Canada: Government Policy & Public Finance

Amid heightened geopolitical uncertainty, Canada is renewing its focus on defence, boosting NATO commitments, accelerating spending, and modernizing infrastructure and industrial capacity.

Canada is extending its steel surtax regimes and related tariff relief measures through 2027, aiming to protect domestic steel workers and provide greater business certainty. The Department of Finance has confirmed extensions to tariff-rate quotas, remission categories for US steel and aluminum surtaxes, and exemptions for derivative surtaxes, while also exploring a potential shift to an allocation-based approach for certain steel goods.

On May 28, 2026, the Government of Ontario unveiled the framework for its first-ever Ontario Defence Industrial Strategy, a proposed 10-year strategy intended to grow the province’s defence industry and position...

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has approved an $8.5-billion Ontario Final Agreement aimed at reforming on-reserve First Nations Child and Family Services, marking a pivotal shift toward prevention-focused care and community control. This decision follows years of litigation stemming from a 2016 finding that Canada's underfunding and policy choices constituted systemic racial discrimination, contributing to the unnecessary removal of First Nations children from their families.

On April 23, 2026, Canada’s finalized amendments to the Plant Breeders’ Rights Regulations (PBR Regulations) came into force (Canada Gazette Part II).

Major economies including the EU, UK, and US are recalibrating competition policy to prioritize productivity growth, investment attraction, and national competitiveness. As Canada's federal government emphasizes similar economic objectives, questions arise about whether the Competition Bureau's enforcement approach should evolve to align with these shifting priorities and support Canadian businesses in achieving scale efficiencies.

Osler's Legislative Update is a bi-weekly listing of new legislation. This issue covers legislation for the period 02/27 to 03/12...

Canada's new foreign influence transparency regime requires individuals and entities with arrangements involving foreign principals to register their activities related to Canadian political or governmental processes. With regulations nearing finalization and a Commissioner appointment imminent, organizations must act now to audit relationships, implement record-keeping systems, and prepare compliance protocols before strict registration deadlines take effect. Non-compliance carries severe penalties includi

With the looming threat of 25% tariffs by the United States on Canadian imports, businesses in affected sectors are eager to see how both the federal and provincial governments will provide liquidity assistance or other support beyond imposing retaliatory tariffs and reducing reliance on American products to promote buying Canadian