Lobbyists like opportunities with new government’s agenda, approach
A more consultative government that says it’s seeking the best information to fulfill its activist agenda means more opportunities for lobbyists, who have been busy reaching out to new ministers and MPs.
Lobbyists are adjusting from dealing with the Conservative government, whose top-down management style was driven by Stephen Harper’s Prime Minister’s Office. While this in some ways simplified government relations—lobbyists knew where to go to affect decisions—it also limited the avenues for impacting those decisions.
The Liberal government’s more consultative approach to policy making means there are more entry points to government and that more advice is being sought from stakeholders, lobbyists told The Hill Times.
“A consultative management style means that if you’re in the business of talking, you’re going to find people that are going to talk to you,” said one consultant lobbyist speaking on a not-for-attribution basis.
“I think they understand the value of consultation. I think that the GR community will benefit just because if you talk to enough people, soon enough you’re going to talk to a lobbyist.”
The government’s activist agenda—with promises ranging from marijuana legalization, to a new health accord, to a new environmental assessment process, to new relations with Indigenous Peoples, to investment in public transit and green infrastructure—creates more opportunities for stakeholders.
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