Tuesday, May 1, 2012

C
Research Analyst at Samara

anadians are increasingly turned off of politics. This past October marked the lowest electoral turnout in Ontarios history with fewer than 50% of eligible voters marking their ballots. But voter turnout is only the most visible

measure of the deeper political malaise that lies beneath the surface. Decades of public opinion research document a steady decline in citizens trust and confidence in government and politicians. In conversation, many disengaged Canadians describe their views as rational: if government doesnt really care for them, why should they care for government? This is the ultimate stage of disenchantment. For those in the nonprofit sector , it can be easy to dismiss disengagement as governments problem. But as fewer Canadians engage in discussions about how we want to live together, the quality of our governance suffers. In the end, it is all actually a problem that affects us all. But within a problem, there often lies a seed of potential opportunity and I see one for the nonprofit sector. Public policy is one of the main tools through which governments deliver on governance. However, governments traditional dominance in the development and implementation of policy has been waning for several years. While government retains substantial coffers and regulatory powers, it is challenged by the growing complexity and interconnectedness of challenges from poverty to pollution. As a result, many thoughtful individuals are trying to reconceptualize the role of government in the 21st century. One recent case in point is the concept Government as Facilitator promoted by the Manning Centre for Building Democracy, a think tank that incubates ideas for government. Their 2012 conference, dedicated to this theme, probed how government could better work with other stakeholders to achieve public goals. In my mind, this is not an innately conservative concept. Others, such as the Public Policy Forums Don Lenihan, are reaching a similar conclusion. In his recent book, Rescuing Public Policy: The Case for Public Engagement, Lenihan builds a case for government as enabler or partner. These early signs of that herald a much broader trend suggest profound implications for nonprofits as respected and desired players in the public policy process. It is true that there are already many successful instances of nonprofits who have successfully influenced public policy. In fact, the Max Bell Foundation is undertaking efforts to more systematically document such cases. The real challenge for our sector is to better fulfill our potential on policy front, and capitalize on governments increasing interest to be a facilitator-enablerpartner. Where to start? Broadly, three strengths many nonprofits already have that can be marshalled in a contribution to public policy development & implementation: The first is a wealth of knowledge and expertise often through observation of what has or has not worked in the past. The second is public trust. Unlike government and politicians, nonprofits have weathered the judgement of public opinion much better. In the 2012 International Edelman Trust Barometer, trust in nonprofits (66%) continues to rank higher than government (56%), business (56%), and the media (54%) in Canada, and internationally. The third is the ability to creatively mobilize citizens and communities the most valuable yet underrated contribution. While Canadians may see government as irrelevant to their lives, nonprofits are positioned to help unpack how a policy change can make a positive difference. Furthermore, by building successful coalitions, citizens benefit from the sense that their voice does matter. This not to say there are no risks - a topic that merits a second blog discussion. But the stakes, I believe, are too great to justify passing up the opportunity. First, nonprofits can shift public policy in a sphere related to their mission. Second, nonprofits can help to reverse disengagement by better bridging the gap between citizens and government. In this spirit, Samara , a charity that works to strengthen civic and political engagement, is launching a national public outreach program, Democracy Talks. Beginning with new Canadians, youth and lower-income Canadians this summer, Democracy Talks will be a series of community-based discussed designed to engage people in a conversation about politics. By working with a broad spectrum of Canadians, our aim is to better identify barriers to, and solutions for, achieving more meaningful engagement. Ontarios nonprofit sector is only beginning to tap into its potential as a key contributor to the public policy process particularly by bringing more Canadians back into discussions about the kind of Canada we want to live in. This is a trend worth watching, with the promise of improving Canadian governance in the long run.