If old-school lobbying is dead, then it’s time to master the art of grassroots campaigning

“Useless and overpaid.” “Government relations flacks.” “The rotten fruit of undue handouts, privileges, and protections by the state.”

These are some of the less-than-charitable words Pierre Poilievre fired across the bow of corporate Canada in a National Post piece written this past May. With the Conservatives riding high in the polls, does a future Poilievre government spell the end of corporate lobbying as we know it? Will the 50-odd lobbying firms and their clients’ so-called flacks in Ottawa shutter their doors overnight? 

Fortunately for public affairs advisors everywhere, the current Conservative leader was as much seized with the solution in the piece as he was with raising hell about the problem. 

In his words, “Your communications must reach truckers, waitresses, nurses, carpenters — all the people who are too productive to tune into” a Parliamentary committee or downtown Toronto/Ottawa luncheon. The idea is that if you’ve managed to convince your colleagues it’s good for your company, you should also do the same with Canadians before taking it to Parliament. 

Lobbying is a completely legal and regulated activity in Canada. It takes its name from the lobbies of the UK Parliament where MPs and peers gather before and after debates in the House of Commons, and where constituents used to have the opportunity to approach their representatives to raise their particular issue or case. 

Poilievre’s solution hearkens back to those democratic roots. Political parties are fundamentally guided by their appeal to and influence over the greatest number of voters to win government. In other words, a shrewd political party will chase the voters and not the other way around. 

In this brave new world, companies and organizations, especially those who operate in highly regulated industries, must embrace grassroots campaigning. 

Even before Poilievre put pen to paper on this issue, grassroots lobbying campaigns have enjoyed significant success in both shifting Canadian public opinion and governments. Think of the Pathways campaign that secured more funding for carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies for the oil and gas sector. Think of Unifor and the pressure brought to bear to reverse GM’s decision to close its Oshawa plant. 

Here’s the kicker: Grassroots campaigns engineer change that lasts much longer than a transactional win. These changes are not built on the special interests of a small group, but have fundamentally changed the hearts and minds of Canadians with regards to an issue, perhaps for decades. That is real power – power tied to the Canadians you serve and power that can influence governments and the world. 

But does corporate Canada have the social licence to do these campaigns? The overwhelming response is yes. Navigator’s think tank, the Canadian Centre for the Purpose of the Corporation, found in a 2021 study that half of Canadians support corporations trying to influence public policy on issues as diverse as wage inequality to child care to climate change. 

So corporate Canada, now is the time to build your coalition of voters. Your business may depend on it.