Glossary

The legal obligation to safely plug wells and remove equipment at the end of a field's life. Costs are booked as a liability.

A written statement sworn under oath, used in court filings.

A missile launched on a high arc, guided during the first phase of flight and then falling freely toward its target.

One hundredth of a percentage point. A move from 5.00% to 5.01% is one basis point.

In a bond auction, the ratio of bids received to the amount offered. Higher means stronger demand.

A federal law that widened citizenship by descent to some people born abroad to Canadian parents who were also born abroad.

The federal bill that would expand the one-project, one-review approach to major infrastructure.

The international benchmark for crude oil, priced from North Sea cargoes.

The federal body that oversees pipelines, power lines and other energy projects that cross borders or provinces.

A scholar of ancient Greek and Roman language and literature.

A centre-right nationalist party formed in 2011. It governed Quebec from 2018 until Monday's defeat.

A vote on whether a government keeps the legislature's support. Losing one forces an election or a new government.

Votes that decide whether a government keeps the support of the legislature. Losing one normally forces an election or a new government.

An agreement between two or more people to commit a crime. The charge does not require the crime to have been carried out by the person charged.

Relating to a government's officials abroad who help its citizens.

The federal statute that defines crimes and their penalties. Rules for assisted dying sit within it.

A company owned by the government but run at arm's length from daily politics, with its own board.

The Crown's legal obligation to consult, and where needed accommodate, Indigenous peoples before decisions that could affect their rights.

Changing how votes translate into seats, for example by moving from first-past-the-post to proportional representation.

The value of a company's shares plus its debt, minus its cash. It lets deals be compared whether paid in stock or cash.

In a stock deal, the number of buyer shares each target share receives.

The provision that keeps people whose only condition is a mental illness from qualifying for assisted dying.

Activity by a foreign state, or its agents, aimed at shaping a country's politics or decisions. Canada now requires agents acting for a foreign power to register.

Activity by a foreign state, or those acting for it, aimed at influencing a country's politics or decisions.

A federal tax charged per litre of gasoline or diesel, separate from sales tax.

The King's representative in Canada, who performs the Crown's ceremonial and constitutional duties.

Permanent residence in the United States.

A U.S. visa for skilled foreign workers in specialty jobs, tied to a sponsoring employer.

An electric device that moves heat to warm or cool a building, using less energy than a furnace or baseboard heater.

A Yemeni armed movement allied with Iran that controls parts of Yemen.

The federal law that lets Ottawa review foreign takeovers of Canadian firms and attach conditions such as job levels.

A court's examination of whether a government decision was lawful and reasonable, not whether it was wise.

The nickname for the Canadian dollar, from the loon on the one-dollar coin.

The Canadian system, legal since 2016, under which eligible people can ask a doctor or nurse practitioner to end their life. It is governed by the Criminal Code.

Millions of tonnes. Greenhouse-gas totals are measured in megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

U.S. elections held halfway through a president's term, in which all House seats and a third of Senate seats are contested.

A government whose party holds the most seats but fewer than half. It must win support from other parties to pass laws and survive votes of confidence.

Quebec's provincial legislature, with 127 seats. A party needs 64 to hold a majority.

A federal designation that lets a major project move through approvals on a faster, shorter timeline.

Taking a privately owned company into government ownership.

Annual international awards created by Alfred Nobel, including one for literature chosen by the Swedish Academy.

A formal promise sworn by officials. In Quebec, members of the National Assembly must swear one to the King.

A writer's complete body of work.

The party with the second-most seats in a legislature. It gets extra speaking time and resources and serves as the alternative government.

Deposits of heavy oil mixed with sand, found mainly in northern Alberta. Thermal methods use steam to make the oil flow.

A regulation or decision made by cabinet that has legal force without a vote in the legislature.

The Ontario Student Assistance Program, which provides loans and grants to postsecondary students.

The proposed oil pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast that Ottawa has designated a project of national interest.

An independent officer of Parliament who analyzes government spending and the economy.

The U.S. labour-certification step employers must clear before sponsoring a worker for a green card.

The lung form of plague. It can spread between people through the air and is treatable with antibiotics if caught early.

A bill introduced by an MP who is not in cabinet. Few become law, but they can force a vote on an issue.

A direct vote of citizens on a single question. In Canada, provincial and federal referendums are usually advisory unless a law says otherwise.

Upgrading an existing building, for example with insulation or new heating, to use less energy.

Representatives of parties or campaigns who watch the voting and counting.

A provision of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 that lets a president bar imports from countries that discriminate against American commerce. It has almost never been used.

In Quebec politics, the aim of making Quebec an independent country.

A mail-in or early ballot for voters who cannot vote in person on voting day.

A company's separation of a business unit into a new, separately traded company whose shares go to existing shareholders.

A situation in which neither side can win or move forward.

The narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which a large share of the world's oil moves.

Debt issued by the U.S. government. Its yields set a benchmark for borrowing costs worldwide.

The U.S. benchmark grade of crude oil, priced at Cushing, Oklahoma. Canadian producers use it as a reference.

A by-product of cheese making, dried into protein powder and sold as a food ingredient.

The annual return from holding a bond to maturity. When bond prices fall, yields rise, which can pull money out of stocks.