What You Know
The resources available in the policy shop are divided into the following categories:
 | Federal Legislative and Policy Framework (What You Know - Federal) |
| Provincial Legislative and Policy Framework (What You Know - Provincial) |
| International Legislative and Policy Framework (What You Know - International) |
The purpose of this section is to provide direct links to current, or important historical, laws and policies at the federal, provincial and international levels that influence and/or constrain social policy in Canada. Included will be federal-provincial agreements, provincial laws, acts of Parliament, reports by standing or special committees of Parliament, and other government documents, along with research reports and other publications by government departments, academics, policy organizations, advocacy groups, and more. The hope is to provide a window on social policy information for Canadian researchers, officials, advocates, and service organizations, and for those with an interest in Canadian social policy.
Social policy, for the purposes of this shop, will include a minimum of social protection (widely defined), including materials related to income security, social services, children, labour force activity, and the voluntary sector.
- Legislative Framework:
- Where actual laws, policy guidelines and the like are on-line, they will be hot-linked; where they are not available on-line, any available descriptive or analytical material related to them will be provided.
- Policy Framework:
- Much of what matters most in social policy -- that is, how it's experienced by those it is intended to serve -- has nothing to do with the legislative framework, but rather with public attitudes, broad policy directions or ideologies, and/or procedures and guidelines. Where such material is available, it too will be provided on the appropriate site.
- Related Materials:
- Where documents and materials are available that don't fit in either of the two categories described above, but that clearly influence the practice or development of social policy, materials will be included in this third category. If there are materials missing that you'd like to see added to this section, please use the feedback form to make the suggestion.