Date of Award

7-11-2015

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Political Science

Keywords

Aboriginal, Canadian, Commissions, Intersectionality, Policy, Political Parties

Supervisor

Richez, Emmanuelle

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

Policy commissions within Canadian political parties have been under researched; thus, it is unclear if these commissions are the representative mechanisms they claim to be. Specifically, research is lacking on the Aboriginal and women’s policy commissions in the New Democratic Party of Canada (NDP) and the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) and if these commissions allow for Aboriginal women to contribute to party policy-making. Based on the theories of intersectionality and feminist institutionalism, a gender-based discourse analysis was applied to the policy resolutions of the 2009 NDP Convention and the 2009 LPC Convention. Furthermore, the parties’ 2011 electoral platforms were examined to see if the resolutions were integrated. The research found that the policy commissions of the NDP and the LPC do not impact the party platform policy on Aboriginal women’s issues. Furthermore, party ideology and institutional restraints contributed to the restriction of the policy commissions as policy-making bodies.

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