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Citizen Engagement: Better Policy Good Politics. Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D., M.P. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association October 20, 2011. ENGAGEMENT = Information Communication. imperative...... Send AND Receive. Once a family doctor, always…. Patient as Partner
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Citizen Engagement:Better PolicyGood Politics Honourable Carolyn Bennett, M.D., M.P. Commonwealth Parliamentary Association October 20, 2011
ENGAGEMENT = InformationCommunication • imperative...... Send AND Receive
Once a family doctor, always….. • Patient as Partner • Patient knows body best • Provider knows the system best • Ask people what’s wrong and listen, together develop a plan • Democracy between elections….. • same thing • Citizen as Partner
Objective: Good governmentUrsula Franklin • Fair • Transparent • Takes people seriously
Democracy • One of the cornerstones of democracy has been to provide public ‘spaces’ in which citizens can discuss ideas • The web provides a new and important ‘space’ • This can change the notion of “representative democracy”
OECD Citizen as Partner 2001 • Information • Consultation • Participation
Legitimacy • Timing • ‘Assured Listening’ – EKOS • Tracking Successes / Feedback processes
Peter C. Newman “Politics in Canada has always been the art of making the necessary possible. Deciding what ‘s necessary is POLITICAL
“Good public policy is developed when the policy-makers can keep in their mind’s eye the people affected.” Jane Jacobs
Stephen ColemanProfessor of e-democracy Leeds University “People don’t want to govern they want to be heard.” “Civic efficacy” “Two-way accountability”
Attitude • The most important tool • Truly believe that you get better public policy and more relevant and responsive programs
Voter Turnover – all time low • Elections Canada data 1984 - 2008
Empowering MPsStrengthening Democracy • MPs in the riding • MPs in their non- geographic constituencies, opposition critics • MPs as Parliamentary committee members • MPs in collaboration with government • MPs as Political Party members • MP’s supporting MP’s internationally
1. MPs in the Riding:St. Paul’s Model • Newsletters • Neighbourhood check-ups - 17 ‘natural’ • Town Halls, Roundtables, Parliamentary Clinics • Tabulation • Schools • Grade 5 – Canadian Government • Grade 10 – Civics (compulsory) • Website – interactive • Facebook chat weekly
Sundays at 9, Facebook Chat www.carolynbennett.ca
TELEPHONE TOWNHALLS • An Innovative Way to Interact with Constituents • Telephone townhalls or TeleForumstm are large-scale, interactive town hall meetings conducted over the telephone. • These meetings enable clients to reach thousands of members of their target audience simultaneously in a very cost-effective manner, to share and discuss ideas, ask questions and collect data for follow-up. • A typical program format is 60 minutes with a host interviewing the candidate or incumbent. Guests may be added to the program to add interest. • Audience members can press a key on their telephone and speak to a screener, who enters their question into the system where it can be previewed by the host. The host can select questions to be asked and can decide whether to invite the audience member to pose the question directly. • Also during the program the host or candidate may poll the audience, which responds via their key pads. The poll results are available immediately and may be shared with the audience. • All reports relating to the broadcast, participation, questions and poll results can be downloaded by the client a few minutes after the end of the program • and the raw data uploaded to the client’s database.
TELEPHONE TOWNHALLS How It Works • The client chooses where they wish to target the phone calls. A TeleForumtminvitation can be sent to a few thousand or 500,000 homes. • About 15 minutes prior to the start of the broadcast, the phone numbers are dialed and the audience is presented with a 30-second recorded message, typically: “Please stay on the line to join a live, interactive forum with your Member of Parliament……” • When the broadcast begins, the host and candidate speak uninterrupted for the first five minutes, periodically welcoming audience members and reminding them to press “*3” if they would like to ask a question. • An operator enters the name and location of the caller into a Web interface along with a summary of their question. The screened questions appear in a queue for the program host. The host selects the best questions from the queue and questions can be ranked on a priority basis by the screeners, including questions from selected members of the audience. • Once the host takes the first question, the remainder of the hour proceeds much like a radio talk show, mixing questions and answers, guests and interactive polling. • When the town hall ends, callers still on the line are invited to record messages to which the candidate can later respond. • All reports and data are available to the client immediately after the broadcast.
TELEPHONE TOWNHALLS TeleForumtm Advantages • Versatility, Flexibility and Control-The host, politician and staff can select the topic, screen callers, choose the participants with whom they wish to speak, ask interactive poll questions and get immediate responses, thus building their constituent base. The convenience for the host politician derives from the ability to schedule a telephone town hall with little advance notice, choose any topic and interact directly with the audience. The audience members can participate without leaving their homes. • Participation Levels- Thirty-second invitation calls are sent out to 100% of the target list everyone and reach a live respondent or answering machines, creating broad awareness. According to industry norms, approximately 15% of voters stay on the phone to listen to the program for an average of 17 minutes. Of those respondents who stay on the phone, nearly half participate by asking a question or answering a poll question. • Data Collection– Clients can collect up-to-date e-mail addresses, drive people to Web or Facebook pages, create issue-oriented mailing lists, and respond to inquiries via voicemails left by callers after the broadcast. All data collected is linked directly to the participant and presented in an easy-to-use format.
2. MPs in their non – geographic constituencies • Health reform • Women’s issues • Disability issues • Middle – east • Gay rights
Critic Activities Seniors e-summit – June 12th 2008 • Use technology to access non-geographic constituents • Seniors • Food policy • Health goals • Able to have grass roots discussion with Canadians across the country
84 RECOMMENDATIONS!! Including… Framework Recommendation I: Move immediately to take steps to promote active aging and healthy aging and to combat ageism Framework Recommendation II: Provide leadership and coordination through initiatives such as a National Integrated Care Initiative, a National Caregiver Strategy, a National Pharmacare Program, and a federal transfer to address the needs of provinces with the highest proportion of the aging population Framework Recommendation III: Ensure the financial security of Canadians by addressing the needs of older workers, pension reform and income security reform Framework Recommendation IV: Facilitate the desire of Canadians to age in their place of choice with adequate housing, transportation, and integrated health and social care services Framework Recommendation V: Act immediately to implement changes for those populations groups for which it has a specific direct service responsibility, and in relation to Canada’s official language commitments
QUESTION PERIOD - June 13, 2008 Hon. Carolyn Bennett (St. Paul's, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, yesterday I hosted an Internet summit so that our leader could listen to the needs of seniors from coast to coast. Seniors were clear. There is a pressing need for affordable housing in this country, but the Conservative government is not listening. It has made zero investments in affordable housing for seniors. In fact, in 2006 the Conservatives cut $200 million that had been allocated by the Liberals. Why does the Prime Minister not listen? Why is he denying Canadian seniors the right to live with dignity?
Critic Activities Canadians Make the Rules Tour – October, 2010 • Use technology to access non-geographic constituents • Able to have grass roots discussion with Canadians across the country
5. MPs as Party Members • Policy Process ? • Separate site for riding association?
Change Commission… Total number of posts (En famille): 2,056 Townhalls in – person 3 Townhalls on-line 9 Regional in-person and Elluminate 6 Proposal Submissions from Members 6 Emails, phone calls too numerous to count
