A Case for the Inclusion of the Nonprofit/Voluntary Sector (NPVS) in Lobby Activities

My clients know me to be brutally honest - someone who tries to remain authentic and sincere and fights for what I believe in. I’m not going to change that for the sake of this article. So, with that said, let’s address the elephant in the room.

Lobbying does not have a good reputation. I know this, you know this, we all know this. Case in point - a joke shared with me when I first started in my role goes something like this: lobbying (and lobbyists—now including me!) is looked at in the same light as used car sales. That is to say, not favourably. I fully admit that, before starting in my role, I, too, was anti-lobby. I believed that, in an ideal world, lobbying wouldn’t and shouldn’t exist and that government access should have nothing to do with the amount of money or contacts you have.

However, my understanding has since evolved. Two distinct elements of my understanding of lobbying have altered my perspective.

First and foremost, I have come to better understand the definition of lobbying. Broadly speaking, lobbying is defined as communicating directly or through grassroots communication with public officeholders to influence government decisions, including legislation, regulations, policies, programs, and funding. Communication activities span from meeting/speaking directly with an elected official through website or social media posts. In the NPVS, our very existence is meant to influence almost every element listed here. We seek systemic change to address root causes and support some of our most vulnerable. Throughout my more than 20 years in various capacities within the sector, there has never been a time when I wasn’t trying to influence some form of change. I considered myself - and still do - an advocate. Lobbying is just another term for the work that I’ve already been doing.

Secondly, I’ve since come to understand the distinctions between the Canadian and American lobby systems. Like many, even now, after working in this field for the last three years, I immediately think of American-style lobbying—backroom deals, big money, and very little transparency. And while gifts are allowed in Alberta (I’m sure we’ve all seen the most recent example of this with the hockey tickets), limitations and rules remain that help mitigate the situations we see in America. There are three that I’d like to highlight:

1.      Canadian law requires the people doing the lobbying, not the officials being lobbied, to be responsible for reporting lobby activities.

2.      Canadian law forces accountability for lobbying transparency to the top of the corporate pyramid.

3.      There are independent regulators who are responsible for overseeing compliance with lobby legislation.

Is it a perfect system? No, of course not. But, in the times that I struggle with the idea of lobbying, I turn to this quote:

“From at least a contemporary perspective, lobbying is absolutely essential to the success of representative government. Without information, perspectives, and proposals flowing from those who are governed, elected and appointed officials can often only dimly guess at what policies will advance the interests of those whom they are duty-bound to serve” (Holman, C. & Luneburg, W.).

The reality is that there is an infinite demand for the attention of political figures and effective advocacy cuts through the noise. However, effective advocacy utilizes experience – it’s more of an art than a science. It requires relationships, trust, and understanding to connect with decision-makers.

We as a sector must find ways to understand and align with the government and the people we engage with to ensure the door remains open. As the nonprofit/voluntary sector lead at Alberta Counsel, I believe our inclusion in lobbying activities is crucial for advancing our causes. It’s why we created the Nonprofit Capacity Building Program, which provides a low-barrier entrance to formalized advocacy support.

The government doesn’t know what they don’t know, and if you’re not telling them your story, somebody else is telling your story – directly or indirectly, accurately or not – on your behalf. Be the one to control your narrative.

Lobbying exists and will continue to exist, whether you’re at the table or not. For the benefit of the people you serve, the causes you believe in, the changes you fight to see, and for Alberta overall, I hope you will join us at the table.