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Researching Government Policies and Issues

This page will help you research government policies and issues. It provides links to sources of government information at federal, provincial and municipal levels, and tips for searching for government information on the Web.

In this assignment, you will learn to identify and locate information about your controversial issue:

  • Who is involved with your issue (MPs, MLA, committee members, etc.)
  • What government members are saying about the issue in Parliament, the Legislature, and City Hall
  • What government members are doing about the issue

Find out Who's Who and What's What in Government

Use these links to find out who your government representatives are at the federal, provincial, and municipal level. Learn what committees and working groups exist and who is on them.

Find out Who's Saying What in Government

Find out Who's Saying What in Government

The transcripts of debates among MPs, MLAs, Senators and Councillors provide rich information on issues being addressed by government and members' arguments on all sides of those issues.

Find out What's Happening in Government

Find out What's Happening in Government

You can learn what work is being done, what decisions are being made, and what issues are being addressed by different bodies within government. Budget Speeches, Throne Speeches, and reports from Committees and Offices provide this information.

Below are a few examples. 

Citing Your Sources

Citing Webpages

Webpage on website with group or corporate author:

World Health Organization. (2022, May 19). Monkeypox. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/monkeypox

Webpage on website with group or corporate author and no date:

Parliament of Canada. (n.d.). Parliamentary business. House of Commons. Retrieved September 6, 2022, from https://www.ourcommons.ca/en/parliamentary-business

Citing Government Sources

Here are a few examples of citations for the types of sources you need to cite for your assignment. See the additional citation resources on this page for more examples and explanations.

NOTE: APA does not provide guidance on citing Canadian legal information (so we do our best to fit the required information into something that looks like an APA-style citation). The most correct way to cite legal or government information is to use the Canadian Guide to Uniform Legal Citation (sometimes called the McGill Guide). The MRU Library has a guide for Citing Canadian Legal Resources. 

Below are some examples of citations that you can use as guides to citing things like government statutes in APA.

Reference List:

Barlow, J. (2018, March 22). "India." Canada. Parliament. House of Commons. Edited Hansard 148(274). 42nd Parliament, 1st session.

Dang, T. (2022, March 24). "Government Data Security." Alberta. Legislative Assembly. Edited Hansard (Day 15). 30th Legislature, 3rd session.

Citation in Text:

(Barlow, 2018)

(Dang, 2022)

Bill:

Reference List:

Bill C-6: An Act Respecting the Safety of Consumer Products. (2009). 1st Reading, February 5, 2009, 40th Parliament, 2nd session. 

Citation in text:

(Bill C-6, 2009, "Summary," para. 2) 

Act:

Reference list: 

Post-Secondary Learning Act, SA, 2003, c P-19.5.  

Citation in text: 

(Post-Secondary Learning Act, 2003)

Advanced Googling for Hard-to-find Info

Having trouble finding what you're looking for on these sites? You can search the website's content using Google, instead of the website's own search function.

Search Google with domain operators to search government websites:

"opioid addiction" site:gc.ca

"protected areas" site:ab.ca

"snow removal" site:calgary.ca

You can also search particular ministries/departments through Google:

pulses site:agr.gc.ca 

lentils site:agric.gov.ab.ca 

Another approach is to search specific organizations' websites for info on government as it relates to them:

government care site:fncaringsociety.com

opioid government response site:cmha.ca

Find Academic Sources

These databases are good places to search for academic sources for your assignments in this course.

Google Scholar search tips:

Include a term for the level of government - federal, provincial, municipal/civic, and the word Canadian

     "communications" recycling municipal canadian

Use advanced search operators (same as in Google) to focus your search.

      allintitle:indigenous health policy

Other Helpful Websites