The Assignment

To apply for the scholarship, you will need to upload a copy of your CV/Resume, and complete a written assignment. The written assignment has two parts. 

The first is a personal statement of 200 words or less, where you should tell us about yourself and your interests in politics, public policy, law, community leadership, and why you are interested in the scholarship. You should also outline why you would benefit from receiving the scholarship, and what studies you hope to pursue. This section is to be completed as plain text (unformatted), and will be submitted in the application form itself. 

The second part of the written assignment consists of a written briefing note which responds to the scenario outlined below. Detailed writing and formatting instructions can be found below. 

If you have any questions please don't hesitate to contact us at info@morrisonscholarship.ca - your application will not be prejudiced if you ask clarifying questions in advance. 

Briefing Note Background and Assignment

Background

Canada in 2025 is at a significant crossroads in it's history. As pressure continues from the United States, Canada finds itself in need of bold and strategic ideas at a scale not seen in several generations. The country is struggling to find enough recruits for it's armed forces, and every year due to climate change, there are increasing numbers of floods, forest fires, and other natural disasters that require significant human and equipment resources to respond. At the same time, young people face an uncertain economic future, with home ownership out of reach for so many, and a highly competitive job market. As a result of this combination of factors, the federal government is considering a range of new ideas and initiatives that could help address some of these problems. 

The Scenario

• You are an advisor to Canada's Prime Minister, Mr. Clark Marney. You have been asked to study the pros and cons of a proposed program of national service. The stated goals of the program are:

  1. To provide young people with additional life skills and education to prepare them for life outside of school as active citizens

  2. To expose young people to alternative career opportunities, particularly within the armed forces

  3. To create people-to-people connections between young people from across the country, and to expose people to different places and perspectives, thereby contributing to national unity

  4. To provide some financial support to young people pursuing their education further, and wishing to purchase a home. 

• The National Service Proposal would look like this:

  2. 1. • Mandatory participation for all students graduating high school (with strict exceptions for medical conditions or other extenuating circumstances)

        • A minimum time commitment of 18 months before being automatically released

        • Service to be provided in either:

a) one of the three branches of the Canadian Armed Forces (but not to be deployed to a conflict or overseas)

b) The new Canadian Service Organization, which will provide training in a wide variety of fields, and help respond to natural disasters and provide humanitarian assistance. They will also provide supports in communities across the country, including for seniors, students and others in need, as well as assist with environmental initiatives such as tree planting and community clean ups.

• Each participant will be provided with food and lodging for the duration of their service, and will be paid a standard rate above minimum-wage. 

• During their service, participants will receive additional training in their second language, and travel outside their province of residence. They will also receive training on civic education and financial literacy - subjects often overlooked by provincial education curricula. 

• Upon successful completion of 18 months service, they will also receive $10,000 in a first-time home buyer's savings account (only accessible for the purposes of buying a home). 

The Assignment

• In a neatly formatted briefing note of no more than two single-spaced pages, please provide your analysis of the proposal, and ultimately your politically conscious recommendation as to whether the Prime Minister should proceed with the program or not. 

• Your analysis should be grounded in the real-world political, economic and social environment, and you should provide what you perceive to be both the strengths, and the weaknesses of the proposal. These should be based both on material considerations (i.e. it will cost too much money) and on political considerations (i.e. young people will be against this and protest). 

• In that spirit, you should also try to outline the perceived reaction from the relevant political parties, the media and the public, as well as other key groups such as parents. If you advise the Prime Minister to proceed with the proposal, you should include short talking points to combat the key criticisms you have identified. Similarly if you advise against the proposal, you should include short talking points that outline the rationale. 

Notes

• You should use your own knowledge and common sense in this assignment. 

• You are not required to do any external research (such as costs or expenses), however if you choose to refer to any outside articles, reports or data, they should be properly cited in footnotes or endnotes. 

• You should not be afraid to provide your opinion based on what you believe. At the end of the day the Prime Minister will decide, but they are relying on you for your advice. 

• You do not need to be an expert, and there are no right or wrong answers. You will be evaluated on your creativity and the clarity of your written communication. 

• You should also give a clear and well reasoned argument for or against the proposal

Formatting

• A briefing note, maximum two single spaced pages. The Prime Minister’s time is limited and hedoesn’t have the time to review a 10 page novella. 

• Neatly formatted, well organized and easy to follow. There is no template, but it should look professional.

• Normal fonts only, Times New Roman, Calibri, Arial etc., and normal sized 11 or 12. 

• Assignments must be submitted in Word or PDF format only.