Catch up on GZERO's coverage of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 78)
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A graphic showing English-French bilingualism in Canada.

GZERO Media/ Luisa Vieria

Parlez-vous le français? Probably pas très bien if you live outside Quebec, according to census data from Statistics Canada.

The share of Canadians who can hold a conversation in both English and French has plateaued around 18% for two decades, despite strong legal protections for the French language and official encouragement of bilingualism.

The background: Political rivalries between English and French-speaking Canadians dominated the early history of the country, and fuel some radical independence movements in Quebec even today. Official adoption of bilingualism at a federal level in 1969 was meant to help heal the rift.

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Racial makeup of undergraduate students in the U.S. (2010-2021)

Luisa Vieira/GZERO

September 15 marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, and as the United States enters a new era in college admissions following the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down race-based affirmative action protections this summer, many worry that the new rules could hurt the chances of aspiring students from traditionally marginalized communities.

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Few issues are more contentious in US politics than immigration, where policy can swing drastically from one administration to the next. Canada, for its part, has gained a reputation as one of the most hospitable countries to migrants in the developed world.

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GZERO Media

Ever since satellite observations started in the late 1970s, sea ice extent levels have been falling. That is the area of the Arctic Ocean covered by ice at any given time, which is important for the regulation of ocean and air temperatures, as well as safeguarding animal habitats.

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GZERO Media

Amid inflationary pressures over the past 18 months that have hurt consumer purchasing power, there has been renewed focus in Canada and the US on taxation rates.

The topic of taxes might not be sexy, but it is certainly political, with conservatives in both countries often blaming liberal politicians for supporting tax rates that they say are further contributing to cost-of-living pressures.

So what’s the tax rate where you live? We look at state and provincial tax rates in the most populous provinces and states in Canada and the US.

Bar graph of countries investing in Canada

Luiza Vieira

Last year, Trudeau’s government revised the Investment Canada Act, its law governing foreign direct investment, adding new safeguards against China investing in areas of the economy that could be a threat to national security. The revisions touched on infrastructure, critical resources, technology, supply chains, and intellectual property.

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Line graph of lobsters caught in of the coast of New England and Canada

Luisa Vieira

It has been impossible to ignore climate change this summer. July was the hottest month on record, there have been unprecedentedly destructive wildfires and floods across Canada, and water temperatures in the southern United States are skyrocketing. But ocean temperatures further north are also on the rise. The Gulf of Maine, which stretches from Cape Cod to Nova Scotia, is one of the fastest-warming ocean territories on the planet, and that is bad news for the US lobster industry.

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Line graph of Amazon rainforest deforestation

GZERO Media

Eight Amazon rainforest nations are gathering in Brazil this week for a two-day summit of the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. It’s the first time the group has convened in 14 years, and negotiations on more than 130 issues are expected to prove contentious, especially proposals to prohibit new drilling projects and end deforestation.

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