Policy Options

The first paper that I wrote in law school was about legal ethics. I submitted a seven-page essay arguing that restricting the practice of law to graduates of law...

Quand on parle de suicide, la plupart des gens pensent à une jeune personne aux prises avec des troubles de santé mentale. Bien que cela puisse être la première...

(This article has been translated into French.) Let’s be honest, it’s difficult to feel an emotional connection to the number 150. There’s nothing particularly personal about it. Canada’s sesquicentennial...

As it embarks on another five-year periodic review of the Copyright Act, Canada has an opportunity to reflect on its copyright regime in light of the gaps that exist...

Le droit d’auteur, dans la doctrine juridique occidentale, fait partie du champ de la propriété intellectuelle, qui le définit comme un rapport de propriété entre un créateur et sa...

In June of 2016, the Liberal government announced reforms to Canada’s retirement income system. At the heart of the plan was a commitment to increase the benefits provided by...

The recent, very public dispute over the appropriation of Indigenous voices was just one manifestation of a much larger issue: the struggle for the protection of Indigenous cultural and...

Recent foreign and defence policy announcements by the Trudeau government have been just about as consequential as they come. On June 13, Global Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland laid out...

Four provinces making up around 85 percent of Canada’s economic activity, and roughly the same share of the country’s GHG emissions, now have broad-based carbon prices. Those without such...

Recognition and protection of the role of copyright in Canadian society goes back as far as Confederation. But just as the need to pursue the appropriate balances among competing...

The Trudeau government has just published their much anticipated defence White Paper. Titled Strong, Secure, Engaged, the document was the product of unprecedented public consultations, ranging from round tables...

Bill C-59 is the government’s massive reform of Canada’s national security law. It is the real deal: the biggest reform in this area since 1984, and the creation of...

Over a quarter-century ago, Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of a motion by NDP Leader Ed Broadbent to end child poverty by 2000. Few such well-intentioned parliamentary actions have...

Social media and mobile phones have become preferred options for news consumption among a growing number of users. However, in Canada, as in other countries among the 36 surveyed...

Alors que le gouvernement fédéral entamera bientôt un examen de la Loi sur le droit d’auteur, les universités canadiennes souhaitent rappeler qu’il est essentiel de protéger le principe d’« utilisation...

Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States will withdraw from the Paris Agreement has clearly outlined the challenge of leadership on climate action on this side of the Atlantic....

It has been six weeks since British Columbians went to the polls. The absentee ballots have been counted, the recounts are over, and the newly elected members have been...

It’s been a little under two weeks since the UK election, when support for Theresa May’s government plunged. She was left with not a super-majority as she hoped, but...

Au cours de la dernière décennie, il s’est passé quelque chose d’étrange et d’inattendu avec le concept de droit d’auteur : il a disparu. En fait, pas complètement, bien sûr....

As of 2015, more Canadians are aged 65 or over than are under 15. Governments must take into account this significant demographic shift when developing policies that respond to...

In the coming weeks the Canadian calendar is filled with days of celebration. On June 21, Canadians are invited to honour the contributions to Canada of First Nations, Métis...

Once again – as mandated by legislation – the Copyright Act will be subject to review. This time around, a committee of the Senate or the House of Commons...

Back in 2003, a famous Canadian recording artist had this to say when he was asked about his prospects in the new digital economy: “We are entering a golden...

Depuis le retour à l’équilibre budgétaire, le gouvernement du Québec a fait de l’innovation sa stratégie prioritaire de croissance économique et de développement social. Ce mot est de tous...

Thirty years after Ontario brought in the Pay Equity Act — the first law of its kind in the world — the gender wage gap has not gone away....

Since 2012, the last time the Copyright Act was reviewed and amended, the limited use of copyrighted materials without payment or permission has been allowed for educational purposes. As...

The announcement a year ago by Canada’s finance ministers that they had finally reached an agreement on a plan to enhance CPP benefits for future generation of retirees brought...

The upcoming review of the Copyright Act presents an opportunity to discuss and debate the state of copyright in Canada and for the library community to offer a vision...

The burden of poverty is not shared equally. In most developing nations, low-income women experience unique barriers that hinder their ability to lift themselves out of poverty. These include...

Un article paru dans Options politiques en mai dernier, sous les plumes de Phil Jarvis et Jennifer Fraser, nous invite à favoriser l’éclosion de la créativité chez nos jeunes....

Ontario’s late-May labour law announcements, which include an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour, longer vacation time, and expanded leave policy, are a huge win for...

The decade-long debate over Canadian copyright that preceded the 2012 legislative overhaul was marked by sharply divided views among stakeholders across the spectrum. Five years later, the reform package...

Reforming the Copyright Act was a tough slog the last time around, a balancing act for policy-makers and legislators, who heard from wildly different perspectives on what would be...

Canada’s 150th anniversary is a time to celebrate and appreciate what we have as a country and society and to reflect on what we have learned. It is also...

Last month, Ottawa officially kicked off work on a national strategy for zero-emission cars. And this week, a thoughtful report from Canada’s Ecofiscal Commission said that offering incentives to...

Last week, when Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard suggested that it might be time for a Constitutional conversation, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wasted no time in shutting the federal door...

Avant même que la nouvelle Politique d’affirmation du Québec et de relations canadiennes — intitulée Québécois, notre façon d’être Canadiens — ne soit rendue publique, le premier ministre Justin...

In 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a statement of apology on behalf of the Canadian government to former students of the Indian residential school system. In it, he...

In 2014, Canada opened the door to a competitive, commercial industry of licensed producers (LPs) approved by Health Canada to grow and distribute cannabis for medical purposes. In doing...

The world of work has changed. A wave of technology, globalization and new ways of working has created employment challenges that threaten the future prosperity of our young people....

Donald Trump may have done the world a big favour last Thursday afternoon when he announced he was pulling the United States out of the Paris agreement. In a...

We expected it was coming, given President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change. Yet we followed the news each day, intensely, reading...

Immigration has sparked nativist sentiments, racial divisions and economic insecurities in Western liberal democracies. The election of Donald Trump as the US president is evidence of the political foothold...

In mid-May, a respected physician and scholar stepped down as chair of a working group of the Expert Panel on Medical Assistance in Dying. The working group will study...

Donald Trump’s unexpected election victory and first months in office have understandably caused Canadians to revisit some basic questions about our own democracy. It is a worthwhile exercise but...

There is much gloom and even a hint of doom in the world today in the wake of last month’s disastrous G7 summit in Italy. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s comments...

Policy Options columnist Tim Caulfield has won a 2017 Digital Publishing Award for his work in the magazine. Caulfield, who holds a Canada Research Chair in health law and...

Canada is a country that can legitimately claim to be advancing inclusive economic growth and a liberal international order. When it takes on the G7 presidency next year, Canada...

On the eve of the tribute concert for the victims of Manchester’s bombing, politicians and policy-makers can draw lessons from the response of this great city to the horrendous...

When reflecting upon yesterday’s climate change news, I thought back to a pivotal moment in the movie City Slickers when Billy Crystal’s character Mitch and his pals Phil and...

Working on social policy in 2017 feels a bit like folding propaganda flyers into origami so they’ll look prettier — Band-Aid solutions for gaping global social wounds and inequities....

Les membres de Québec solidaire ont choisi le 21 mai dernier de rejeter la possibilité d’une alliance avec le Parti québécois en vue de la prochaine élection. Au-delà des...