The Complete Brief
-
March 27, 2026
Federal Budget Implementation Act receives royal assent
Bill C-15, the Budget Implementation Act, 2025, No. 1, received royal assent on March 27. According to a government release, this “key piece of legislation will help the government deliver on its plan to build one united economy, empower Canadians to get ahead, and protect our country and sovereignty — today, and for generations to come.”
-
March 27, 2026
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada releases report on AI impacts on financial industry
The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has released a report highlighting AI issues related to “consumer financial well-being and protection, security and cybersecurity, financial crime and financial stability.”
-
March 27, 2026
Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act receives royal assent
On March 26, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act (Bill C-12), received royal assent. According to a government release, the Act strengthens Canada’s immigration and asylum systems, providing law enforcement agencies with “more tools to keep our borders secure, combat transnational organized crime, illegal fentanyl and illicit financing.”
-
March 27, 2026
U.S. decision to ban foreign aid is leading to public health emergency, experts say
The U.S. government’s decision to halt most of its foreign aid and development work constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under international law, according to Canadian and global experts in medical journal BMJ.
-
March 27, 2026
Auditor General report on study permits highlights IRCC failures
Policymakers should heed the alarm bells raised by Canada’s Auditor General in a new report on the International Student Program reforms. The 2026 Auditor General’s report, International Student Program Reforms, reveals that recent efforts to cap study permits curbed international student inflows but also triggered unintended consequences and exposed significant policy gaps. These findings underscore an urgent need for smarter policy design, better federal-provincial coordination and stronger program integrity measures to ensure that efforts to manage student immigration do not inadvertently undermine Canada’s broader immigration goals.
-
March 27, 2026
The wizard behind the curtain; the judge beneath the robe
I have been on a mission since my retirement in December 2021.
-
March 27, 2026
PROCEEDINGS - Appeals and judicial review
Appeal by executor of the estate of Dr. Gersten from a decision striking the estate’s claim against Melody Weimer as statute‑barred under the Limitations Act. After Dr. Gersten’s death, a dispute arose among beneficiaries regarding Weimer’s entitlement under the will.
-
March 27, 2026
Minor Charter breaches fail to outweigh serious firearm offence, Appeal Court rules
Does any Charter breach bring the administration of justice into dispute? That was the essential question posed to the Ontario Court of Appeal and answered in the recently released decision in R. v. Hosang, 2026 ONCA 51.
-
March 25, 2026
Ottawa & provinces roll out disparate views on the ‘notwithstanding’ clause at Supreme Court
Before the Supreme Court of Canada reserved its impending historic decision on March 26, the top court heard starkly different interpretations this week about the nature and operation of the Charter’s s. 33 “notwithstanding” clause.
-
March 26, 2026
Ottawa introduces bill targeting foreign interference, deepfakes and long ballots
The Liberal government has introduced legislation aimed at protecting federal elections from foreign interference, cracking down on “long ballot” protest tactics and curbing election-related misinformation, according to a March 26 release.