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A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy, University of Regina. v, 153 p. The role mainstream media plays in public policy agenda-setting is discussed in a number of books and papers, and takes up considerable space in the agenda-setting literature. This study examines the role mainstream media played in both shaping and sharing narratives about Indigenous peoples. It looks at the frequency with which the media discussed specific stories and policy alternatives, the venues it connected these policies to, and how frequently each was shared. It also identifies key policy actors and how each capitalized on the windows of opportunity media created to advocate for their policy alternatives to move from the public and media agendas to the government agenda. This study uses two case studies, the push for a National Inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, to examine the media’s role in the policy process. The cases are dramatically different, but in each historical and contemporary narratives can be clearly identified. The affect these have on policy narratives and storytelling in the media then leads to distinct policy alternatives winning out in specific venues. Finally, the study uses Indigenous data-gathering methods in combination with public policy theory to consider how truth is shared in stories, how this affects the narratives that inform the process, and how this in turn leads to changes in policy decisions. It then concludes with a conversation about the role the media plays in the public policy process, and therefore the process of reconciliation in Canada, through the lens of Elders, Knowledge Keepers, journalists, policymakers, and Indigenous people who are part of this overall process. If we are to achieve any meaningful sense of reconciliation in this country, these are the kinds of conversations we will need to have in order to inform that process. Student yes

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy, University of Regina. viii, 128 p. A defining feature of the post-contact policymaking era between Western colonial governments and Indigenous communities was the creation of the so-called “Indian problem” as an actual phrase used within colonial governments (Satzewich 1997; Episkenew 2009; Erasmus 2003). More than a phrase though, the “Indian problem: was the misidentification of an issue that defined the relationship between Indigenous people and the colonial government from that point forward and it is the basic premise of all the paternalistic policies Indigenous people are still subject to in Canada, such as the Indian Act (1985). Though often referred to, the concept of the “Indian problem” has yet to be properly unpacked from a theoretical policy perspective. For the purposes of this study, the phrase “Western policymaking process” is used to denote the present-day policymaking process that evolved over time from the historical experience of European nations expanding into and colonizing Indigenous territories. The phrase encompasses more than a political history, but a policy tradition whereby colonial governments implemented their own forms of policymaking, such as the British during the colonization of Indigenous territories in the parts of the world now known as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and the United States. This policymaking process fails to create effective policies for closing the education, income and health gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in these countries. The resulting policy failures have led scholars to call for an examination of the policy process that looks at “systemic and foundational rather than attitudinal and incidental” solutions (Maaka and Fleras 2005). In this new era of espoused reconciliation, we see that both Indigenous communities and the colonial government are calling for the same thing – a new relationship. How do we capitalize on this emerging rhetorical opening? Why do policies and programs continue to fall short of truly improving Indigenous health, education and socio-economic outcomes? It is within this new intellectual space that the disconnect starts to become clearer – we may have begun to change the rhetoric but the way policies and programs continue to be delivered has remained largely unchanged. This paper unpacks the concept of the “Indian problem” utilizing western colonial policy theories to explain its permeance and endurance in modern day policies that continue to negatively impact Indigenous people. The western colonial policymaking model is also examined at its ontological, epistemological, and methodological levels via an Indigenous lens to expose its inherent limitations when applied in Indigenous contexts. An Indigenous research methodology is used to gather knowledge (collect data), make meaning (data analysis) and share stories (results) collected from ten participants affiliated with two Indigenous community partners – the All Nations Healing Hospital in Fort Qu’Appelle, Saskatchewan and Papa Ola Lokahi, a health service/advocacy organization with locations throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Through a combination of “talking story” sessions, archival research, and a review of Indigenous methodologies, an Indigenous policymaking model is articulated from its ontological and epistemological roots to its methodological approach. This model is presented as an experiential, multi-media art installation featuring the Indigenous policymaking model painted on a moose hide. Student yes