The Policy Brief program with GAC is designed to provide students an opportunity to gain mentorship and guidance from senior scholars as they advance their own policy research and writing skills.
Under the program, clusters of three to four students are selected to participate in projects led by BSIA faculty that engage them in both independent and collective research and policy analysis. The program is divided into three phases. The first is the research phase, during which students develop a high degree of substantive expertise on the subject matter of the project. The second phase is the policy brief stage, when students co-author a briefing note that draws on their collective research from the first phase. The third phase is the presentation phase, which includes a day of oral briefings at Global Affairs Canada in Ottawa. Students will be given an opportunity to present their briefing notes and the findings of their research to, and receive critical feedback from, policy experts with global experience. Following the presentation in Ottawa, students are invited to revise their briefing notes based on the feedback they received prior to submitting the notes for publication.

2021 Individual Policy Briefs
An Illiberal Order
Liberalism and Illiberalism in the Rules-based International Order: Navigating Their Co-Existence in Canadian Policy and Practice
Emaan Ali, Brittany Ennis and Danielle Wood
Supervisors: Dr. Jasmin Habib and Dr. Michael Howard
An Arctic Focus for Canada’s Post-COVID Multilateralist Posture
Ariela Collins, Carly MacArthur and Khurram Shamim
Supervisors: Dr. Ann Fitz-Gerald and Julie Clark
Energy Transitions, Climate Justice and Geopolitics
Canada’s Vulnerabilities in the Case of a Rapid Energy Transition
Kristen Gracie, Shawna-Rae McLean, Jacqueline Mah and Sarah Norton
Supervisors: Dr. Simon Dalby and Roger Boyd
Adding Value with Climate Compatible Development
Cassandra Hayward, Lauren MacDonald, Claire Perttula and Micah Winter
Supervisors: Dr. Marie-Claire Cordonier-Segger, Dr. Alexandra Harrington and Indra Noyes
China
Post-COVID-19 Possibilities: The Beginning of a New Relationship with Asia?
Felicia Clement, Varkpeh Gonowolo, Aniska Graver and Tesfaldet Mehreteab
Supervisors: Dr. Anton Malkin and Kristen Csenkey
A Superpower Tug of War: Canada’s Challenges and Opportunities in a post-COVID-19 World
Ashleigh Kong, Camelia Touzany, Jeremy Vander Hoek and Mengyun Zhang
Supervisors: Dr. Kimie Hara and Dr. Andrew Thompson
Trade and Development
Diversifying Inclusive and Mutually Prosperous Trade: The Case for Africa
Kaleigh Campbell and Angela Fangeat
Supervisor: Dr. Patricia Goff
The Importance of Transparency, Accountability and Intersectionality in the Implementation of International Assistance
Lydia Callies, Alexandra Giorgis-Audrain and Laura Krizan
Supervisors: Dr. Alistair Edgar and Jennifer Kandjii
Global Nurse Migration Pathways
Lena Gahwi, Savannah Guilbeault, Araba Maanan Blankson and Anjali Shanmugam
Supervisors: Dr. Margaret Walton-Roberts, Nelson Graham and Neil Amber Judge
Disruptive Technologies and Outer Space
Canadian Democracy and Economy in the Algorithmic Age
Brody Spourdalakis, Elaha Musakheel, Laura Higgins and Chris Earle
Supervisors: Dr. Vanessa Schweizer and Jonathan Hui
Privacy Rights in the Digital Age: A North American Data Protection Framework
Jill Barclay, Bailey Cordrey, Gurleen Tak and Sarah Wyatt
Supervisor: Dr. Peter Johnson
COVID-19 — The Unexpected Game Changer: Artificial Intelligence and the Rules-Based International Order
Mackenzie Cassels, Dimitria Interlici, Michael Pulford and Bryn Sherman Parris
Supervisors: Dr. Andrew Thompson and Lana Gonzalez Balyk
Shaping the Final Frontier: Canada and the New Space Race
Markus Hellborg, Emily Standfield, Zac J. S. Wager and Karen Cook
Supervisors: Dr. Neil Craik and Jinelle Piereder