Strengthening Public Engagement, Op-ed

NOTE: The following is an op-ed by Deputy Premier Frank Corbett.

Questions have been raised recently in newspapers and elsewhere regarding the closure of Nova Scotia Voluntary Planning. Those call for a clear and straightforward response.

Let me begin with perhaps the most important point: this government fully recognizes and appreciates the many contributions of Voluntary Planning in shaping economic and social policy in the province since the 1960s. We acknowledge the hard work and dedication of Voluntary Planning staff, board members and volunteers over many years and we are deeply grateful for this service to Nova Scotia.

So why would government want to change such a successful agency? Voluntary Planning has done excellent work on many high-profile initiatives, but that is only part of the picture for public engagement in this province. Departments and agencies constantly consult on planning and program issues and on legislative and regulatory changes. However, many if not most of these activities do not meet basic standards for meaningful citizen engagement.

Front-line agencies currently have limited capacities to design and implement effective consultations and lack skills and resources to develop best practices and train staff. In addition, government is not taking full advantage of increasingly popular social media options for consultation. We need to change all these things.

I am committed, as are my colleagues, to strengthening public engagement across the province. We recognize that open and effective consultation is fundamental to how government operates at every level. Nova Scotia faces major challenges as it works to create good jobs, grow the economy, improve health care and overcome a deep structural deficit. To meet these challenges we need to enhance public engagement and stakeholder participation in many areas of planning and policy development.

By moving Voluntary Planning resources into a central agency we are building new capacity to strengthen consultation practices across government and to transfer knowledge and skills to front-line staff in every department. The expertise of Voluntary Planning personnel and their extensive community networks will now be available to departments to enrich all public engagement activities. The new unit will provide support and training on strategies, standards and best practices, and will help co-ordinate events to ensure optimal public participation.

For Nova Scotians, this means more opportunities to be heard in a meaningful way and to help shape public policy in this province.

Public engagement is not about pushing out government's messages or pretending to consult on decisions we have already made. On the contrary, effective engagement is a two-way exchange that allows citizens to learn about the issues, take positions and offer ideas, and ask tough questions. Such processes are absolutely essential to the conduct of government in this time of far-reaching economic and social change. Government believes in public engagement, we support it, and we are committed to strengthening it in Nova Scotia.