Parliamentary Committees are increasingly influential and can be an effective opportunity to interact with Members of Parliament and Senators. Global Public Affairs, together with NATIONAL Public Relations can support you in the preparation of messaging, anticipated questions and answers, rules of procedure, and etiquette for Committee appearances.

In Ottawa a minority parliament vastly increases the importance of understanding the mechanics of the parliamentary system. In this environment, government must be highly responsive to public opinion and to the Opposition. Individual parliamentarians from all parties have greater influence, particularly in Standing Committees where in-depth decisions are made. In a minority government, legislation is more easily defeated and frequently amended – sometimes with profound impact.

At the Committee level, backbench MPs and Senators are significantly influencing government policy and legislative outcomes. With this increased clout, Committee proceedings are attracting more media interest than ever before.

A Committee appearance is unlike any public speaking opportunity, bringing with it a degree of risk but it is also an opportunity to further your organization’s government relations and public relations goals. Your on-the-record testimony is an opportunity to deliver your message to key influencers in the Government of Canada, stakeholders, media and interested Canadians.

For these reasons, Global Public Affairs and NATIONAL Public Affairs have joined to offer a Parliamentary Presentation Workshop. Our experienced team will prepare you for your Committee appearance so that you will know what to expect in this politically charged atmosphere and enter the Committee room armed with presentation techniques that will help ensure a successful and advantageous appearance.

Among the topics covered during the workshop include:

• The role of parliamentary Committees in the decision-making process
• Committee procedure and etiquette
• Briefing on political party interests
• Research profiling Committee members including their special interests and hot-button issues
• Preparation of key messages
• Presentation tips
• Anticipated questions and answers
• Analysis of recent media coverage and press gallery reporters covering the issue
• How to interact with the media
• On-camera simulations

We currently offer two workshops:

Facilitators

Our course facilitators research the current political and parliamentary environment including the players involved in the issue that your testimony will address. We work with you to ensure your session is tailored to your individual needs in furthering the objectives of your organization.

 Nicole Foster Woollatt

Nicole Foster Woollatt brings to Global Public Affairs exceptional strength in the area of federal legislative processes. Having worked a number of years as the Legislative Assistant to the Minister of the Environment, she managed several legislative stakeholder groups and parliamentary activities, including overall strategy and tactics for Question Period, major pieces of environmental legislation and the activities of parliamentary Standing Committees on behalf of the minister. Nicole monitors activity on Parliament Hill alerting clients to emerging issues and advises clients how to best intervene with parliamentarians on an ongoing basis and affect legislative outcomes when concerns arise.

 David Rodier

For more information, please contact:

David Rodier
NATIONAL Public Relations
Tel: 613-233-1699 X 243
drodier@national.ca
www.national.ca