Indigenous social welfare in Canada

Must write about policies and programs for the indigenous/native people in Canada regarding social welfare. Once you have decided on an area you need to choose a specific policy or program. This could be a piece of legislation (including a rights-based policy) or a government decision, at any level of government. Or it could be a tangible program, run by any level of government, a non-profit, or private enterprise (e.g. OAS, local program for seniors). Unless you have received special permission to look at an international policy or program it must be Canadian. Note: the assignment must be on a policy or program. It should not simply discuss a ‘problem’. For example, if you are interested in addictions, you should not simply discuss addictions, you should choose a policy or program that responds to the issue of addictions. So, you could choose, for example, the federal policy to make it easier to open safe injection sites, Ontario government’s policy against the use of safe injection sites, or you could look at an actual safe injection site program in Ottawa or elsewhere. Spring 2019 2 Notes to consider: • Be aware of the difference between an organization/entity and a policy/program. Most larger organizations run a range of programs; you should choose one to focus on (it would be impossible to analyze a large organization with multiple programs in 4-6 pages). For example, many safe injection sites are one of many programs run by a large community health centre. • A report, or a Commission (or other entity that produced a report), is not the same thing as a policy/program that works towards improving social welfare. Rather, Commissions (and others) usually produce reports that include recommendations for policies and programs. So, you can reference these to support your arguments, but they should not be the topic of your paper. • Finally, rather than choosing a large-scale policy (e.g. the Indian Act) that in fact is a 77- page collection of policies, it would be better to focus more specifically on one aspect. If you are unsure about your choice, you should check with your TA or the instructor (if you do not do so, you may have marks deducted for ‘inappropriateness of topic’). 2. Research and write your paper Your paper must include the following components: A description of the policy/program • This could include the problem the policy/program addresses and how it works, who it is targeted towards, who is responsible for implementing it, how it gets paid for, which political ideology and/or approach towards the welfare state it fits with, and any other relevant information. • The description should include reference to primary source(s) as detailed below. Critical analysis of the policy/program • This should include the strengths or weaknesses of the policy/program and whether it does what it is intended to do or reflects the evidence, what or who it does not cover and any other relevant analysis. • Your analysis may draw from secondary sources that have already analyzed the topic, but should also include conclusions you have drawn yourself by looking at the policy/program directly, and thinking about concepts we have learned in class. Identification of way(s) in which the policy/program could be improved • Based in your critical analysis you should identify ways in which the policy or program could be improved. Stating that a policy or program is perfect will not be accepted – they never are! Students are expected to provide at least three ways the policy/program can be improved. Spring 2019