Participating in Federal Public Policy: A Guide for the Voluntary Sector

Participating in Federal Public Policy: A Guide for the Voluntary Sector is a resource to help voluntary organizations participate in the federal public policy development process. It also gives federal government departments insight into how to involve their voluntary sector counterparts more effectively. Although the focus of the Guide is to assist organizations that do not have full-time staff devoted to policy, it includes resources that could be useful to all organizations. The Guide is funded by Human Resources Development Canada through the Capacity Joint Table of the Voluntary Sector Initiative.

The Capacity Joint Table Advisory Committee is working to improve the voluntary sector’s ability to provide input into policies of the federal government. This work complements the Voluntary Sector Initiative’s Code of Good Practice on Policy Dialogue, which builds on An Accord Between the Government of Canada and the Voluntary Sector. Participating in Federal Public Policy is one of two projects on policy capacity which the Advisory Committee is overseeing; the other is Policy Internships and Fellowships (PIAF). Earlier consultations, through policy workshops across the country resulted in the report, Policy Grass Roots: Consultant’s Report on Eleven VSI Policy Workshops Held in All Provinces January to March 2002, which informed the development of these two projects.