In today’s world, it can be challenging to grasp the vast array and complexity of policy issues that organizations and governments are tackling globally, not to mention contributing to solutions as thought leaders. We all experience the effects of crises—ranging from climate change to rising costs of living, housing, and healthcare—in our daily lives. However, there are numerous ways for experts to engage in public policy and drive the positive change that their companies or organizations are striving for.
Alberto Alemanno’s piece on the “The Lobbying for Good Movement” in the Winter 2024 Stanford Social Innovation Review describes “a new movement of nonprofits, philanthropies and progressive companies that are reclaiming lobbying as a legitimate form of political innovation, capable of redistributing power across society.”
Lobbying for social good – with purpose and intent – is a reframe of how people traditionally see government relations. While it may be a newer concept in Canada, momentum has grown for the concept in other jurisdictions.
This concept challenges the outdated notion that lobbying is solely about access and influence—a belief that can lead those without substantial resources to feel excluded from the policy landscape, mistakenly assuming they lack the capacity to engage effectively. In Canada, where we have transparent rules for the lobbying process, there’s an even greater ability to level that playing field.
Advocacy to government by stakeholders – and citizens – is key to the democratic process. There’s a benefit to governments of all types – and all partisan stripes – for stakeholders to be solutions focused and align strategic priorities with their lobbying goals.
Lobbying is also an important two-way communication tactic between government and experts outside of government. We saw the necessity of that two-way relationship during the pandemic when information from businesses, community, unions, associations helped inform governments about what was happening in our communities at a critical moment.
Nonprofits are often seen as the primary communicators on social policy to government (and do a lot of heavy lifting in this regard), but companies, unions and associations all have a wide range of policies from environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles, to net-zero, or diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), to advance both internally and externally. Integrating those policies into their government advocacy could lead to increased societal benefit.
For instance, if a company has committed to achieving net zero emissions, prioritizing policy proposals related to this goal can advance both public objectives and corporate strategies. This could involve focused advocacy for specific policy changes necessary to meet these commitments or broader efforts to promote sector-wide leadership and collaboration.
The practice isn’t new to some organizations. The BC Lobby Registry reports for Vancity Credit Union show their advocacy on climate, as well as skilled trades and STEM training, which may not be seen as the usual financial sector policy priorities. The Sustainable Menstrual Equity Coalition (SMEC) is a private coalition of women-led Canadian companies that specialize in sustainable menstrual care products, and as leaders in their sector, have brought their knowledge and experience with menstrual advocacy, education and solutions to MPs and federal committees. Similar parallels can be made to the long list of businesses that signed onto support the $10aDay Campaign for childcare and included the ask in their advocacy to amplify the importance of action.
Adopting a framework for lobbying for social good involves reimagining how we can use our collective expertise and resources to serve the public interest and enhance future outcomes for all stakeholders and citizens. Given the challenges and opportunities we face, leveraging lobbying as a tool for social change could be key to discovering effective paths forward.
