Commentary

The legislation is sorely needed, but it must not be allowed to weaken privacy protections and cybersecurity. June 2, 2026 in Domestic Policy, Digital Policy & Connectivity, AI, Technology and Innovation, Latest News, Columns, In the Media, Jamie Tronnes, Peter Copeland Reading Time: 8 mins read A A Image via Canva. This article originally appeared in the National Post. By Peter Copeland…

Bill C-9’s proponents are hoping it will be a silver bullet that ends hate crimes in Canada. Unfortunately, this flawed law may end up inflaming tensions across the country. May 28, 2026 in Back Issues, Domestic Policy, Inside Policy, Latest News, Justice, Peter Copeland Reading Time: 6 mins read A A Image via Canva. By Peter Copeland, May 28, 2026 The federal government’s newly…

In this week’s episode of Inside policy, we’re taking a look at institutional trust and legitimacy in Canada through a case study on the courts.A healthy organism is one that is resilient. You don’t stay healthy by staying perpetually indoors, or obsessively washing your hands – avoiding germs and stresses at all costs. Robust health is a function of both healthy practices, and of resiliency,…

Unseating Responsible Government. This major paper from Geoffrey Sigalet, Kerry Sun, and Yuan Yi Zhu charts the development of constitutional law in Canada following the patriation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. They find that things have played out as many predicted: across every domain of Charter jurisprudence, we have seen a lack of restraint on the part of the judiciary, undermining…

“Bill C-14 is therefore best understood as a constructive but partial response. The test will be whether it reduces violent crime and other visible forms of crime without worsening pressures in provincial remand facilities, and whether Parliament follows them with deeper reforms… pic.twitter.com/Cz0gTYFOcV— Macdonald-Laurier Institute (@MLInstitute) April 30, 2026 Testimony at Senate committee…

On this episode of Inside Policy Talks, I speak with Erica Komisar LCSW about what children actually need in the earliest years of life, as it is often the subjective preferences of adults that are deemed more important in our culture of seemingly unconstrained rights-based entitlement. We discuss the importance of maternal presence and stable family life in early childhood, the effects of…

More Time without a Care This article first appeared in Fairer Disputations. If you’ve not encountered it before, I encourage you to check it out. It is fairly unique, in that its philosophy is ‘sex-realist feminism’ – a pairing that brings together authors who may not share much common ground outside of their appreciation of the basic recognition that women’s uniqueness and vulnerability…

In Ontario, research has found a sharp rise in gambling-related helpline contacts among young men since the province expanded private online gambling. Is gambling just a vice market that is inevitable, and should therefore be taxed? A good bit of fun, and a viable economic activity to boot? Both sets of framing miss the mark. My latest Inside Policy Talks episode with Keldon Bester uses online…

Canada’s Parliamentary democracy – the core of our constitutional system – is increasingly threatened by expansive judicial decisions. Some of these rulings reflect skepticism, even outright hostility, to Parliament’s role; others stem from misunderstanding or ignorance about how our system is meant to work. We cover how Parliamentary democracy fits within Canada’s constitutional order – and what…

Canada’s Constitution rests on an implicit economic vision – one grounded in property rights, decentralized decision-making, and the free movement of goods, services, labour, and capital across the country. Though not explicitly articulated in the constitutional text, this vision is embedded in its architecture: federalism, subsidiarity, and the commitment to economic union. Over time, however,…

“Bill C-16 is genuinely impressive in its scope and intent. But it must go beyond that to ensure laws are properly tailored to address the problem they’re meant to and include less symbolism beyond what may be attractive politically or most expedient to carry out,” says Peter… pic.twitter.com/Q4t125hm4Q— Macdonald-Laurier Institute (@MLInstitute) April 13, 2026 Bill C-16 – Protecting Victims Act…

A major constitutional showdown is now before the Supreme Court of Canada, and at its core is a simple question of who decides? Constitutional interpretation is not a straightforward exercise. Rights are stated at a high level of generality, as they must be, and don’t contain detailed instructions for their application. They must be interpreted and operationalized in the real world, and balanced…

A surge in housing development over the past decade has partially mitigated the housing deficit, but it has also concealed a decline in housing productivity. April 2, 2026 in Domestic Policy, Latest News, Columns, Housing, In the Media, Peter Copeland Reading Time: 4 mins read A A Image via Canva. This article originally appeared in National Newswatch. By Murtaza Haider and Peter Copeland,…

The 2026 UN World Happiness Report, released earlier this month, suggests pronounced declines, particularly in Anglosphere countries. March 27, 2026 in Domestic Policy, Issues, Inside Policy, Latest News, Podcasts, Social Issues, Peter Copeland Reading Time: 2 mins read We often measure success by what’s easiest to count—GDP, income, output, and increasingly, self-reported happiness. Complex…