Engaging with Government

Often government recognizes that better decisions can be made if the public is consulted, and will actively seek out people working on watershed related issues.  In other cases a Watershed Advocate needs to push a bit to get their voice heard.  There are different ways to engage with government on watershed law and planning:

·          Formal Processes – Legislation or government planning processes often include clear opportunities for members of the public to set out their concerns and have them addressed.  This may involve writing a written response to a plan, or participating in a public hearing before decision-makers. 

·          Informal Processes – Government policy or practice can provide an opportunity for public input even when not strictly required.  Government decision-makers often “refer” information about a potential decision to other government decision-makers, and sometimes even environmental organizations, for comment.  Informal consultations like these can sometimes be less confrontational than more formal processes. 

·          Lobbying Decision-Makers – Even when there is no formal requirement that government receive public input, government officials are the employees of the public and should listen to the concerns of citizens.  Developing a good relationship with key officials can help to move watershed protection concerns forward.  In addition to allowing the watershed protection concerns to be raised with government, a good relationship will allow you to receive reliable information from government, and increase the chances of being invited to play a more formal role.  If you are paying employees or consultants to lobby on your behalf you may need to register with the provincial or federal Lobbyists Registrar, but this should not be a problem for volunteer lobbyists. 

·          Mobilizing public opinion – Government officials often pay attention to what the public think, so increasing public awareness of, and concern about, a government decision can increase your access to government and the likelihood of a positive government decision.  For more information, see the Guide page on Public Education. 

Negotiating with non-governmental opponents or potential allies is also about advancing one’s goals and can sometimes result in a solution that government would never have gone for.  Alternatively, some buy-in from other private parties can increase leverage with government.  Deciding how much time to spend lobbying government will depend upon how much leverage you have and how sympathetic the government decision-makers are.  Think about these different options as part of developing an Advocacy Strategy.

The formal and informal opportunities for public engagement will depend upon the government decision-maker and the law or planning process that is being used.  Some of these options are discussed in relation to specific “laws and plans”.  Others will need to be found by talking to civil servants and building relationships with government decision-makers. 

LOBBYING POLITICIANS AND CIVIL SERVANTS

If you want government officials to act on your issue, you need to make sure that they are aware of it. Telling politicians what you want gives them the impetus to act. If large numbers of their constituents give them the same message, all the better! 

There is a range of lobbying that Watershed Advocates are likely to do.  Examples include:

·          Writing letters to government officials expressing your concerns (something which you can ask your supporters to do).  Circulating petitions can also be effective.

·          Preparing briefing materials for politicians or civil servants.

·          Face-to-face meetings with politicians or civil servants to express concerns. 

·          Inviting politicians to attend your events, and keeping them in the loop on public outreach and media work that you do.

·          Organizing tours or briefing meetings specifically for key decision-makers to help inform them. 

A recent US survey, conducted of 182 randomly selected local and state elected officials from 32 different states, led to the following recommendations.

·          Know the backgrounds of elected officials and relate their backgrounds to your message.  See if you can link your issue to one that already concerns the official.

·          See whether you have contacts among the family, friends and supporters of elected officials, and put some effort into educating these individuals about your cause.

·          You can provide government officials with a service: information and different perspectives.  Government officials often recognize that they don’t have the resources to know about everything they should and that their work will benefit from a variety of perspectives. 

·          Public forums and local newspapers are important in allowing elected officials to keep in touch with their constituents.

PREPARING TO MEET WITH A POLITICIAN OR CIVIL SERVANT

Advocates and local government politicians have identified several key “check” points for meeting with politicians:

·          Know and state your issue clearly – be brief and stick to your topic.

·          Always be cordial and thank your audience for their attention and time.  Follow-up with a thank you letter.  Be sure to thank politicians and civil servants when they have done good work. 

·          Do your best to appear reasonable and reliable.  This may include dressing appropriately.

·          Know about the politician, including what responsibilities they hold and what you want them to do. 

·          Show support for your cause (e.g., be able to state how many people you represent, who is affected by or supports your cause)

·          Provide a brief written summary of your position and the actions you are requesting

·          Make sure that your facts are correct. Incorrect information undermines your credibility and could damage the relationships you’ve worked hard to establish

·          Limit the number of your spokespeople and be clear about who will present and answer questions.  Be sure to tell the politician in advance who they will be meeting with

For more information about Engaging with Government:

·          How to Lobby – by Aldis Ozols

·          How to Lobby your Congressman – A publication by Amnesty International, this document is American based, but nonetheless includes some good types on how to prepare for meetings and engage with politicians.  Ignore the specifics of American government. 

·          Tips for Effective Activism – The Sierra Club of Canada’s Elizabeth May’s outline of effective activism, including lobbying politicians. 

·          Lobby Local Politicians – A page about lobbying local government against MacDonalds restaurants.

·          Information for Action is a web-page that can provide you with general information on a variety of environmental problems, contact information for politicians from around the world (including B.C. and Canada) and draft letters/e-mails for those politicians.  Check it out.