Philippines added as a designated state under Canada's Visiting Forces Act

Canada has formally designated the Republic of the Philippines as a 'designated state' under the Visiting Forces Act. This means Filipino military visiting forces operating in Canada now fall under the legal framework…

Whitefish River First Nation added to the list of First Nations under the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement

Whitefish River First Nation (Première Nation Whitefish River) has been formally added to the schedule of First Nations covered by the Anishinabek Nation Governance Agreement Act. Previously listed as a pending amendm…

Permanent resident status fee waived for certain Afghan nationals approved under specific public policies

A new federal remission order cancels the permanent resident status fee for Afghan nationals whose permanent residence applications were approved under one of three specific temporary public policies — covering famili…

Federal government remits permanent residency application fees for certain TR-to-PR pathway applicants who were refused

A new federal remission order cancels or refunds the humanitarian-and-compassionate (H&C) application fees paid by certain foreign nationals whose permanent residence applications were processed under specific 2021–20…

Federal government remits passport fee increases deemed unreasonable, capping certain fees for applicants

The federal government has issued a remission order forgiving certain passport and travel document fee adjustments that were considered unreasonable to collect. For a multi-year period ending January 2026, automatic a…

Permanent resident application fee waived for certain Afghan nationals approved under specific public policies

The federal government has created a new remission order that cancels the permanent resident status fee for certain Afghan nationals whose applications were approved under one of three specific temporary public polici…

Permanent residency and sponsorship fees waived for Sudan conflict family class applicants

This new federal remission order cancels or refunds the fees normally charged for acquiring permanent resident status and for processing a family sponsorship application, for a specific group connected to the conflict…

Permanent resident status fee waived for certain former child-protection youth who obtained PR under 2024 public policies

The federal government has remitted (waived) the fee normally charged when someone acquires permanent resident status under Canada's immigration rules, for a specific group of people. Those covered are individuals who…

Several Budget 2024 amendment sections repealed before they ever took effect

Sections 213 to 221 and 224 of the Budget Implementation Act, 2024, No. 1 were repealed by a subsequent federal statute before they ever came into force. These sections had been held in reserve, awaiting activation by…

Excise duty rate tiers for small Canadian brewers restructured: first 2,000 hL tier rises from 5% to 10%, next 10,000 hL tier rises from 20% to 40%

The reduced excise duty rates that apply to beer and malt liquor brewed in Canada by smaller producers have been restructured across the volume tiers in Schedule II.1. The first 2,000 hectolitre tier, which previously…

Turkey production quotas increased for all provinces in the next annual control period

The national schedule of turkey production quotas has been updated for the new annual control period. Every province's allocation has been raised, pushing the national total from roughly 372 million pounds to approxim…

Advance payment loan limits extended to program year 2026, with higher cap maintained for canola producers

The regulations have been updated to set the maximum advance payment amount for program year 2026 at $250,000 for most agricultural producers. Canola producers continue to benefit from a higher cap of $500,000 for bot…

EI appeals now go to the new Employment Insurance Board of Appeal, not the Social Security Tribunal

The Employment Insurance Act has been updated to reflect that appeals of EI Commission decisions are directed to the newly created Employment Insurance Board of Appeal, replacing the previous route through the General…

Employment Insurance appeals now go to a new Board of Appeal before reaching the Social Security Tribunal

The consolidated law now activates a new two-step appeal structure for Employment Insurance (EI) decisions. Claimants who disagree with a Commission decision under the Employment Insurance Act must first appeal to the…

Appeals under the Labour Adjustment Benefits Act now go to the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal, not the Social Security Tribunal

Changes previously listed as 'not yet in force' have now taken effect. The body that hears referrals and appeals of Commission decisions under the Labour Adjustment Benefits Act has changed: references to the Social S…

Social Security Tribunal rules updated to integrate Employment Insurance Board of Appeal into the appeal process

The Social Security Tribunal Rules of Procedure have been updated to formally incorporate the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal (Board of Appeal) as a body whose decisions can be appealed directly to the Tribunal's…

Employment Insurance Board of Appeal Regulations come into force (except two sections)

These regulations, which establish the framework for the Employment Insurance Board of Appeal, are now in force — with the exception of sections 39 and 41, which await a separate commencement order. The change simply…

EI Pilot Project No. 24 extended and appeal rules updated to cover new Board of Appeal

Three sets of changes have been made to the Employment Insurance Regulations. First, the end date for Pilot Project No. 24 measures has been pushed back: the window during which the Commission can waive the two-week w…

Federal government remits permanent residence application fees for certain out-of-status construction workers and pandemic healthcare workers

This new federal order grants a refund (or waiver) of the processing fees for permanent resident applications made on humanitarian and compassionate grounds by two specific groups: out-of-status construction workers i…

Federal Court of Appeal jurisdiction over Social Security Tribunal expanded to cover new disability benefit decisions

The Federal Courts Act has been updated to bring two previously pending amendments into force in the consolidated text. The Social Security Tribunal's Appeal Division decisions are now subject to Federal Court of Appe…

New monetary penalty ranges added for vessel traffic services and Canada Shipping Act provisions

Three provisions of the Canada Shipping Act, 2001 (paragraphs 126(1)(a), 126(1)(b), and subsection 129(2)) have been added to the penalty schedule, each carrying fines of $260 to $10,000. A new Part 18 has also been a…

Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations (NORDREG) repealed in full

The Northern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations, which required certain vessels operating in Arctic and sub-Arctic Canadian waters to file sailing plan, position, final, and deviation reports with NORDREG…

Vessel Traffic Services Zones Regulations repealed in full

The Vessel Traffic Services Zones Regulations have been repealed entirely. All of the rules they contained — covering which vessels must participate in vessel traffic services, required radio communications, mandatory…

Eastern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations have been repealed

The Eastern Canada Vessel Traffic Services Zone Regulations, which governed vessel traffic reporting requirements for ships operating in Canadian east coast waters and the St. Lawrence River, have been formally repeal…

Federal government creates remission program for US motor vehicle surtax paid by specific importers

A new federal remission order allows named motor vehicle importers — identified by business number in a confidential schedule — to recover surtaxes paid or payable under the 2025 US Motor Vehicles Surtax Order. The re…