Research publications

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.

The oceans are much deeper than we think. The high seas – defined in international law as the waters beyond all national territorial waters and exclusive economic zones (EEZs) – extend to depths ranging from an average of over 4,000 metres to a maximum of over 10,000 metres. Making up almost half of Earth’s surface, the high seas contain nearly 95% of the planet’s habitat. Moreover, oceans are home to an estimated 700,000 to 1 million species. Scientists continue to discover new species and ecosystems, many of them on the deep seabed floor. Certain areas of the deep seabed are also home to significant ore deposits. These can potentially be mined and used to meet increasing demand for valuable metals used in modern and clean technologies. This HillNote outlines the opportunities and risks of deep seabed mining. It traces the current state of negotiations behind the regulations that will govern deep-sea life and activity for the foreseeable future. It also describes Canada’s role in the International Seabed Authority.

The Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie (APF) is the parliamentary arm of what is referred to as the “institutional Francophonie,” made up of a long list of organizations, agencies, networks and peoples having the French language in common. For more than 50 years, these actors have been working together with the conviction that sharing a language goes hand in hand with the defence of certain common values. This HillNote provides information about francophones and the place of French in the world. It also gives an overview of the institutional structure of the Francophonie, with a focus on the work of the APF and the role of the Parliament of Canada within this organization.

In September 1957, at the height of the Cold War, Canada and the United States (U.S.) decided to establish a binational air defence organization known as the North American Air Defense Command, or NORAD; it was renamed the North American Aerospace Defense Command in 1981. Originally designed to monitor and defend North America and its airspace against the threat of nuclear-armed Soviet long-range bombers, NORAD’s purpose was to centralize the “operational control of continental air defenses.” The Agreement between the Government of Canada and the Government of the United States of America on the North American Aerospace Defense Command (the NORAD Agreement) was signed by the two countries on 12 May 1958; it has since been “reviewed, revised, renewed or extended” several times, most recently in 2006.1This paper provides information about NORAD’S mission, structure and locations, its air assets, Canada’s role in NORAD and NORAD’s modernization.