Labour & Employment
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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.
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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.
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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.
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March 26, 2026
Court allows appeal of conspiracy claim in class action against Pizza Nova
The Ontario Superior Court of Justice Divisional Court has allowed Pizza Nova franchisees’ appeal on the certification of a conspiracy claim in a class action concerning delivery driver classification.
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March 26, 2026
Inbound referrals: Know when to say no
Inbound referrals are a wonderful source of work and a compliment to your reputation. They should be honoured and dealt with professionally, without exception.
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March 25, 2026
Correctional program officers face workplace difficulties in federal correctional system: report
The Union of Safety and Justice Employees (USJE) is calling for greater recognition and support for correctional program officers (CPOs) in light of its new research report on the challenges of working in Canada’s federal correctional system.
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March 25, 2026
Feds announce new EI Board of Appeal to begin work on April 1
On March 25, the federal government announced that the new Employment Insurance Board of Appeal (EI BOA) will begin receiving and hearing appeals as of April 1, 2026.
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March 25, 2026
Court dismisses former immigration officer’s vexatious litigant appeal
The Federal Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal of a former immigration officer who had his licence revoked and was deemed a vexatious litigant.
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March 25, 2026
Words matter when writing legal AI prompts
When writing AI prompts, lawyers shape perception and outcomes, so understanding the impact of words in AI prompts is crucial. Since language acts as a filter, the specific words and phrases used in a prompt influence the AI’s interpretation of legal concepts, potentially affecting recommendations or decisions. If terms are ambiguous or carry historical biases, the legal AI response can lead to unintended interpretations. Tailoring prompts to set the stage and include sufficient background information allows the legal AI to understand the user’s intent. With prompts that are clear and unambiguous, legal professionals can reduce the likelihood of misinterpretation in the legal AI output.
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March 24, 2026
SCC judges probe what Charter s. 33 ‘override’ may mean for survival of Charter judicial review
The argument that a legislature’s use of the Charter’s s. 33 “override” clause can temporarily prevent judges from striking down a law but not from reviewing the law’s constitutionality or stating that the law infringes Charter rights and freedoms sparked a lively exchange between counsel and the bench as the Supreme Court of Canada kicked off its inquiry into the constitutionality of Quebec’s controversial “secularism” (Bill 21) law.