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This thesis studies the socio-political evolution of Nunavut, a proposed political entity in the Canadian Arctic, and tries to pinpoint its potential impact and influence for Canada, nationally and internationally. This study of political geography is done by way of discourse and content analysis of Inuit publications (Inuit Today, Nunavut Newsletters) and governmental documents (Hansard, the Gazette of Canada, etc). This analysis covers a time-period of 16 years, from the foundation of the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (ITC) in 1971 to the last Conference of First Ministers on aboriginal rights in 1987. This time-period is subdivided into three segments of approximately 5 years: (1) Planning period (1971-76), (2) Preparation period (1976-82), (3) Negotiation period (1982-87). The introduction and conclusion of the thesis elaborate on the evolution of world affairs toward globalism and on the evolution of the Fourth World in this context.

The government has through many legislations initiated programs to provide housing for those who cannot afford housing in the private market. From 1945, the government has continuously tried to fulfill those housing needs and to improve living conditions. This thesis is an overview of the policies, programs and livability of low rental housing in Canada. / This study is divided into three parts. In the first part, there is a factual description of the circumstances and policies that have influenced the development of low rental housing since 1945. The second part assesses the demand and tenant characteristics for such housing. Three types of low income housing: public housing, low rental housing and cooperatives, are compared to measure their merits. The third part analyses the design criteria for such housing with reference to projects built in Montreal, Quebec. Tenants' opinions on what is satisfactory in housing projects are discussed and appropriate management policies are suggested. In the conclusion, government policies of the past, and some recent developments are summarized, and future strategies suggested.

This thesis is a comparative, data-based analysis of the empirical validity of three competing sociological models of the psychological impact of size of place of residence. The theories subjected to statistical investigation are: the ecological school of Wirth (1938), the compositionalist approach of Gans (1962) and the subcultural arguments of Fischer (1976). A secondary data analysis of selected variables from the 1979 Canadian Quality of Life Survey forms the core of this thesis. Two dimensions of the potential psychological impact of urban size are examined: powerlessness, measured by an index variable of a "sense of personal competence" and social isolation, measured by a reported sense of loneliness and contacts with significant others. Consistent with the compositionalist model, the analysis of variance performed in this research shows no association between urban size and powerlessness, after controlling for socio-economic and demographic factors. Loneliness however, shows a curvilinear negatively sloped relationship with urban size after controlling for factors lending partial support to the subcultural model. Neighbourhood involvement exhibited a significant negative association with urban size. This finding, is attributable to the relative lack of importance of proximity in the urban setting which reduces neighbourhood contacts in favour of trans-local ones. Finally, when controlling for distance of residence of children living away from home, the effect of the size of place of residence on the frequency of contact with children living away from home, reported by the respondents was significantly reduced thus, partly supporting the subcultural model's proposition.

Literature on sustainable agriculture was examined using qualitative research methods to identify institutional barriers to the transition to sustainable agriculture, and solutions to overcome them. Information was also collected from different participants in the food and agriculture system by conducting interviews and workshops, and by soliciting comments on discussion papers of preliminary findings. / An explanatory scheme (or general theory) was developed to organize strategies for overcoming institutional barriers using an efficiency--substitution--redesign framework. Efficiency strategies involve minor changes to existing activities, resulting in more efficient resource use. Substitution strategies involve replacing one product, technique or activity with another. Redesign strategies require solutions and institutional activities that mimic ecological processes. Solutions consistent with each category are analyzed and discussed in the areas of research, education, technology transfer, government programs and regulations, taxation, safety nets, consumer activism, marketing and advertising, corporate legal status, and organizational design and management.

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The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the relative influence of state and societal actors on public policy and, specifically, to determine the potential for state autonomy in Canada. To advance this project, two 'paradigms' of state-society relations are developed from an analysis of a range of contending theories of state-society relations. These include Eric Nordlinger's state autonomy theory, elitism, pluralism, and Marxism. The paradigms are then applied to a case study of the design and implementation of the petroleum related elements of the National Energy Program. We conclude that the Canadian state can demonstrate a significant degree of autonomy from societal influence using various strategies and resources which are generally unavailable to societal actors. The specific findings of our case study are that in the development and implementation of the NEP the greatest impediments on the federal government's autonomy arose, not from business interests or public pressure, but from the opposition of other state actors and the impact of market forces and international economic conditions.

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