Research publications

Potash refers to a group of minerals and chemicals that contain potassium. Potash is used in fertilizers to help plants grow, increase crop yield and enhance disease resistance. Potash production in Canada has a long history, with the first exports recorded in 1767. Today, Canada is the biggest producer of potash in the world, representing 32% of global production volume in 2023. In early 2025, Canadian potash exports became an important issue in the changing trade relationship between Canada and the United States.

This HillNote focuses specifically on the definitions of “urban,” “rural” and “remoteness” according to Statistics Canada. A clear understanding of these statistical definitions and classifications is crucial to identifying the target populations for relevant government initiatives and policies. This paper also features various maps to illustrate the differences between these definitions.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act requires that the federal government presents an Immigration Levels Plan which informs Parliament and the public about how many permanent immigrants are targeted for admission to Canada. This HillNote provides information on the recent evolution of Canadian immigration policy and the Immigration Levels Plan.

This HillNote is the second in a four-part series on productivity. The first HillNote explained what productivity is and why it matters, while the third and fourth will examine the potential causes of Canada’s relatively low productivity growth and explore possible solutions. This HillNote compares Canada’s productivity performance with that of other Group of Seven (G7) countries and Australia, which has a resource-rich economy that is similar to Canada’s.

In recent years, global demand for minerals and metals has grown significantly, driven primarily by an energy transition and technological advances. With vast mineral resources and a strong industrial capacity, Canada could position itself to take advantage of the increasing global demand for strategic materials and strengthen its position in global supply chains. To achieve this goal, multiple factors need to be considered, among them the security of the critical minerals supply. Securing critical minerals supply chains entails, among other measures, identifying the parties involved in extracting and processing critical minerals in this country.

The United Nations’ (UN’s) “special procedures” constitute an international system for monitoring human rights. Special procedures draw on the expertise of independent human rights experts who act independently and are mandated to report and advise on human rights, which they examine from the perspective of a specific country (a country mandate) or from the perspective of particular human rights issue (a thematic mandate). Special procedures may be established as individuals called “special rapporteurs” or “independent experts,” or as groups of five members each known as “working groups.” As of November 2025, there were 59 active special procedures mandates, with 46 focused on thematic issues and 13 on specific countries or territories.

The Canada–European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) was signed in October 2016. Since then, the Canadian and European parliaments have adopted the agreement, and 18 of the EU’s 27 member states have completed their ratification processes. In October 2026, Slovenia became the most recent EU member state to complete its internal ratification process. This HillNote discusses the steps that Canada, EU institutions and individual EU member states have taken as of 30 October 2026 concerning CETA’s application and ratification. As part of that discussion, information about Canada’s merchandise trade, services trade and foreign direct investment with each EU member state is provided. The HillNote also examines the debate about the potential effects on CETA’s implementation if an EU member state were to fail to ratify the agreement.