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The Formation of Public Policy
- What factors prompt governments to adopt communications policy?
- To what extent are Canada’s policy questions similar to those of other countries, and to what extent are they different? What factors explain these similarities and differences?
- What are some of the benefits and drawbacks of the Canadian government’s intervention in communications policy?
- Explain the notion of intellectual property and how it pertains to copyright issues and Charles Dickens.
- What is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? What does it say about communication?
- What were the predominant themes motivating communications policy development through the first half of the twentieth century? Why were these themes predominant?
- In the first half of the twentieth century, Canada initially drafted a response to the question, “What is communication for?” How is Canada different today?
- Why did attitudes toward policy development change as of the 1960s? What events or other facts influenced this change?
- What are the arguments in favour of and against market solutions that address Canada’s communicative and cultural needs?
- Do you agree that American popular culture has, to a significant extent, been adopted by most Canadians? If so, is the domination of the Canadian mediascape by US cultural products a problem? Why or why not?
- What particular characteristics of Canada inform national communications policy formation?
- Explain the fiscal, technological, and philosophical challenges to the Canadian government’s intervention in the communications field.
- Summarize the key characteristics, and compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the Aird Commission, the Massey-Lévesque Commission, the Fowler Commission, and the Applebaum-Hébert Committee.
- Explain why public consultations on public policies are unsuccessful in attracting the participation of members of the public. What do you think could be done to increase public participation in policy formation?