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Monthly Event Reports

January 2024 | Court rules against government regarding use of Emergencies Act
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A ruling by a federal court has stated that the government’s use of the Emergencies Act to respond to the “Freedom Convoy” protests in 2022 was unreasonable and contrary to protesters’ rights. According to the federal judge’s decision, in a case brought by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Constitution Foundation, and two interested parties who had their bank accounts frozen on the basis of the Act, no national emergency justified its use.   The ruling contradicts the findings of the Rouleau Commission, a public inquiry mandated to investigate the use of the Emergencies Act, which concluded in February 2023 that the threshold needed for that effect had been met. The government has stated it will appeal the federal court’s decision. 

November 2023 | Amid a rise in hate crimes, a synagogue and Jewish community centre are targeted

An increase in hate crimes in Canada has been recorded since the October escalation of violence between Hamas and Israel. In Montreal, Molotov cocktails were set alight outside a synagogue and a Jewish community centre, and gunfire was reportedly directed against two empty Jewish schools. According to Montreal Police, since 7 October and as of early November, 48 hate incidents targeting the Jewish community had been recorded, as well as 17 hate incidents targeting the Arab-Muslim community. This constitutes a significant increase, given that during all last year, 238 incidents were recorded in total. Clashes and tension between pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel protesters have also been reported, including in Montreal’s Concordia University, where a student was injured, and another charged with assault.

June 2023 | Online News Act becomes law

On 22 June the Online News Act became law.  According to the government, the Act aims to ensure a fair distribution of revenue between news sites and social media and online platforms (the latter would have to pay news organizations when their content is accessed on online platforms). As explained by the government, journalism lost major revenue streams from advertising to online platforms. It further claims that the Act will also facilitate the relationship between news media outlets and social media platforms, as well as strengthen media freedom. Because of the financial implications to their operations, Meta and Google have announced that they will cease providing Canadian news content on their websites. This reaction has been criticised, given the proportion of Canadians who access news through social media (social media comes in third after the internet and television).  In response, the Canadian government said it would stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram.  

May 2023 | Parliament calls on rapporteur on foreign interference to resign
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On 31 May, by 174 to 150 votes, Parliament voted to call on David Johnston, the rapporteur on foreign interference appointed by Prime Minister Trudeau’s government, to resign, given the opposition’s claims that he was not impartial after he recommended a series of hearings instead of a public inquiry on the allegations of foreign meddling in elections. According to Johnston, a public inquiry is not possible due to the classified nature of the information that led him to conclude that foreign officials attempted to interfere with candidates. Instead, he suggested hearings on the way in which the intelligence agencies communicated this information to other government institutions. The lawmakers’ motion, which is non-binding, was presented after criticism of the rapporteur’s alleged partiality, given reports of his personal ties to Prime Minister Trudeau. While Johnston initially rejected the call to resign and insisted he has not had a personal relationship with the PM in decades, in early June he presented a letter of resignation, in which he stated he would leave the role of rapporteur by the end of the month. 

Explore past monthly event reports

GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
38 246 110
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (since 2015)
Head of government party
Liberal Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
30.5%
Women in upper chamber
48.9%
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.79
Head of state
King Charles III
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
11/05/2018
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
74.55%
Population Tooltip
38 246 110
System of government
Parliamentary system
Head of government
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (since 2015)
Head of government party
Liberal Party
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
First Past the Post
Women in lower or single chamber
30.5%
Women in upper chamber
48.9%
Last legislative election
2021
Effective number of political parties Tooltip
3.79
Head of state
King Charles III
Selection process for head of state
Hereditary or election by hereditary state rulers
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
11/05/2018
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
74.55%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
No Action
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
Regional Treaties
American Convention on Human Rights
No Action
Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
No Action
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Performance by category over the last 6 months

Representation neutral Representation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rights
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Rule of law
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024
Representation neutral Participation
Sep 2023
Oct
Nov
Dec
Jan
Feb 2024

Global State of Democracy Indices

Hover over the trend lines to see the exact data points across the years

Explore the indices
Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

Use the slider below to see how democratic performance has changed over time

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