Over the weekend, Althia Raj published a column that points to a power the government is trying to give itself in the budget that lets ministers exempt certain people and companies from non-criminal laws, and the fact that this felt like it was being snuck into the budget implementation bill when it wasn’t in the main budget document. Jennifer Robson, inspired by Raj’s column, delves into the Budget Implementation Act to see the sections in question for herself, and makes some pretty trenchant observations about the fact that the powers in here are giving ministers a pretty hefty amount of leeway without necessarily a lot of transparency, because they have the option of simply not publishing or reporting which laws they’re suspending for whom, and that we need to worry about the injuries to democratic norms.
So, what is up with these particular powers? Well, it turns out that this is very likely some long-promised action on creating “regulatory sandboxes,” and the means to implement them.
The 2024 budget talked about working up a plan for "regulatory sandboxes"—temporary exemptions from restrictions to allow experiments with new things, especially products, that existing regulations didn't anticipate. It's in a few places, like this:
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T13:55:47.297Z
They'd consulted publicly on it before. This is generally a pretty dull type of government consultation, but it was done. www.canada.ca/en/governmen…
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T13:58:04.805Z
Having announced plans to legislate on it in 2024, the Trudeau government did not follow through, in either of the two "budget bills" that stemmed from the budget.
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T13:59:51.381Z
But the regulatory-sandbox idea returned in the 2025 budget. Not at length, but it's in the roundup of legislative changes that implementing the 2025 budget requires. (Some people start with the deficit numbers when first picking a new budget up; I start with the legislative changes.)
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T14:03:09.547Z
My point is that you have to be careful with premises like, "I didn't know about it, so they've been hiding it and being sneaky."Tech businesses have been calling for regulatory sandboxes for *years,* there've been public consultations, and it was promised in two successive budgets.
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T14:06:02.132Z
The idea's history goes back much farther than 2024, to be clear. Here's a Logic story from 2018, the first year we existed, noting a promise on regulatory sandboxes in the 2018 fall economic statement: thelogic.co/news/special…
— David Reevely (@davidreevely.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T14:10:57.100Z
So, this could very well be what that is referring to. This being said, I do see the concerns of Robson when it comes to some of the transparency around these measures, because these powers give ministers all kinds of leeway not to report on their suspension of laws for this “sandboxing,” and you have to remember that Carney already gave himself broad Henry VIII powers under his Build Canada Act legislation, which is ripe for abuse, particularly in a parliament that has largely lost its ability to do necessary oversight. I think the government needs to be extremely careful here, because this could easily blow up in their faces.
Ukraine Dispatch
At least seven people have been injured in a drone strike in Sumy region. Russia claims to have taken two more villages in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions. Here is a look at Ukraine’s naval drone operations, and the growing number of women in combat roles.
Good reads:
- Gary Anandasangaree says he’s waiting for expert panel advice on SKS semi-automatic rifles, but they delivered their recommendations last January.
- The CRA’s investigations into tax evasion through cryptocurrencies is yielding millions, but thus far no criminal charges have been laid.
- Sixty-two Indigenous artefacts held at the Vatican were returned to Canada on Saturday, but there are more to go.
- First Nations and the federal government are each developing child welfare plans, where which will then be compared and potentially unified.
- Here’s a look at why low oil prices may be determinative in why that pipeline to BC doesn’t get built, unless they can find a government backer.
- Russian dissidents seeking asylum in the US are calling on Canada to resettle them as they face deportation and arrest.
- Polytechnique survivor and Liberal MP Natalie Provost says she is worried about the current rise in antifeminism and incels, and what it means about violence.
- Danielle Smith put through some regulations that undermine the province’s carbon price even more than it already was, undermining her MOU with Carney a week in.
- Here’s a look at how Smith keeps using legislation and the Notwithstanding Clause to keep the courts out of her policies, undermining liberal democracy.
- Smith is also denigrating the courts as “gatekeepers,” which is another red flag.
- Both Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae react to the American Nation Security Strategy document through their respective lenses.
- Anne Applebaum contrasts how Ukraine is moving to clean up their corruption while American is opening the floodgates for their own.
- Kevin Carmichael ponders some tweaks to the Bank of Canada in order to increase its independence from government.
- My weekend column takes some lessons from John Rustad’s ouster and what it says about the kind of party he tried to lead.
Odds and ends:
New episodes released early for C$7+ subscribers. This week I'm answering your #cdnpoli questions.
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-12-07T22:02:41.400Z
Hey BSers! Need a copy of my book, for yourself or for a holiday gift? @dundurnpress.bsky.social is having their holiday sale! Use code HOLIDAY25 to save 25% on this, or any Dundurn book. Check out my book #UnbrokenMachine, or the book I contributed a chapter to, #RoyalProgress.
— Dale Smith (@journodale.bsky.social) 2025-11-19T02:01:04.435Z
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