Quote of the week
“Government of Canada communications should be “well co-ordinated, effectively managed and responsive to the diverse needs of the public.”
– GoC Communications Policy
Editor’s Corner
Today in Ottawa the federal government Communications Community Office is hosting a learning summit for its members.
If there is one area of government that continues to change rapidly it is the communications function. The challenge for the function and its members is to remain relevant and effective in the changing world of social media, the never-ending news cycle, and the various communication needs of an increasingly diverse population.
In the social media area, to take just one example, demand and opportunity are accelerating in a government environment that can only be described as hesitant when it comes to using this powerful tool of consultation and communication.
The day-long event will have workshops on these topics as well as ones dealing with the increasing need to integrate strategic communications into the world of policy and service delivery.
The unspoken concern for federal government communicators is that the community and its members must learn to operate in and with a government that has a centralized and politicized view of how communications should be run, and which is determined to make sure that the entire system remains on uniform message. As ministers lose control of communications to the centre, so obviously do the departmental communications shops.
The initiative is typical of the Communications Community Office. The group has been at the forefront of community building, working effectively to support and increase the efficiency of this group. This event is one more example of the good work it is doing.
