THE CONCEPTUAL GRIDS EQUITY POLICY LAW AND PLANNING

{The purpose of the course is to familiarize students with government responses to social changes in general and policy, legislative and planning issues related to human rights, employment equity, disabilities, immigration and diversity management in particular.}

è THE PURPOSE IS TO EXAMINE HOW CANADA MANAGES DIVERSITY IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PUBLIC POLICY CYCLE

1) TERMS OF ENGAGEMENT

A) EQUITY REFERS TO GUIDING PRINCIPLES

B) POLICY REFERS TO THE AGENDA

C) LAW REFERS TO THEIR ADOPTION

D) PLANNING TO THEIR IMPLEMENTATION

THE RATIONAL MODEL FOR THE PUBLIC POLICY-MAKING PROCESS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO THREE PARTS: AGENDA-SETTING, OPTION-FORMULATION, AND IMPLEMENTATION.

[ASIDE: IN OUR SOCIETY THERE IS A TENSION BETWEEN EQUITY AND EQUALITY {BY THOSE WHO WANT TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT} AND IT GETS PLAYED OUT IN POLICY, LAW AND PLANNING]

[è EX: THE ELIMINATION OF THE EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT IN ONTARIO; DISMANTLING OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION]

2) PHASES IN PUBLIC POLICY LIFE CYCLE

è SO FAR IN THE COURSE, YOU HAVE DISCUSSED THE LEGISLATIVE INSTRUMENTS RELATED TO THE MANAGEMENT OF DIVERSITY IN CANADA – CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT, HUMAN RIGHTS ACT, [INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS LIKE] UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS è AND è HOW THEY WERE FORMED THROUGH THE PUBLIC POLICY CYCLE

INTERROGATING DIVERSITY “TECHNICALLY” REFERS TO THE “EVALUATION” PHASE OF THE PUBLIC POLICY CYCLE.

INTEROGATING DIVERSITY IN “ACTUALITY” REFERS TO ALL PHASES è PROBLEM DEFINITION è AGENDA SETTING è POLICY ADOPTION è IMPLEMENTATION è EVALUATION.

WE WILL ALSO EXPLORE LITERATURE ON DIVERSITY IN TERMS OF STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL PLANNING.

3) PUBLIC POLICY FRAMEWORK (LEGISLATIVE FOUNDATIONS/INSTRUMENTS).

CANADA'S APPROACH TO MANAGING DIVERSITY HAS EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS AND IS EMBEDDED WITHIN A BROAD FRAMEWORK OF CIVIL, POLITICAL, SOCIAL, LANGUAGE AND MINORITY RIGHTS BOTH NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY è

1947 PASSAGE OF THE FIRST CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP ACT

1960 PASSAGE OF THE CANADIAN BILL OF RIGHTS

1963 ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ROYAL COMMISSION ON BILINGUALISM AND BICULTURALISM

1969 BOOK IV OF THE BILINGUALISM AND BICULTURALISM COMMISSION REPORT EMPHASIZES THE BILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL NATURE OF CANADA

1969 INTRODUCTION OF THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT

1971 INTRODUCTION OF CANADA'S MULTICULTURALISM POLICY

1977 PASSAGE OF THE CANADIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACT

1982 ADOPTION OF THE CANADIAN CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

1984 SPECIAL PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE REPORT, EQUALITY NOW, CALLS FOR A MULTICULTURALISM ACT AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE ON MULTICULTURALISM AND RACE RELATIONS ISSUES

1986 PASSAGE OF THE EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT

1988 PASSAGE OF THE CANADIAN MULTICULTURALISM ACT

1996 GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHES THE CANADIAN RACE RELATIONS FOUNDATION THROUGH PASSAGE OF THE CANADIAN RACE RELATIONS FOUNDATION ACT.

1997 RENEWED MULTICULTURALISM PROGRAM ANNOUNCED

INTERNATIONAL

1948 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION FOR THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF GENOCIDE

1948 UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS

1958 DISCRIMINATION (EMPLOYMENT AND OCCUPATION) CONVENTION

1965 INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF RACIAL DISCRIMINATION (CANADIAN RATIFICATION IN 1969)

1966 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS (CANADIAN RATIFICATION IN 1976)

1966 INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS (CANADIAN RATIFICATION IN 1976)

è THESE MAJOR INSTRUMENTS – CHARTER OF RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, EMPLOYMENT EQUITY ACT, HUMAN RIGHTS ACT, IMMIGRATION ACT & [INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS LIKE] UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS – PROVIDE THE PUBLIC POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR MANAGING DIVERSITY.

4) POWER RELATIONS AND DIMENSIONS OF SOCIETY

WHY POWER RELATIONS{?} TO TRULY “EVALUATE” PUBLIC POLICY SURROUNDING CANADIAN DIVERSITY è WE HAVE TO DECONSTRUCT GROUP IMPACT ON DECISION-MAKING è NOT ONLY “HOW” POLICY IS MADE, BUT “WHO” GETS TO MAKE IT è WHO’S IDEAS/AGENDA MATTER

è THIS INVOLVES THE EXAMINATION OF POWER AND HOW POWER GETS CONTESTED IN SOCIETY

JOHN PORTER DESCRIBED CANADA – “VERTICAL MOSAIC” è THE RELATIONSHIP OF CULTURE AND POWER è POWER RELATIONS [POWER AND THE CONTESTATION OF POWER] ARE AN “OVERLAPPING GRID” FOR SOCIETY THAT PROVIDES A CONTEXT FOR UNDERSTANDING ACTION, AND PUBLIC POLICY DEVELOPMENT.

A) NOT ONLY “HOW” POLICY IS MADE, BUT “WHO” GETS TO MAKE IT è WHO’S IDEAS/AGENDA MATTER?

B) THE EXAMINATION OF POWER AND HOW POWER GETS CONTESTED IN SOCIETY.