POLICY PAPER ISSUE DEVELOPMENT

(MODULE #3)

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POLICY PAPER ISSUE DEVELOPMENT:

THE SECOND STEP IN POLICY ANALYSIS IS ISSUE DEVELOPMENT (RE-CONSTRUCTION OF THE MAJOR PUBLIC DISCOURSES IN SYSTEMATIC AND ANALYTIC CONTEXT).

FOR EXAMPLE, PROGRESSIVE POLITICAL ECONOMY MAY IDENTIFY MANY SOCIAL PROBLEMS IN OUR SOCIETY AS STEMMING FROM THE “PATTERNS OF POWER AND INEQUALITY” THAT ARE ROOTED IN PATTERNS OF GENDERED AND/OR COLOUR-CODED PRODUCTION.

THEREFORE, PAPERS SHOULD ALWAYS BE TARGETED AT AND/OR FRAMED BY AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE “ANALYTIC CONTEXT” OF AND FOR A TOPIC. THIS MEANS AT THE SOCIAL STRUCTURAL LEVEL, YOUR TOPIC {E.G., WHATEVER IT IS – IMMIGRATION POINT SYSTEM, RACIAL PROFILING, ETC.,} IS INVARIABLE CONTAINED/FRAMED BY ONE OR ALL OF THE FOLLOWING:

1) GLOBAL CAPITALISM (AND ATTENDANT POLITICS OF NEOLIBERALISM)

2) PATRIARCHY (WHITE MALESTREAM REALITY)

3) WHITE SUPREMACY (ASIDE: IN OUR CLASS WE HAVE PREFERRED THE TERM “CULTURAL HEGEMONY”)

THE POLICY PAPER CRITERIA:

REMEMBER THE VALUE OF A POLICY PAPER LIES IN ITS USEFULNESS TO RELEVANT AUDIENCES OR “STAKEHOLDERS.” THE EMPHASIS FOR YOUR WORK SHOULD BE TO SUBMIT THE BEST ANALYSIS POSSIBLE, AND TO PROVIDE THE BEST SOURCES OF MATERIAL THAT YOU CAN FIND ABOUT A SOCIAL PROBLEM, IN A WAY THAT IS BOTH LOGICALLY AND PRACTICALLY COMPELLING IN REGARD TO SOCIAL POLICY DECISIONS.

HOWEVER, WITHOUT A CAREFUL (NOT PIECEMEAL) EXAMINATION OF THE LINKS BETWEEN SOCIAL PROBLEMS AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE, BOTH PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS WILL CONTINUE TO FLOAT IN A HAZE OF CONFUSION AND MYSTIFICATION.

THUS, GOOD POLICY ANALYSIS SEEKS TO ESTABLISH THE SOCIAL ROOTS OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS FOR SOUND PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL POLICY.

GENERAL FEATURES OF POLICY PAPERS:

1) INTRODUCTION

IDENTIFY AN IMPORTANT MATTER OF PUBLIC INTEREST OR SOCIAL PROBLEM AND ITS RELATION TO PUBLIC POLICY.

EX: A PROJECT ON HIV/AIDS AND IMMIGRATION?

ON 20 SEPTEMBER 2000, CANADIAN NEWSPAPERS REPORTED THAT HEALTH CANADA RECOMMENDED TO CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA THAT TESTING ALL PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS FOR HIV, AND EXCLUDING THOSE TESTING POSITIVE, IS THE "BEST PUBLIC HEALTH OPTION." SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MINISTER OF CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION, ELINOR CAPLAN, STATED THAT HER DEPARTMENT IS INDEED CONSIDERING IMPLEMENTING MANDATORY HIV TESTING FOR ALL PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS TO CANADA, AND EXCLUDING ALL THOSE TESTING POSITIVE (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF REFUGEES AND FAMILY-CLASS SPONSORED IMMIGRANTS) FROM IMMIGRATING TO CANADA ON BOTH PUBLIC HEALTH AND "EXCESSIVE COST" GROUNDS.

EVEN BEFORE THESE RECENT ANNOUNCEMENTS, THERE WAS DISCUSSION AND DEBATE IN CANADA ABOUT THE ISSUES RAISED BY HIV/AIDS IN THE CONTEXT OF IMMIGRATION

2) ISSUES AND/OR BACKGROUND

IDENTIFY WHAT THE ISSUES ARE.

EX: AN ANALYSIS OF IMMIGRATION POLICY IN THE CONTEXT OF HIV/AIDS MUST CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS {IE., EXPAINING WHY THESE ARE THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS, HOW THEY FRAME OR IMPACT THE ISSUE, AND WHAT IS THE CURRENT PUBLIC DISCOURSE?}:

I. SHOULD VISITORS WITH HIV EVER BE RESTRICTED FROM COMING INTO CANADA? {"EXCESSIVE COST" GROUNDS – SOUND REASONING OR STIGMA?}

II. SHOULD THERE BE MANDATORY HIV TESTING OF ALL PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS?

III. SHOULD PERSONS WITH HIV SEEKING TO IMMIGRATE TO CANADA BE PREVENTED FROM BECOMING PERMANENT RESIDENTS?

IV. SHOULD THERE BE MANDATORY TESTING OF REFUGEES?

V. SHOULD REFUGEES WITH HIV EVER BE BARRED FROM ENTERING CANADA?

VI. SHOULD THERE BE ANY RESTRICTIONS IMPOSED ON IMMIGRANTS AND/OR REFUGEES WITH HIV WHO ARE ADMITTED ONCE THEY ARRIVE IN THE COUNTRY?

3) HISTORY

IDENTIFY WHAT ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN UNDERTAKEN BY COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS AND ORGANIZATIONS (NGO'S)

I. PUBLISHED WORKS OR INFORMATION (LEGAL AND OTHER SOCIAL RESEARCH ON ISSUES RAISED BY HIV TESTING).

II. CONDUCTED INTERVIEWS OF KEY INFORMANTS AND PERSONS CONCERNED.

III. ORGANIZED WORKSHOPS/ PUBLIC INFORMATION FORUMS.

IV. COMMUNITY COALITION BUILDING.

4) CURRENT POLICY AND NEW DIRECTIONS

IDENTIFY WHAT THE DRAFT DISCUSSION PAPER CONTAINS.

A DRAFT PAPER ON PROPOSED MANDATORY HIV TESTING OF IMMIGRANTS WOULD:

I. DESCRIBE THE GENERAL TRENDS IN APPROACHES TAKEN TO DISEASE AND MIGRATION BOTH INTERNATIONALLY AND IN CANADA;

II. DESCRIBE CANADA'S CURRENT POLICIES REGARDING HIV/AIDS AND IMMIGRATION;

III. DESCRIBE SOME OF THE PROPOSED CHANGES IN IMMIGRATION LEGISLATION AND POLICY THAT MAY AFFECT VISITORS, IMMIGRANTS, AND REFUGEES WITH HIV/AIDS;

IV. EVALUATES CANADA'S CURRENT AND PROPOSED POLICIES REGARDING IMMIGRATION AND HIV.

V. PRESENT A SET OF RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS FOR THE FUTURE DIRECTION OF THEIR POLICIES ON IMMIGRATION AND HIV.

VI. {AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST} EXPLICITLY EXPLAIN WHAT ISSUES THE DISCUSSION PAPER "DOES NOT" ADDRESS — OR CANNOT ADDRESS [FOR EXAMPLE, THIS SPECIFIC DISCUSSION PAPER MAY NOT ADDRESS THE ETHICAL ISSUES/ANALYSIS OF MANDATORY TESTING]

4) ASSESSMENT

IDENTIFY AND EXECUTE THE GOALS OF THE PROJECT.

THE GOALS OF A DRAFT PAPER ON PROPOSED MANDATORY HIV TESTING OF IMMIGRANTS WOULD BE:

I. TO CONTRIBUTE TO A PROCESS OF INFORMED AND RIGOROUS DISCUSSION CONCERNING THE MANY ISSUES RELATED TO HIV/AIDS AND IMMIGRATION IN CANADA,

II. {AND} TO ENSURE THAT DECISIONS ABOUT WHETHER PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS SHOULD BE MANDATORILY TESTED FOR HIV, AND EXCLUDED FROM IMMIGRATING IF HIV-POSITIVE, WILL BE BASED ON A CAREFUL ANALYSIS OF THE LEGAL, ETHICAL, AND POLICY ISSUES INVOLVED.

5) CONCLUSIONS

IDENTIFY AND SUBSTANTIATE THE POLICY PAPER'S FINDINGS AND CONCLUSIONS.

A POLICY PAPER ON TO HIV/AIDS AND IMMIGRATION IN CANADA MIGHT CONCLUDE THAT:

I. CANADA'S POLICY OF NEITHER TESTING NOR EXCLUDING VISITORS WITH HIV (EXCEPT IN SOME RARE CIRCUMSTANCES) IS SATISFACTORY AND SHOULD BE MAINTAINED;

II. THE POSSIBLE BENEFITS OF MANDATORY TESTING OF IMMIGRANTS ARE OUTWEIGHED BY ITS POTENTIAL HARMS;

III. ANY EXCLUSION OF A PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANT WITH HIV ON PUBLIC HEALTH GROUNDS IS DISCRIMINATORY AND INCONSISTENT WITH CURRENT, COMMONLY-ACCEPTED PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE;

IV. CANADA'S CURRENT POLICY OF AUTOMATIC EXCLUSION OF ALL PERSONS KNOWN TO HAVE HIV ON THE GROUND THAT THEY WILL POSE AN EXCESSIVE BURDEN ON HEALTH OR SOCIAL SERVICES IS UNWARRANTED, AS IT SINGLES OUT HIV WHEN THERE ARE OTHER DISEASES AND CONDITIONS THAT MIGHT PLACE GREATER DEMANDS ON THE PUBLIC PURSE, AND DOES NOT ALLOW FOR A CASE-BY-CASE ASSESSMENT;

V. PROSPECTIVE IMMIGRANTS WITH HIV WHO HAVE COMPELLING COMPASSIONATE AND HUMANITARIAN REASONS FOR BEING IN CANADA SHOULD BE GRANTED PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS, RATHER THAN BEING ISSUED MINISTER'S PERMITS, WHICH AFFORD THEM NO ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE AND WHICH MAY BE REVOKED AT ANY TIME; AND

VI. ALL MEDICAL BARRIERS TO ADMISSION OF REFUGEES SHOULD BE REMOVED.

6) RECOMMENDATIONS

WHAT ARE (THE) SUGGESTED OR NEXT STEPS TO BE TAKE {RULED BY PRACTICALITY AND IMPLEMENTABILITY}?

I. THE POLICY PAPER WOULD BE WIDELY DISTRIBUTED FOR COMMENT AND INPUT. IN PARTICULAR, TO INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL MINISTRIES, HIV/AIDS AND IMMIGRANTS ORGANIZATIONS.

II. A CANVASS WOULD BE CONDUCTED IN REGARD TO WHETHER THEY AGREE WITH THE CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE PAPER; WHETHER RELEVANT INFORMATION IS MISSING; AND WHETHER CERTAIN AREAS IN THE PAPER SHOULD BE EXPANDED.

III. A FINAL POLICY PAPER AND REPORT ON HIV/AIDS AND IMMIGRATION WOULD UNDERTAKEN, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE COMMENTS AND INPUT RECEIVED.

IV. THE FINAL REPORT WOULD BE SUBMITTED TO HEALTH CANADA AND TO CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA, AS WELL AS TO ALL THOSE TO WHOM RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE REPORT WILL BE DIRECTED.

V. {FINALLY} A VARIETY OF FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES WOULD BE UNDERTAKEN AIMED AT ENSURING THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary/Introduction

Background /History

Statement of Problem/Issues

Current Policy

New Directions/Assessment/

Findings/Conclusions/Recommendations