes about the interpretation or application of CUSMA’s obligations are likely to fall. It begins with a brief overview of the options available to a complaining party and a responding party to resolve their differences: consultations, mediation and/or a dispute-settlement panel. It then outlines disputes that have occurred under Chapter 31 before discussing certain differences between this chapter’s mechanism and Chapter 20 of NAFTA, which contained that agreement’s state-to-state dispute-settlement mechanism.