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March 27, 2026
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.”
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March 27, 2026
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
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
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 25, 2026
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
Recent reporting has raised concerns about the effectiveness of Canada’s immigration security screening and enforcement. Media accounts have described cases in which an individual allegedly appearing in an ISIS execution video later obtained refugee status and citizenship before being arrested in connection with an alleged plot in Toronto; a foreign national with a prior conviction for sexual offences entered on a visitor visa after failing to disclose that history; and individuals linked to the Iranian regime have entered and, in some cases, obtained status in Canada.
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March 24, 2026
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.
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March 24, 2026
On March 24, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) issued a “temporary halt” on removals to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Kuwait, Bahrain and Qatar.
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March 24, 2026
Two universities in Nova Scotia are re-launching a joint degree program combining law and journalism in a bid to create professionals able to “cut through the noise” of today’s world.
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March 23, 2026
This week’s blockbuster Bill 21 appeal at the Supreme Court involves 140 counsel of record — with 64 of them slated to make oral argument over four days on behalf of the 10 main party groups and the record 51 interveners.
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March 18, 2026
In the first part of this two-part series (see link below), I wrote that in addition to actual legal work, most lawyers are also expected to act, speak and dress in certain ways. This added layer of effort can feel like a performance. It requires constantly monitoring yourself to maintain the image of a “good lawyer,” and it is exhausting. Here, I turn to what can be done to reduce the stress associated with all this extra labour.
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March 17, 2026
The Supreme Court of Canada heard more appeals last year than in 2024 and delivered its reserved judgments more quickly, but its hearings and output in 2025 were not yet up to pre-pandemic levels, according to the top court, which states it “expects to hear even more cases in 2026.”
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March 17, 2026
These days, to get a timely adjudication on any U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) petition, filers need to be looking at the possibility of paying the extra US$2,965 to the U.S. government for expedited adjudication, under the agency’s “Premium Processing” option. This is because “regular” adjudication typically takes months — and in some cases, years — for most case types. This means your entire immigrant or nonimmigrant process, and accordant status, can be held up by lengthy adjudication times, limiting work options and/or the ability to travel in the meantime.
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March 16, 2026
At its core, Canadian immigration policy recognizes that relationships and family bonds should be prioritized and protected. Family reunification has long stood as one of the central pillars of Canada’s immigration framework, shaping both legislation and policy. A family class application is not simply an administrative process; it is an affirmation of commitment and an essential step towards a family building a future together in Canada.
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March 13, 2026
Following public outcry and stiff political opposition to its sweeping “strong borders” omnibus bill (Bill C-2), the minority Liberal government has migrated the expanded “lawful access” powers and new obligations for electronic service providers to assist police and CSIS investigators from C-2 into standalone legislation (Bill C-22).
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March 13, 2026
The federal government has announced a new “temporary measure” to assist the Government of Quebec retain skilled workers on “their pathway to permanent residence.”
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March 13, 2026
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada tabled a special report on the investigation into the development of the ArriveCan app in Parliament on March 12, finding there was no contravention of the Privacy Act.
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March 13, 2026
The American Franchise Act (AFA), a bipartisan bill currently moving through U.S. Congress, could help bring clarity to franchising as a business model, with implications for Canadian operators.
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March 12, 2026
Canada has provided an update on the situation in the Middle East, outlining its efforts to help Canadians return home or depart to a safe third country.
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March 12, 2026
Health Canada’s addition next month of five chemicals to the list of permanent controlled substances that are precursors to the manufacture of fentanyl prompted a question to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree, asking why Canada, unlike the U.K. and the U.S., does not also list under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (CDSA) the animal tranquillizers that frequently contaminate fentanyl.
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March 11, 2026
The Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) is warning that more than 1.3 million work permits, including those for temporary foreign workers (TFWs), are set to expire by the end of 2026, which it says will significantly threaten economic and labour challenges.
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March 11, 2026
Early in my career, I noticed a pattern I could not ignore. I would build rapport with clients, earn their trust and then watch everything fall apart the moment the invoice was sent. They were not upset with me personally, even though sometimes it felt that way. They were blindsided by a system that charged them in a way they found unfair. Even worse, I would get penalized if I found strategies to be fast and efficient to make it more fair.
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March 10, 2026
As the federal and B.C. governments push ahead with new anti-hate measures, legal experts in the Jewish community advise that robust political leadership, specialized training for prosecutors and police, and new legal tools — bolstered by greater enforcement of the existing criminal law — are keys to fighting the explosion of antisemitism and hate in Canada since the terrorist massacre of hundreds of people in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
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March 10, 2026
Foreign motor carriers delivering freight into Canada operate within a tightly regulated framework that governs both the use of their equipment and the activities of their drivers while in Canada. Canadian cabotage and immigration rules are designed to protect the domestic transportation market while allowing international trade to function efficiently.
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March 06, 2026
In a Charter s. 15(1) equality rights milestone, the Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Quebec’s exclusion of refugee claimants from eligibility for subsidized childcare in the province unconstitutionally discriminates against women based on their sex.