Your organization’s election strategy might be doing more harm than good
Come out of the election with real connections to MPs, staffers, and even cabinet ministers
Photo by Erik Mclean on Pexels
Three short weeks ago, Liberals elected Mark Carney as their new leader—and our Prime Minister. And yesterday Mr. Carney called a federal election.
As we enter another Canadian federal campaign, I want to offer a challenge to advocacy organizations from coast to coast:
What if, instead of launching another “policy report card,” your organization simply… didn’t?
Let me explain.
The Usual Playbook
In every election cycle, it’s common for non-partisan organizations to send questionnaires to major political parties on the issues they care about. They then use the responses—or analyze party platforms—to produce a report card ranking each party.
The intent is clear: raise awareness about an issue, and influence voters by sharing the results with supporters.
But the truth is issue report cards don’t change votes.
Voters are smart. And they decide for themselves what issues matter most. Right now, it’s the U.S. trade war, the rising cost of living, and access to healthcare.
With a weakened news media ecosystem and strict limits on election advertising, it’s nearly impossible to elevate an issue that political parties aren’t already talking about.
Doing More Harm Than Good
From a political party’s perspective, campaign questionnaires are a time-consuming burden that rarely offer upside—and often pose risks.
During an election, parties receive hundreds of surveys from well-meaning advocacy organizations. Each response requires valuable staff time, wins them no votes, and opens the door to public scrutiny or missteps (think: HST after the 2009 BC election).
Stakeholders are often disappointed with the responses. Parties, meanwhile, don’t benefit from informing niche audiences about their positions. To decision-makers, these efforts are often seen as irritating at best, and publicly embarrassing at worst.
A “Do Nothing” Alternative
So what if, instead of pestering parties with surveys, your team focused on building relationships—with future MPs and their staff?
During campaigns, every candidate needs volunteers. Lots of them.
Volunteering might mean attending events, knocking on doors, or making phone calls. And campaigns are almost always happy to welcome new, enthusiastic helpers.
The relationships you build during a campaign can open doors in ways a report card never will.
By showing up regularly, there's a good chance you’ll meet the candidate and their team. You might even spend time together canvassing or debriefing over a beer. It's a real opportunity to start a relationship with a future MP—or with the staffer who may soon work in their riding office or as a political aide in Ottawa.
To be clear: this isn’t undercover work. Be upfront about who you are. Don’t volunteer for a campaign you fundamentally disagree with. And remember—staff can’t volunteer on work time. That would be an in-kind donation, which is illegal. Volunteering must happen on evenings, weekends, or days off.
But the relationships you build during a campaign can open doors in ways a report card never will.
After the Election
Follow up with the (hopefully elected) MP and their team. Invite them for coffee or lunch in the riding. Be helpful. Keep the conversation going.
Start introducing them to your policy issues. Explain why you care, and ask how you might build support within their caucus. Their advice will be more valuable than any survey response.
If your team has done this well, you'll come out of the election with real connections—to MPs, staffers, and maybe even ministers. These are people you can email, meet, and work with. That’s far more effective than sending a cold briefing note post-election.
Be Strategic
By volunteering, you’ve contributed in a way that matters—by helping a candidate when it counts. This isn’t a quid pro quo. It’s relationship-building grounded in shared effort.
Spread your team across different campaigns. Pair staff with parties and candidates they align with—don’t ask your most progressive team member to help a Conservative campaign (or vice versa). Focus on candidates likely to win—and who could land in cabinet.
For some, this relationship-first approach may feel radical. But in what’s shaping up to be a close and unpredictable election, trying something new might be exactly what your organization needs.
Michael Roy is a Founding Partner at ORB Advocacy. He previously worked as a Director of Marketing in the BC Government, co-founded a boutique political ad agency, and served in senior roles on NDP campaigns across Canada.