COIN and graduate studies in Canada
Jeff:
I'll make some general observations about getting into policy work in Canada in this area--send me an email or PM with more information on your situation (citizenship, previous BA, where you are now) and I'll offer some more specific advice (I'm a prof at McGill).
1) There are no COIN-focused programmes in Canada. There are a number of people who do work on related areas (peace and stability operations, civil war, radical mobilization, regional conflicts, etc).
2) Be wary of overspecializing. You almost certainly won't land a position doing this kind of policy work in Ottawa based solely on the title of your degree, but rather your broader range of experiences, networking, work and internship experiences, and so forth.
3) Because of #2, programmes in central Canada have a built-in comparative advantage over programmes further away, because you're far more likely to hear, stumble across, or be thought of for positions as they open up in DND, DFAIT, or the intelligence community. (Many of the positions are, of course, openly advertised via the PSC website, but don't assume that's the only way of landing one.) In Ottawa, NPSIA at Carleton has a good programme in international affairs, and U of Ottawa has done impressive hiring in the last couple of years with regard to peace operations.
4) Don't put all your eggs in this basket--its a very small policy community.
5) Have a look at DND's SDF graduate awards and internship programme, as well as the policy officer recruitment stream (http://www.forces.gc.ca/admpol/).
6) Decide whether you want to work on a terminal MA, or whether you'll consider going on for a PhD. In the latter case, a good disciplinary grounding helps, as does a good school at the MA level.
I could go about getting a scholarship
I have been 'working in the field' with my camera(s) for years now, and have built quite a wonderful portfolio that has receiver accolades from friends, family, and others not known by me via websites I have posted work. Does anyone know how I could go about getting a scholarship to go to college based on my work, and an art degree of some sort?