At a recent panel organized by the Max Bell Foundation, 鈥淪haping Public Policy from Outside of Government,鈥� moderator and fellow Paul Wells opened with a pointed observation that civil society actors are often invited to contribute to government consultations, but they are left wondering whether their input has any real effect. As he put it, many in Ottawa 鈥渄on鈥檛 seem concerned with the concerns of civil society,鈥� not necessarily out of indifference, but because of a lack of time, capacity, and the overwhelming volume of input in an age saturated by social media. He reflected on the early Trudeau years, when the government launched an ambitious wave of consultations鈥攕o many, in fact, that some organizations felt overburdened and burned out, unsure if their efforts were making a difference. The result, Wells said, has been widespread disillusionment with the role of civil society in policy-making.
Responding to this, Taylor Owen, director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy and a scholar of media and digital governance, pushed the audience to rethink the question entirely with a systems-level perspective. 鈥淲hat do we mean by government?鈥� he asked. 鈥淚s it politicians? Cabinet ministers? Civil servants?鈥� The answer matters, because each group requires a different mode of engagement. He challenged the notion that civil society should necessarily shape policy, cautioning that being 鈥渉eard鈥� is not the same as directing outcomes鈥攁nd perhaps it shouldn鈥檛 be. In his view, academics in particular often struggle to translate deep expertise into practical policy tools. 鈥淭hink tanks,鈥� he noted, 鈥渁re meant to bridge that divide between academic knowledge and policymaking.鈥� But even that space is increasingly crowded with consultants and lobbyists, who often represent corporate interests rather than the public good.
Rachel Samson, vice-president of research at the Institute for Research on Public Policy (), brought a complementary but distinct perspective. Samson has over 25 years of experience in the federal public service and in delivering evidence-based policy advice. 鈥淲e can look ahead to 2040 or 2050,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd think about where we want to go.鈥� Samson emphasized the value of long-term, cross-sectoral research and the ability of think tanks to cut across silos. Perhaps just as crucial, she argued, is their role in 鈥渢ranslating鈥� technical findings into accessible insights for both policymakers and the broader public鈥攚ith help from journalists and media platforms.
Wells pressed the panelists: is the government actually taking in these contributions? Owen cited the example of the . A Trudeau-era priority to regulate online hate and safety, the legislation emerged from years of civil society and academic consultations. But despite the initial promise鈥攁nd mechanisms like mandate letters and 鈥渄eliverology,鈥� meant to keep government accountable鈥攖he bill ultimately failed. 鈥淚t lost goodwill from civil society, never passed, and ended up dividing the academic community,鈥� he said. The process, though intended to be consultative, ultimately left many experts and advocates feeling sidelined.
Both panelists acknowledged that the civil service is often filled with capable and committed professionals. But the channels through which external expertise enters government remain flawed. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not that they鈥檙e not listening,鈥� Owen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just ad hoc, informal, and chaotic鈥攁nd that鈥檚 the problem.鈥�
He concluded with a call for more structured and participatory models, like citizens鈥� assemblies. Rather than one-off consultations or rushed expert briefings, these assemblies allow ordinary people to be brought into policy making in a meaningful, deliberative, and informed way. 鈥淲hen done rigorously,鈥� Owen argued, 鈥渢he engagement is deeply meaningful.鈥�
The event laid bare the tensions and disconnects between those inside and outside of government鈥攂ut also offered a hopeful vision of how more intentional, inclusive, and long-term engagement could lead to better policy and a healthier democracy.
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