At a recent panel organized by the Max Bell Foundation, “Shaping Public Policy from Outside of Government,” moderator and fellow Paul Wells opened with a pointed observation that civil society actors are often invited to contribute to government consultations, but they are left wondering whether their input has any real effect. As he put it, many in Ottawa “don’t seem concerned with the concerns of civil society,” not necessarily out of indifference, but because of a lack of time, capacity, and the overwhelming volume of input in an age saturated by social media. He reflected on the early Trudeau years, when the government launched an ambitious wave of consultations—so many, in fact, that some organizations felt overburdened and burned out, unsure if their efforts were making a difference. The result, Wells said, has been widespread disillusionment with the role of civil society in policy-making.
Responding to this, Taylor Owen, director of the Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy and a scholar of media and digital governance, pushed the audience to rethink the question entirely with a systems-level perspective. “What do we mean by government?” he asked. “Is it politicians? Cabinet ministers? Civil servants?” The answer matters, because each group requires a different mode of engagement. He challenged the notion that civil society should necessarily shape policy, cautioning that being “heard” is not the same as directing outcomes—and perhaps it shouldn’t be. In his view, academics in particular often struggle to translate deep expertise into practical policy tools. “Think tanks,” he noted, “are meant to bridge that divide between academic knowledge and policymaking.” But even that space is increasingly crowded with consultants and lobbyists, who often represent corporate interests rather than the public good.
Rachel Samson, vice-president of research at the Institute for Research on Public Policy (), brought a complementary but distinct perspective. Samson has over 25 years of experience in the federal public service and in delivering evidence-based policy advice. “We can look ahead to 2040 or 2050,” she said, “and think about where we want to go.” Samson emphasized the value of long-term, cross-sectoral research and the ability of think tanks to cut across silos. Perhaps just as crucial, she argued, is their role in “translating” technical findings into accessible insights for both policymakers and the broader public—with help from journalists and media platforms.
Wells pressed the panelists: is the government actually taking in these contributions? Owen cited the example of the . A Trudeau-era priority to regulate online hate and safety, the legislation emerged from years of civil society and academic consultations. But despite the initial promise—and mechanisms like mandate letters and “deliverology,” meant to keep government accountable—the bill ultimately failed. “It lost goodwill from civil society, never passed, and ended up dividing the academic community,” he said. The process, though intended to be consultative, ultimately left many experts and advocates feeling sidelined.
Both panelists acknowledged that the civil service is often filled with capable and committed professionals. But the channels through which external expertise enters government remain flawed. “It’s not that they’re not listening,” Owen said. “It’s just ad hoc, informal, and chaotic—and that’s the problem.”
He concluded with a call for more structured and participatory models, like citizens’ assemblies. Rather than one-off consultations or rushed expert briefings, these assemblies allow ordinary people to be brought into policy making in a meaningful, deliberative, and informed way. “When done rigorously,” Owen argued, “the engagement is deeply meaningful.”
The event laid bare the tensions and disconnects between those inside and outside of government—but also offered a hopeful vision of how more intentional, inclusive, and long-term engagement could lead to better policy and a healthier democracy.
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