Transcript Who are the Stakeholders?

Stakeholder Consultation and
Risk Communication
in Canada
Michael Wood
National Manager, Horticulture Section
Plant Health Division
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Stakeholder Consultation
and Risk Communication
• Why consult?
• Stakeholders
– How are they identified?
– Who are they?
• Engagement – How do we engage them,
what tools do we use?
Stakeholder Consultation and Risk
Management
• Decision Making- Who has the final say?
• Follow-Up- How do we ensure ongoing
communication?
• Other Challenges
• Final Point
Why?
• Stakeholders bring a diversity of opinions,
expertise and viewpoints;
• Stakeholders know the most about the affected
industry, environment or commodity;
• Impossible for government to fully understand all
facets and impacts of policy;
• Ultimately stakeholders often bear the brunt of
Canadian policy
Why?
• Ensures that the view of all parties is taken
into consideration when making decisions;
• If all the information is shared, government
and stakeholders will often reach the same
conclusions;
• Harmonization internationally
• Development of a better final product.
Who are the Stakeholders?
Identify stakeholders: cast a broad net
- Rate-payer associations
- National, provincial
and local industry
- Cities/municipalities
associations
- Other government
agencies
- Other National Plant
- Agriculture and Agri-food
Canada
Protection
- Canadian Forest Service
Organizations
- Environment Canada
- Aboriginal groups
-Industry Canada
-International Trade Canada
- Provinces
- Researchers
- Environmental groups
How Are They Identified
• The Usual Suspects;
– such as the Canadian Nursery Landscape
Association, Flowers Canada, Canadian Seed
Growers, Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation
Board
• Self-Identifiers;
• Seek-out issue specific groups.
– better to take time at the start rather than repeat the
consultation process or part of the process near the
end of the development phase.
How do we engage them?
Communication Tools
• Active and Passive
Tools for Engagement
• Passive
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Websites
Posters
Flyers
Pamphlets
List servers
Draft policy documents
How do we engage them?
• Interactive
– Conference calls
– Face-to-Face
Meetings
– Polls
– Task Forces
– Working Groups
Policy Directives
• Circulate documents by e-mail to a
standing list of stakeholders/list-serve
subscribers;
• Ask these stakeholders to distribute
further;
• Post on internet for general public;
• Notify frequent contributors in policy
contribution via “heads-up” conference
calls.
Policy Directives
• Search out stakeholders who may have a
specific interest in a file but whom may not
be included in list of frequent contacts;
• Varying time frames for feedback is
dependant on:
– The urgency of the policy changes;
– The amount of previous communication;
– Impact of policy change.
Working Groups
• Working Groups are led by CFIA
– Used for smaller, less complicated
files
– Swede Midge, Contarinia nasturtii
– Much of the information collected
through personal communication
– Weekly or twice weekly calls with
stakeholders in early stages
– On-going dialogue through-out the
process
Task Forces
• Task Forces are chaired by non-CFIA;
• Could be a researcher, an industry
representative, or a provincial or federal
colleague (CFS, AAFC, BCMAFF, etc.);
• Often composed of specific components of
the policy decision process (regulations,
biology of pest, surveillance, etc.) – targets
expertise
Task Forces
• Engages all stakeholders in decision making
process;
• Shares responsibility for decision making among
stakeholders
• Helps to avoid making policy decisions based on
unbalanced input from vocal, or powerful
stakeholders;
Task Forces
• Forum to hear opinions and comments from
stakeholders;
• Provides recommendations to CFIA on best course of
action.
• Used for larger, more complicated and politically “hot”
issues;
– Plum Pox Virus
– Phytophthora ramorum (SOD)
Decision Making- Who has the final say?
• CFIA, as the agency responsible, must
make the final decision;
• Task Force may make recommendations
that CFIA must refuse or modify;
• CFIA tries to take into consideration all
viewpoints when making decisions.
CFIA Mandate
Other Challenges
• Who represents the common citizen?
– CFIA is made up of common citizens
– Stakeholders often are the common citizens
– NGO’s often add balance to discussions
• Government must try to balance the good
for all with the harm caused to one person
or one industry sector;
• Very difficult balancing act.
Other Challenges
• Which values are “worth” more?
– Economic
–Environmental
• Sometimes difficult to give all stakeholders
the opportunity to contribute.
Other Challenges
• Must not only give parties opportunity to
contribute, but ensure that their
contribution was valued and integrated
into the policy where possible.
• It may be that if no party is completely
satisfied with a particular decision, you
have done your job correctly.
Final Point
• Consultation takes more time and more
effort and it is often more stressful…
BUT IT ALWAYS PRODUCES A BETTER
PRODUCT!