Contents

home
about the NCA
News
reports
Links
Français
Logo

Slide Show from "The Policy Show" Presentation

By Robbin Tourangeau

Slide 1:
Overview:
  • General Scene
  • The Lead Actors
  • Members of the Cast
  • The Action
  • Main Events
  • Writing Your Script
  • Other Helpful Hints
Slide 2:
General Scene – Who kicks off the action?
Policy initiatives are triggered by a variety of forces such as:
  • Caucus concerns
  • Opposition pressure
  • Priorities of provinces/territories
  • Lobbying by interested organizations (individual/coalition)
  • Media
  • Public opinion (polling)
  • Success stories (other jurisdictions, other sectors, communities)
  • Policy analysis (internal/external)
  • Individual ‘champions'
Slide 4:
The Lead Actors – Who are the decision-makers and what decisions do they make?
The Prime Minister is responsible for decisions regarding:
  • machinery of government changes (e.g. creation of a new department or agency)
  • any changes in government direction or new policies
  • final funding allocations for new initiatives
Slide 4:
The Lead Actors – Who are the decision-makers and what decisions do they make?
Cabinet Ministers can make decisions without consulting Cabinet when the decision:
  • remains consistent with the government’s general direction
  • entails no new costs or can be funded by reallocating funds within existing departmental programmes.
Slide 5:
The Lead Actors – Who are the decision-makers and what decisions do they make?
Cabinet makes decisions when a policy:
  • represents a new idea or shift in direction
  • requires new money
  • requires legislation
  • concerns a divisive or controversial issue
Slide 6:
The Lead Actors – Who are the decision-makers and what decisions do they make?
Parliament is involved in:
  • debating and voting on legislation to implement certain policy changes and to appropriate funds for all government programmes and services
  • influencing broad policy directions through party policy platforms, caucus discussions and parliamentary committees.
Slide 7:

The Action - How does the Memoradum to Cabinet (MC) process work?

Slide 8:

Departmental Action. A small team is created to develop a new policy and to write a MC. These individuals will generally be your primary interlocutors. They will develop their ideas in consultation with stakeholders, the Minister’s office, and other government officials. More than one department may share responsibility for development of the policy.

Decks. A number of draft documents called decks will be produced to test various ideas or approaches as they are developed. These will be shared with other departments, Ministers’ offices and sometimes Cabinet Committees. Feedback will help to provide the strategic direction for moving forward.

Interdepartmental Meetings.The policy team will consult with other departments with an interest in the file on a number of occasions. This will occur on both an ad hoc and an organized basis. Central agencies (Treasury Board, Finance and the Privy Council Office) are particularly important in this process.

Ministers' Offices. The Minister’s Office will be involved in helping to shape the policy. In general, the Senior Policy Advisor will have responsibility for this role. The Chief of Staff may also be involved. They will liaise and help to break log jams with other Ministers’ offices and Central Agencies.

Cabinet Committees.Once the policy has been defined, the Minister responsible will present the MC to a Cabinet Committee. The MC will provide a number of options for decision and Ministers will come to a consensus on which option will move forward to full Cabinet. PCO, Finance and TBS will generally all provide comment on the policy direction that they prefer.

Cabinet. The option chosen by the Committee will be presented to full Cabinet for approval.

The Budget. New initiatives are funded through the budget. Not all approved MCs will receive funds. Ministers must advocate to ensure that their initiatives are included.

Slide 9:
The Main Events – What are the key decision-making points in government?
  • Party Platform
  • Speech from the Throne
  • Departmental planning and priority-setting processes
  • Memoranda to Cabinet
  • Budget
  • Treasury Board Submissions
Slide 10:
Writing Your Script – How do you develop your own policy position?
  • Know your policy. A well-reasoned and well-researched policy document is the foundation of all good policy initiatives. Remember that numbers (both qualitative and quantitative) and success stories can be very powerful.
  • Identify your allies and build alliances. Mobilizing different voices helps to convince officials and politicians that your idea is important to a lot of people, not just you. It also tends to build stronger policy and makes the job of those working inside government that much easier as the work required to ensure consensus has already been largely accomplished. The media can also be a powerful ally.
Slide 11:
Writing Your Script – How do you develop your own policy position?
  • Find a champion in the system. Having someone on the inside who is as passionate as you are about your policy is a big asset. One individual can move mountains or, at the very least, keep the flame burning until the climate improves.
  • Be flexible. All policy ideas are works in progress and government is often an exercise in what is possible rather than what is ideal. Listen and be open to new ideas. Sometimes what may appear to be the solution in one area will cause problems in another. Acknowledge that there are trade-offs associated with every initiative. It is frustrating to deal with people who refuse to accept that resources are limited and that there are other legitimate demands on government.
  • Know your detractors. If you know that someone objects to your ideas, find out why. Know what they are saying so that you can either modify your policy to meet their needs or refute their arguments.
  • Network, network, network. Networks will be the key to your success. The more people you know in a government, the more informed and effective you will be. Everyone has a role to play and people in the least likely places can sometimes make all the difference.
  • Target your message to your audience. Using policy wonk jargon may be appropriate when dealing with ‘experts’ in the area, but may not be appropriate for the media or Ministers’ offices. Know your audience and tailor your message accordingly. The easiest way to sell a policy is for people to see themselves or their interests in it.
  • Remember that less is often more. Senior officials, MPs, Ministers and their staff are very busy people. Keep your pitch brief. Tell them why they should care and how the initiative would work in concise language.
  • Work in manageable units. It is important to define a long-term strategy, but don’t expect government to always be ready to receive the whole thing at once. If your strategy appears to overwhelm officials, keep your own eye on the big picture, but break your policy down into manageable, bite-sized pieces for your audience.
  • Recognize the different skill sets required to sell a policy. The person who can articulate a policy may not be the same person required to sell it. Make sure that skill sets and roles are properly identified.
Slide 12:
Other Helpful Hints:
  • Assume government officials (elected and non-elected) are working in good faith. Assume that they are working to serve the public to the best of their ability – as you are - and treat them accordingly. They will be more inclined to respect and trust you in return.
  • Don’t burn your bridges. Think of every relationship as one you will want to keep for the long-term. Ottawa is a small town and people in government move around a lot. Odds are your will encounter the same person again.
  • Keep sympathetic contacts informed of your progress. A phone call once a month is all it takes. They may be able to move things along in ways that you did not expect – but only if they are kept in the loop.
  • Be trustworthy. Most politicians will respect and deal with an honourable opponent. Public clashes often turn into extremely effective working relationships behind closed doors. Few will forget, however, if you betray an understanding or blind-side them publicly ten minutes after you have said you were on-board.
  • Think long-term. Don’t get depressed if you find you are not making progress as quickly as you would like. Stay focused and celebrate your successes even if they are smaller than you would like them to be. As a general rule of thumb, if you are further ahead than you were a year ago, you are on the right track.
  • Give recognition where it is due. Being thanked never hurt anyone.
  • Remember that it is all organic. Just as every policy is different, so is every policy campaign. There are no guaranteed paths to success. Flexibility, good networks, and a whole lot of chutzpah are always your best bets.