The Delta Media P.R. Clinic

Engaging Political Staff as Part of Your Advocacy Strategy

By William Stairs, Ph.D.

Politicians are key players in the public policy process. Those seeking to influence their opinions spend a lot of time trying to figure out how to reach them. This is a good thing. But it is not always possible, at least not on short timelines. Politicians are busy people, and the numbers of people wishing to speak to them personally is high. So people turn their attention to their staff. The question then becomes, “How do we meet with these people and what should we do once we do?” This article offers some practical advice on this perennial issue.

Ministers and their staff

If you are unable for whatever reason to meet with a minister, common sense dictates you should not reject a meeting with political staff. They are, after all, the closest people to the minister. Moreover, as ministers’ time is at a premium, when and if you do meet with them, any preliminary groundwork done with political (and departmental) staff increases the chances of you having a fruitful discussion.

Meeting with political staff whose job description includes engaging stakeholders is a legitimate and acceptable activity. The names and office number for all political staff are available through the Government Electronic Directory Service (GEDS). Go to the GEDS site, type in the minister’s last name followed by a comma and their first name. Then click on the minister’s name listed next to his or her department, and follow the links to the minister’s staff. Call the office and ask for the person’s email address. You can try getting through by telephone, but given political staff’s hectic schedules you stand a far better chance of connecting with them via e-mail.

The chief of staff

The most important person in a political office is the chief of staff. Whether a chief meets with stakeholders is a question of personal choice and time management. If the chief you are interested in does meet with stakeholders then you are in luck. If he or she does not, then Plan B is the senior policy advisor or other policy people assigned to your file. Finding out who these people are is part of the homework you need to do before making your calls.

View from the minister’s office

Before picking up the phone, take a moment to consider the view from the minister’s office. There are different levels of interest in ministers’ offices about speaking and meeting with stakeholders. As well, there are varying levels of competence among the staff members. They are primarily political people, not public policy experts. Moreover, there is no universal agreement among ministers on how to deal with those communicating with their offices. The reason is simple: some stakeholders are overly aggressive and ready to make private conversations public. Ministers and their staffs fear being caught in public cross-fires between competing interests using their discussions as cannon fodder.

The mandate letter

Political staff use a number of criteria when deciding with whom to meet and for how long. There is, for example, the minister’s mandate letter. This is a formal letter from the prime minister to the minister, outlining the policy initiatives on which the minister is expected to focus – along with accomplishment objectives – within a given timeframe. The contents of mandate letters typically flow directly from the party’s electoral platform (and correspondingly the Speech from the Throne). However they can also include directives from the prime minister added either at his personal initiative, or on advice from the minister’s department or the Privy Council Office (PCO).

If you are fortunate, or if you did your homework prior to the previous election, your issue will have been included in the platform. However even this is no guarantee, as your concern may not be high on the minister’s or the government’s list of priorities at that moment. Moreover you will never be the wiser, as mandate letters are private instructions from the prime minister to a minister and are not available to the public – or even widely distributed among ministerial staff.

No guarantees

Other factors that influence whether or not meetings with political staff are accepted include the present importance of your issue in public debate, its prominence in the minister’s riding, any personal or professional relationship you may enjoy with the minister (or key staff), advice from the prime minister’s office, and, frankly, your own public importance or that of the institution or association you represent. One thing is certain: like the mandate letter, there are no guarantees. Like their bosses, the demands on the time of ministerial staff far outweigh their capacity to meet all of the requests directed their way.

Do your homework

Come prepared to meetings with political staff. Be specific about what you want and when. Be aware of their skittishness over accepting coffee, a meal or other benefits. When in doubt, split the tab. As well, make sure you are registered to lobby if you have to be. They will check, and your meeting could be cancelled or delayed if there are problems. And don’t be shy about offering positive quotations, and doing so publicly. After all, you are trying to build your case both in the political realm and in the public sphere. Above all, think politically. Frame your issue in terms of the government’s agenda, commitments and public positions. If you don’t know how to do this, get some advice before you arrive.

Engaging the Prime Minister’s Office

For many, the gold standard of advocacy remains the Prime Minister’s Office. Among those who procure access for a living, arranging a meeting with PMO staff is the sign they are connected. Under the present government, two groups of PMO staff meet with stakeholders: policy advisors and stakeholder relations people. As with MOs, the process is as simple as sending an e-mail or picking up the phone and suggesting a coffee, a quick chat or a meeting.

There is no direct line between meeting with PMO policy or stakeholder people and your issue being brought to the prime minister’s attention. Competition for space on a prime minister’s briefing agenda is ferocious. The most likely outcome is that you will get your issue onto their radar. This in itself is not a negligible thing. These people are in daily contact with many of the different players in the policy and political process, from the prime minister to his chief of staff to senior Privy Council Office advisors, ministers, MPs and their respective staffs.

Ministers first, Prime Minister second

In general, stakeholders wishing to engage Langevin Block (home of the prime minister’s office and staff) should do so after they have spoken to the minister’s office. Ministerial staff have more (but not much) room in their daily agendas than do PMO staff, so your chances of getting a meeting are better. As well, by meeting with MO people first you afford their PMO counterparts the opportunity to get properly up to speed on your issue, through debriefs and so forth, before they meet with you, saving everyone valuable time. And third, meeting with two offices allows you to argue your case at two crucial points in the policy/political pipeline.

Relationships are important

In sum, stakeholders should not be shy about developing relationships with political staff. Contact them yourself. This is an important point worth repeating. Political staff want to hear from stakeholders, not intermediaries. When you do meet with them, be useful. Offer to provide facts, talking points, position papers and so forth. Provide them with information – ‘juice’ as it is called – to which they might not otherwise have access. And seek information from them in return. Good public policy requires dialogue and debate. Both often begin with a call or an email to political staff.

This article was originally published in The Association Agenda - The Canadian Society of Association Executives' newsletter.

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