5^th Public Affairs

Conference held in Ottawa on January 23, 24 & 25, 2008
Chairs: Greg Schmidt, Petro-Canada; Don Moors, Temple Scott Associates Inc.; Francesca Iacurto, Genworth Financial Canada; Eli Turk, Canadian Electricity Association.

CD-ROM: Over 11 hours of video presentations plus over 1095 pages of original material

To purchase, please contact Federated Press.

GR Strategies For Staying Ahead Of The Curve

Is the GR you do, the GR you need to do?
Greg Schmidt, Petro-Canada

• The fundamentals of government relations.
• Framing your issues.
• Corporate model, "What can you do for me?" does not conform with public policy development.

Understanding the privy council office – Policy coordination at the centre of government
Judith Moses, McLauglin-Moses Strategic Advisory Services

• The role of PCO in the policy process.
• PCO culture and functioning.
• Description of the decision context.

Debunking the myths of government relations
Peter Constantinou, Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology

• Description of an agenda-setting assumption.
• A thorough literature review.
• Survey of Kentucky legislative assembly.
• Definition of the words myth, lobbyist, politics.

Case study: Mobilizing the grassroots to implement your GR strategy
Michael Bourque, Canadian Chemical Producers Association

• Grassroots advocacy is the practice of bringing the decision maker together with people impacted directly by policy.
• The grassroots can be anyone from the shop floor to the executive suite.
• Education of your members is critical.

Forging Successful Relationships

Aligning yourself with partners and coalitions to influence government
Don Moors, Temple Scott Associates Inc.

• Importance of partnering in advocacy campaigns.
• Things that may prevent a coalition.
• How to pick a coalition partner.
• Organizing your coalition.

Case study: Strategies for collaborating with municipal governments
Gordon McIvor, Canada Lands Company Limited

• Government relations is a crucial yet often misunderstood profession.
• Meet early in process with elected councillors and senior municipal staff.
• CLC favours direct public consultations with stakeholders and the community-at-large.

Dealing with stakeholders that oppose you
Andrew Casey, Forest Products Association of Canada

• The role of corporate communications in supporting GR initiatives.
• Mounting a grassroots campaign.
• Building industry-government partnerships.
• Launching an effective media campaign.

Case study: Cross-border policy-making and lobbying
Christopher Jones, Tourism Industry Association of Canada

• Advocacy efforts surrounding WHTI implementation.
• Tactics and tools adopted by Canadian interests to get their message heard in Washington.
• Challenges of being in transnational coalitions.

Government relations for charities and community organizations
Teri A. Kirk, Imagine Canada

Dissecting GR

The structure of a government relations strategy
Dan Donovan, Ottawa Life Magazine

• The importance of knowing what is on the government’s policy agenda
• Stakeholder mapping and determining the key influencers in the policy community.
• Developing a policy monitoring system to gather critical information.
• Creating awareness of your issues within the government.
• Establishing core objectives of the campaign to drive the strategy.

The evolving GR legislative environment
Gar Knutson, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

• The Federal Accountability Act and Action Plan.
• Overview of the new Lobbying Act.
• Suggested practices to ensure understanding and compliance with the new Act.

Case study: Developing a multi-jurisdictional advocacy strategy
Bruce R. Burrows, Railway Association of Canada

• Good public policy requires effective lobbying at many levels; factual, consultative and policy-oriented.
• Associations have intrinsic benefits (longevity) and characteristics (inclusiveness) that governments find attractive.
• Legislation and regulations are rarely drafted without some effort by public officials to consult the relevant association.

Obstacles and pitfalls to watch for and overcome in your GR strategy
Francesca Iacurto, Genworth Financial Canada

• Competition for public policy influence is intense – and unrelenting.
• Practical advice: meet face-to-face in a small group, pre-meeting homework and be comfortable asking for advice.
• Do not assume that the audience knows your issue, make arguments you can’t substantiate and attack your opponents.

Case study: Influencing policy at the civil servant level
Edwin F. Prior, TELUS

Fine-Tuning Your Approach

Lobbying under a minority government: Lessons learned
Eli Turk, Canadian Electricity Association

• Wind generation is a growing source of electricity in Canada, but it does have inherent challenges. It is non-dispatchable, intermittent, and difficult to forecast at times.
• For Canada, approximately $190 billion (US) of electricity infrastructure investment is needed from 2005 to 2030.
• Committee members must feature prominently in any parliamentary communications strategy.

" Today’s backbencher could be tomorrow’s Cabinet minister."

Video: 41 minutes • 25 Overheads

Unlocking the secrets of the regulatory process: The environmental files
Michael Teeter, Hillwatch Inc.

• Regulations are made by the sponsoring department but approved by Cabinet. Cabinet must be told to pay attention; otherwise Ministers do not.
• New structures and processes work against open government.
• Horizontal checks and balances not understood or exercised properly.

Engaging policy makers: Tips from a seasoned GR practitioner
Debra Yearwood, Canadian Pharmacists Association

• Highlight do’s and don’ts for maximizing the impact of your lobbying efforts.
• Show you how to build an effective brand for your organization.
• Help you to develop written materials for politicians, political staff and senior bureaucrats.

Performance measurement for your government relations program: Stay the course or plot a new one?
Franco Iacono, Sussex Strategy Group

• Components of setting expectations: outcomes, benefits and key considerations.
• Answering the "show me" questions requires integrating best practice data and framing performance in terms of functional "maturity".
• The importance of rating maturity and comparing between your and other companies.

GR on a budget: How to win friends and influence people part-time
Jay Nordenstrom, Canadian Association of Railway Suppliers

• Lessons apply universally.
• The bottom line is to figure out who’s paying, who has a vested interest and how to balance HR and actionable items.
• Everything is about resources when it comes to elevating your profile.