PPOL: Public Policy
General Guide on Researching Public Policy. Intended for individuals enrolled in the Master of Public Policy program at the University of Calgary's School of Public Policy.
Databases and Websites
Canadian Focus
- Canada Commons This link opens in a new window
- Canadian Research Index This link opens in a new window
- E-Collection: Government of Canada PublicationsContent:Includes over 120,000 freely accessible titles built by the Depository Services Program (DSP) and produced by departments and agencies across the Government of Canada. Currently, about 500-600 titles are added every month.
Coverage: 1995 to Present.
Type of Database: Full-text
SFX Enabled: No, not needed since database is full-text
Search Tip: Browse Publications or Search Publications using Basic Search, Advanced Search, Date Search, Language Search - Green Papers (Government of Canada)Content: Searchable list of official documents which are issued by government to invite public comment and discussion on an issue prior to policy formulation.
Date Coverage: 1971 to 2010
Full-text Availability: Some
NB: There are many broken links for the full-text. - Open Government Portal (Government of Canada)Content: Includes:
- Open Data Portal
- Includes Government of Canada data and datasets.
- Open Information Portal
- Includes Government of Canada digital records, completed access to information request summaries, and contracts over $10,000.
- White Papers (Government of Canada)Content: Searchable list of official documents issued by the government as statements of policy on certain issues and often set out proposals for legislative changes which may be debated before a Bill is introduced.
Date Coverage: 1939 to 2010
Full-text Availability: Some
NB: There are many broken links for the full-text.
Canadian Focus - Legislative and Parliamentary Documents
- LEGISinfoContent: Information on legislation before Parliament, including:
- details on passage of Bill through Senate and House of Commons
- text of Bill as introduced at 1sr Reading and its most recent version if it is amended during the legislative process
- votes
- major speeches at 2nd reading
- coming into force data
- legislative summaries from the Parliamentary Information and Research Service of the Library of Parliament
- government press releases and backgrounders (for government bills)
NB. Bills introduced 1994-1997 (35th Parliament) and 1997-2000 (36th Parliament) include title, number, and text of the Bill (if available) in various stages, and legislative summaries. Unable to perform a search by political affiliation for bills introduced in these 2 Parliaments.
International Focus
- OECD iLibrary This link opens in a new window
- PAIS Index This link opens in a new window
Site Search
A Google Site Search allows you to search for information at a specific website. You only need to know the URL or the ending of the URL for the site you want to search.
Example
Government of Canada websites end in .gc.ca. If you are looking for Government of Canada policies regarding child care, do the following search:
Government of Canada Policies (a selection)
- Policy Horizons CanadaPolicy research organization for the Canadian federal government. Specializes in early stage work on issues involving several federal departments. Acts as a bridge between the policy research community inside and outside of government and the policy development community in the government. Core mandate is to advance research on emerging issues, and to ensure both effective communication to researchers of the policy research priorities of policy-makers and effective use of research findings in
- Treasury Board Policy SuiteContent: Collection of mandatory policy instruments which contain rules for management in the Canadian federal public service. The policy instruments are approved by the Treasury Board and administered by the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).