Resources · field notes for Canadian public affairs

How Canadian policy actually works — explained, source by source.

Plain-language, primary-source explainers on the machinery of Canadian government relations: the legislative process, the lobbying registries, Québec's distinct regime, and the divided powers that decide which order of government you should be talking to. Evergreen, accurate, and written for the people who do this work.

The library

Explainers, guides, and field notes.

Six to start, each cited to the official record. More as the questions come in.

Jurisdictions8 min read

Federal vs provincial vs municipal: where Canadian policy actually gets decided

In Canada, the level of government that decides a question is not a detail — it is the whole game. Lobbying the wrong order of government is the most common and most expensive mistake in public affairs.

February 18, 2026Read

GR & PR strategy6 min read

GR + PR: why public affairs teams need both

Government relations and public relations are not the same discipline, and the strongest public-affairs teams treat them as two halves of one strategy. Here is how they differ — and why they fail apart.

February 11, 2026Read

Legislative process7 min read

Tracking a bill from first reading to royal assent

Knowing the stages is one thing; following a live bill in real time is another. Here is a practical method for tracking a federal bill — what to watch at each stage, and what the signals mean.

February 4, 2026Read

Québec7 min read

What is Québec's Carrefour Lobby

Québec runs its own lobbying registry, separate from the federal one and governed by its own law. Here is what Carrefour Lobby is, what it records, and why it matters to anyone working a Québec file.

January 28, 2026Read

Lobbying & registries8 min read

How to read the federal lobbying registry

Canada's Registry of Lobbyists is public, searchable, and full of signal — if you know what a registration, a communication report, and a DPOH actually mean.

January 21, 2026Read

Legislative process9 min read

How a federal bill becomes law in Canada

Every federal bill travels the same route — three readings in each chamber, committee study, and royal assent. Here is the path, stage by stage, and where a bill can quietly die.

January 14, 2026Read

Reading about the process is step one. Watching it is the job.

Clarion tracks every bill, registry filing, tender, and council vote across federal, provincial, and municipal Canada — graded to your files, cited to the record, in English and French. Start free and see your first digest tomorrow morning.

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