Canadian Public Policy

This course is a study of the political process in Canada. It presents an overview of the constitution, institutions, and political actors that represent the essential components of Canada's political culture and government.

This course introduces students to theories of public policy-making and the policy-making process in Canada. It emphasizes decision-making, policy change, and implementation in exploring connections among actors, ideas, and institutions in various public policy fields including environmental, health, and social policy to reveal patterns of policy change.

This course introduces analytical methods used by social scientists examining Canadian social and economic policy by studying issues that arise perennially. Topics may include: unemployment and government policy, Canada and the global economy, social security reform, regionalism, education policy, health policy, and inflation.

This course studies the politics and policies of environmental problem-solving within the Canadian context. It examines key features of the Canadian political system - its parlimentary structure, robust federalism among others - in light of the nation's evolving environmental policy. It pays particular attention to the role of stakeholder dynamics and alternative regulatory tools and strategies (e.g., pollution taxes, best available technology, etc.).

This course provides the opportunity for students to apply sociological theories and perspectives to the development and analysis of social policies and programs. Social policy is the arena in which citizens, professionals, non-governmental organizations, social movements, and government address the social inequities underlying the lived realities of individuals. The course leads to an understanding of how sociology can be applied in researching, developing, analyzing, and implementing 'real world' social policies and programs.

This course examines the evolution of disability politics and policy in Canada. It emphasizes conceptualizations of disability, political participation, advocacy, and rights-based approaches to changes in public policy.

This course will focus on the origins, evolution, and contemporaneity of Canada's Indian Act and policies. Emphasis will be placed on First Nations resistance and survivance and efforts to overturn these colonial acts and policies through time.