Canadian Government Executive - Volume 24 - Issue 03

May/June 2018 // Canadian Government Executive / 15 should they first ask for input in setting direction from the people whom the pol- icy is meant to serve? Consultations with young Canadians on a proposed Youth Policy went with the latter. Many would consider this a risky proposition. What if nobody engages? What if none of the sug- gestions fall within the jurisdiction of the federal government? What if people post inappropriate videos or comments? To get the ball rolling in the right di- rection, the Youth Secretariat posted links to examples from other countries, relevant statistics, and existing pro- grams. Young people, and those who care about them, were invited to comment or submit videos on a list of issues that they care about, or provide one if a topic was missing! This allowed them to under- stand the problems and priorities from youth themselves in order to get a bet- ter sense of where the government could best meet their needs. Innovation #3: Using solutions geared to the audience and topic Many governments are adopting digital means of engaging citizens. Social media platforms are often used for point-in-time conversations. However, a key challenge in using online platforms is that certain viewpoints can dominate, while others re- main unheard. Trolls, bots and echo-cham- bers abound. When Canadian Heritage designed open source software for its Visual Arts Market- place Engagement, it had these challenges in mind. Participants had the option to add a statement or vote on an existing state- ment added by someone else. A visual map revealed patterns, convergences and major points of contention in the diversity of opinions provided. Rather than reduc- ing complex issues to simplistic views, it helped untangle the complex policy land- scape. By using open source software, they were also able to modify it to meet their needs – adding automated machine trans- lation to create one bilingual conversation (Figure 1). Not everyone we want to reach is online. Global Affairs Canada used a different type of technology to reach their target audience – radio! They used it to ask ru- ral farmers in Tanzania about their needs during a review of Canada’s international assistance framework. Internally, they used a wiki to disseminate information to the nearly 200 staff involved with the In- ternational Assistance Review. Environment and Climate Change Can- ada recognized the importance of place during the Ottawa River Watershed study; people could upload photos and com- ments to a map of the area. These choices highlight what this inno- vation is about – methods that match the channel to the audience and objective. Where to next? We’ve come a long way in a short time, but there is still a long road to travel to bridge the gaps between citizens and their governments. Communicating more clearly with citi- zens about how their feedback is used may further increase participation. The decision-making process is often seen as a “black box.” The public and stakeholders don’t have a clear view of how their input is translated into action. Governments must clearly show how they use feedback from citizens when developing public policy outputs. Research suggests that increasing the civic literacy and participation of citi- zens could strengthen democratic resil- ience. Governments could step back and instead support citizen-led participatory processes. We must devise new partner- ship models focused on outcomes. In ad- dition to new partnerships, governments must reach beyond the people we typi- cally talk to and support the participation of those who may have fewer credentials, Public Engagement Figure 1 Bee swarm plot visualizing all the statements received through the Visual Arts Marketplace Engagement from consensus (left) to contention (right) reveals the most divisive statements for respondents. but a wealth of lived experience. Governments must invest in ongoing re- lationships. This is particularly critical to renew the Nation-to-Nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples living in Canada. New skills and cultural competencies are required. The timelines for consultative processes and decision-making must build in the time needed to forge relationships. International organizations such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the Open Govern- ment Partnership are looking to Canada with great interest – connecting us to other countries so that we can share and learn from each other. If you want to connect with us, join the Public Engagement Community of Practice by emailing consultation@pco-bcp.gc.ca. L aura W esley , executive director, consultations and public engagement, Privy Council Office, Government of Canada. Laura has a track record of disrupting the status quo to bring about results. Her knowledge of, and interest in, systems change, service de- sign, and human motivation form a lens through which to consider new ways of working together. After more than a decade working in the federal public service, she’s come to believe that working across boundaries – sectors, disciplines and organizations – results in better outcomes for everyone. In guiding individuals and teams, Laura shows an unwavering commitment to supporting people through change. When she’s not reading, writing, think- ing, mind mapping, or sleeping, she can be found tweeting under the moniker @resultsjunkie.