The Parliament Project

In the U.S., no legislature can vote to suspend the First Amendment. In Canada, Charter s.33 lets Ottawa or any province override freedom of expression, religion, assembly and legal rights (s.2, ss.7-15) for 5 years, renewable. Which protects you better? Source: Charter s.33

Budget 2026 lists 54 "legislative measures," including new expropriation powers to speed up high-speed rail. Last year's budget bill, C-15, ran over 600 pages. Should one omnibus bill be allowed to carry dozens of unrelated laws through Parliament? Source: Globe and Mail

Carney promised a government that would "spend less to invest more." Budget 2026: program spending jumps $44.2B in one year, from $498.5B to $542.7B. That's +8.9%. Deficit this year: $62.3B. Which part of that is spending less? Source: The Hub

Starting this year, Ottawa spends more paying interest on its debt than it sends the provinces through the Canada Health Transfer. Debt interest: 2025-26: $53.5B 2026-27: $60.2B 2030-31: $85.5B (projected) That money buys nothing. Source: Budget 2026 via The Hub, CBC

Canada's Information Commissioner testifies today on the "state of access to information in Canada." Honest question: have you ever filed an access-to-information request with Ottawa and gotten a full answer on time? Reply with your story. Source: iPolitics

Today the Senate starts reviewing Ottawa's plan to expand police "lawful access" powers. U.S. Fourth Amendment: no warrants "but upon probable cause." Charter s.8: only "unreasonable" search is barred, and s.1 lets Ottawa set "reasonable limits." Source: iPolitics

Champagne keeps saying Canada has the "strongest fiscal position in the G7." The PBO projects a $63.3B deficit this year, rising to $70.2B in 2027-28. Budget drops Thursday. Strongest compared to what? Source: CBC News / PBO, Oct 20

Carney: Ottawa will "select Canadian suppliers by default." Then the CRA gave an $11.9M security contract to a subsidiary of a U.S. multinational. The Procurement Ombud called it "troubling," but said the rules weren't misapplied. So what is "Buy Canadian"? Source: The Hub

Ottawa's new rule: balance only the "operating" budget and borrow for "capital." The PBO says the line between the two rests on unclear and sometimes contradictory definitions. If you get to define your way to balance, is it really balanced? Source: The Globe and Mail

The Nov 5 budget is titled "Masters of Our Destiny." The PBO's numbers: 0.9% growth this year $63.3B deficit in 2026-27 $70.2B the year after A missed fiscal anchor Masters of what, exactly? Sources: PBO via CBC News, The Globe and Mail

Federal debt-to-GDP: 2018-19: about 31% 2025-26: 41.1% 2030-31 (PBO projection): 42.6% The Liberals promised debt-to-GDP would decline. The budget lands Nov 5. Will it keep that promise? Source: PBO via The Globe and Mail

Finance officials were asked for ONE example of the "other conditions" a minister could attach to the CRA filing your tax return for you. They couldn't. The committee kept the power anyway, 7-4. Should a minister get powers nobody can define? Source: The Hub, Nov 1

Carney's second budget lands next week. The Globe reports Ottawa is expected to offer targeted tax incentives for entrepreneurs, small businesses. Ottawa has run a deficit every year since 2015. Tax breaks are fine. Where's the plan to stop borrowing? What would you cut first?

Section 33 of the Charter lets Parliament or a provincial legislature override freedom of expression, religion, assembly and association, plus core legal rights, for five years at a time, renewable. The US Bill of Rights has no override switch. Which system protects you better?

Carney told POLITICO that if he can't get a suitable trade deal with Washington, he's prepared to wait for the next US president. Trump's term runs to January 2029. Tariffs are already in place on both sides. Patient strategy, or stalling while Canadians pay for it? (POLITICO)

Ottawa now says it wants Canada to be the EU's first "associate member," with talks to wrap up by June. CBC reports it's still unclear what that would look like or what it would cost. Who voted for this? Should Canadians get a say first? Source: CBC News, Oct 30

"The name doesn't matter." That's the PM on making Canada an EU "associate member" at this week's Montreal summit. Did anyone ask you? Honest question: should Canada tie itself closer to Brussels or to Washington? (CBC)

Finance Canada projects interest on the federal debt will eat 13.2% of every revenue dollar by 2030-31, up from 10.6% in 2025-26. That's money for bondholders, not hospitals or tax cuts. A decade of Liberal deficits, and this is the bill. (RBC via Financial Post)

$333.3 billion. That's how much the PBO projects Ottawa will run in deficits over the next five years, with new borrowing of $732.9B and debt-to-GDP rising every year. Budget is Nov. 5. Will it cut a single dollar? Source: PBO, Oct 2026

Bill C-2 is back in the House today. It expands police and border powers. The original draft even had warrantless information-gathering powers Ottawa now promises to "scale back" at committee. In the US, the 4th Amendment is clear: no warrant without probable cause. (The Hub)