Understand how the system works Discover who is listening Move beyond the ask Examine what success means Karen Lynch Canadian Parents For French October 172014 Advocacy or Lobbying ID: 488804
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Advocacy in Canada: Not Just For Lawyers
Understand how the system works.Discover who is listening.Move beyond the ask.Examine what success means.Karen LynchCanadian Parents For French October 17,2014Slide2
Advocacy or Lobbying?
I wrote a letter to my Member of Parliament.Our volunteers designed a protest campaign.The Board hired Murdoch & Co. to write a proposal to give to the Prime Minister.Our $100,000 budget had a $20K line for a government relations expert.Slide3
Lobbyist Act (Canada)
The Lobbying Act four key principles:Free and open access to government is an important matter of public interest.Lobbying public office holders is a legitimate activity.It is desirable that public office holders and the general public be able to know who is engaged in lobbying activities.The system of registration of paid lobbyists should not impede free and open access to government.The Act applies to individuals who are paid to lobby. People who lobby on a voluntary basis are not required to register.Cheat sheet Ten things You should Know about Lobbying in Canada: https://ocl-cal.gc.ca/eic/site/012.nsf/eng/00403.htmlSlide4
Who is a lobbyist?
A “consultant lobbyist” is a person who, for payment, undertakes to lobby on behalf of a client, and includes an individual engaged by a consultant lobbyist to lobby in respect of an undertaking. “In House lobbyist” means an employee, officer or director of an organization who receives a payment for the performance of his or her functions, or a sole proprietor, or a partner in a partnership, Slide5
…Who is a Lobbyist?
Federal Lobbyist RegistryNot all lobbying activity requires registration. Corporations and not-for-profit organizations may conduct some lobbying activities and not be required to file a registration if the cumulative lobbying activities of all employees do not constitute 20% or more of one person's duties over a period of a month.Volunteers are not required to register as they are not paid to communicate with public office holders.www.oclcal.gc.ca/eic/site/012.nsf/eng/00403.htmlSlide6
Advocacy
Meet and communicate with politicians and officials, even if intent is to change law or policyRepresentations: related to issues connected to charity’s purposes; that are well-reasoned; that do not contain information that the charity knows, or ought to know is false, inaccurate, or misleading;that have no call to action. All such activity is considered “charitable”.http://www.millerthomson.com/assets/files/article_attachments2/SManwaring%20-%20Political%20Activities%20-%20Mar%202013.pdfSlide7
Federal Scene
Federal Budget 2012 profiled significant concerns about political activities, advocacy and what charities are permitted to do. Why?CRA’s “advocacy rules” Policy Statement CPS-022:Courts have determined political purposes to be those that seek to:further the interests of a particular political party; or support a political party or candidate for public office; orretain, oppose, or change the law, policy, or decision of any level of government in Canada or a foreign country.http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/chrts-gvng/chrts/plcy/cps/cps-022-eng.html#N101D6Slide8
Federal Scene
Can you communicate with an elected representative or public official?Slide9
Infamous 10% Rule
When a charity takes part in political activities, the Act requires that substantially all of its resources must be devoted to charitable activities. The term resources is not defined in the Act, but it is considered to include the total of a charity's financial assets, as well as everything the charity can use to further its purposes, such as its staff, volunteers, directors, and its premises and equipment.consider substantially all to mean 90% or morewww.oclcal.gc.ca/eic/site/012.nsf/eng/00403.htmlSlide10
How to avoid trouble…
“One year and $5 million later, Harper’s charity crackdown nets just one bad egg”An $8-million pot of money included in 2012 federal budget to crack down on charities suspected of engaging in “excessive” political activities has so far resulted in only one having its charitable status revoked, out of nearly 900 that were audited.Under the Canadian tax code, registered charities are permitted to devote a maximum of 10 per cent of their total resources to non-partisan political activities, defined as any type of call to political action.The agency has already spent $5 million to educate charities and increase transparency and compliance around those limitations, and expects to spend the remaining $3 million in the coming year.March 13, 2013 Metro NewsSlide11
Tedious KnowledgeSlide12
So You Want to Be Heard?
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House of Commons
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Engagement with CanadiansSlide15
What works and what doesn’tSlide16
What works and what doesn’t
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What works and what doesn’t…
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What works and what doesn’t…
Political Activities
CPS
– 022
“
for
the purposes
of this policy, a charity’s activities
can be
divided into 3
types:
Prohibited
activities
Political
activities
Charitable
activitiesSlide19
What works and what doesn’t…
1) Prohibited Activity• partisan political activity• no financial (or in-kind) contributions to partiesor candidates• Illegal activity2) Permitted – But Limited – PoliticalActivities• OK if “non-partisan” and “subordinate to charity’spurposes”• a call to action (“vote a certain way” or “writeyour MP”)• taking out a newspaper ad / starting an emailcampaign aimed at legislators• organizing a march on Parliament HillSlide20
What works and what doesn’t…
3) Charitable Activity• meet and communicate with politicians and officials, even if intent is to change law or policy• Representations related to issue connected to charity’s purposes; that are well-reasoned,do not contain information that the charity knows is false, inaccurate, or misleading; that have no call to action• All such activity is charitableSlide21
What works and what doesn’t…
Lobby days http://www.cla.ca/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Home&TEMPLATE=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&CONTENTID=14133http://impactcanada.com/awards/ Slide22
High Value NetworkingSlide23
What works and what doesn’t…
Disability tax credit Arthritis Society Special Olympics Michener Centre Common Drug ReviewVolunteer Police Information Check programCanadian Survey of Giving Volunteering and ParticipatingSlide24
Case for Canadian Parents for FrenchSlide25
Public Policy Development or
Public Policy Advocacy?Citizen Engagement. Identify:Who is supportive?Who is effected?Who else is focusing on the issue?Who is opposed?Research. Formulating: Data collectionLiterature reviewHistory of issueAskSlide26
CPF Master Advocacy Plan
Summary:Know the system for decision makingKnow your issueLearn the rulesCreate your case Determine alliesDevelop the networkDetermine the askCommunicate to decision makersPrepare to be persistent (nicely!)Participate as a partnerSlide27
Advocacy in Canada –
Not Just for Lawyers.Get Started.Karen LynchKaren.lynch@shaw.ca