Government relations
One of the most meaningful programs I had a small part in starting was an initiative of YWCA Edmonton called One Woman One Vote. While its activities changed over the years, at its core, One Woman One Vote was about getting more women involved in politics. The idea made sense to me and it was something I was passionate about. I asked to be involved even though it was not directly part of my responsibilities.
One of the first events was a multi-day conference. (As an aside: I could write another whole post on the many things I learned in the weeks leading up to that event from the formidable Janet Buckmaster who knew her way around an event plan, amongst other things.) The conference attracted an impressive list of invitees from across the province and an even more impressive slate of speakers including women who had been elected at all levels of government.
The experience reminded me of my high school conference days: long evenings drafting resolutions that were vetted and edited by delegates, presented at the plenary and then added to calls for action that were published at the end of the event.
I was part of the event organizing committee so I saw most of the event transpire from behind the scenes; staffing the registration desk, running documents to the copier and driving speakers from the airport to the venue. It’s a position I still prefer: watching the activity from the sidelines, seeing progress and connections be made from a bird’s eye view.
And it’s why on those days I had a front row seat to the inner workings of an MP’s office as the Honorable Anne McLellan bobbed between conference proceedings and mobile constituency work in the lobby. It was the first time I saw a media scrum as it was being recorded; realized this local MP knew every one of the reporters by name; saw McLellan ask for a minute to centre herself before the reporters started peppering her with questions and witnessed the ease at which she (then Deputy Minister) bounced from reflections on the One Woman One Vote conference to international relations to federal policy.
The day after that interview aired, the location of the conference now public and Anne McLellan’s participation confirmed, a woman approached the interview desk visibly shaking. She explained that she was there to speak to Anne McLellan to seek help for Canadian family members attempting to leave Haiti for Canada after a natural disaster. A member of McLellan’s constituency team who was on site went over, gathered the details and assured the woman that someone would be in touch. The whole incident was over in just a few minutes but it was immediately clear to me that this MP gig was more than writing policy and spending time in the House of Commons.
One Woman One Vote exposed for me the skills and insight women uniquely bring to politics, the barriers they face getting there and the challenges they experience when they are successful. Frustratingly, most of those barriers and challenges still exist but lots has been said about people like Anne McLellan who lit the way for those who followed to date. It also showed me why we must keep pushing for all aspects of politics and governance to be a place where women and others can be safe and successful.
That early experience and my small part in the beginning of One Woman One Vote was a foundation for work I do now in advocacy and government relations. Skills I’ve honed over later years of my career; efforts that I have coaxed out of our organization. I’ve come to realize that part of this work is those outside-the-conference-room conversations, sharing your experience or story and pressing for information or action from the people in government who have the power to make policy change. It needs to be all above board, taking in to consideration legislative and lobbying rules and not contravening anyone’s confidentiality agreement, of course, but there’s a lot of work done outside the legislature and that work can be just as life changing.
