• Experts, Liberal MP hope for full ban on sports betting ads as advocates cite mental health decline

  Source: CBC Politics
  Date: 2026-10-30 14:50:39.0
  Tags: [National, Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, Healthcare, Social Services, Governance]

  Bill S-211, introduced in May 2025 by Senator Marty Deacon and sponsored in the House by MP Bardish Chagger, is currently before the House standing committee on Canadian heritage to restrict sports betting ads across Canada. Supporters including Liberal MP Michael Coteau and public policy think-tank Cardus cite a University of Toronto study showing gambling-related emergency room visits nearly doubled in Ontario, alongside a 161 per cent increase in helpline calls among males aged 15-24 since single-game betting was legalized in 2021. Provincial officials from Ontario, Alberta, and Quebec, along with the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, have raised concerns regarding provincial jurisdiction, overlapping regulations, and economic impacts on commercial operators like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM.

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• Denying EI to women laid off after maternity leave a Charter violation: Court of Appeal

  Source: Global News Politics
  Date: 2026-09-04 20:06:59.0
  Tags: [National, Quebec, Labour, Justice, Social Services]

  The Federal Court of Appeal ruled in favour of six Quebec women, represented by the advocacy group Mouvement Action Chômage, finding that denying employment insurance (EI) benefits to women laid off shortly before, during, or after maternity leave violates Section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The court determined that withholding benefits and limiting the ability to stack EI with maternal or parental benefits constitutes sex-based discrimination under the law, which disproportionately impacts women. The three-judge panel struck down the discriminatory provisions of the Employment Insurance Act but suspended the declaration for 12 months, giving the federal government one year to rewrite the legislation.

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