Last call, ones to watch, and old favourites: a roundup of current consultations

One of the best ways to change public policy is to work directly with government, and the most straightforward way to do that is to participate in public consultations on policy change. While we don’t think submissions often change the world on their own, they’re a helpful tool to in the policy advocate’s toolbelt.

Consultations are also signals of what the government is actively working on. Even if you miss a submission deadline, if signs point to active work on an issue, the window may still be open to provide insights directly to government.

We’ve rounded up some key consultations of interest to organizations outside government who have policy goals related to everything from immigration, to missing persons, to commercial protection. This time we’ve looked at the federal government, Ontario and Toronto — but important consultations are happening everywhere.

Last call: consultations that are closing soon:

• Circular Economy Road Map Survey (City of Toronto): The City of Toronto is gathering public input to help inform the development of a 10-year strategy to support the transition to a circular economy. This consultation is open July 14 to July 27, 2024
• Consultations on economic priorities for category-based selection in Express Entry (federal): IRCC is seeking input on the economic priorities it should consider addressing through Canada’s “Express Entry” immigration program. This consultation is open June 27 to July 28, 2024.
• Consultation on the Employment Equity Act modernization (federal): ESDC is reviewing the Employment Equity Act, and has announced a set of commitments to modernize the Act. This consultation will be used to help determine the best ways to put in place the commitments that ESDC has announced. This consultation is open May 3 to July 31, 2024.
• Survey review of Ontario’s 2020–2025 Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy (Ontario): Coming to the conclusion of its five-year Anti-Human Trafficking Strategy, Ontario is looking for feedback to help shape its next steps in combatting human trafficking. This consultation closes August 9, 2024.

As above, if you’ve missed the deadline for these but still want to influence these policies, all the other tools in your policy toolbelt are still (and especially!) useful right now — the consultations are strong signals that governments are seized of these issues.

Other open consultations we’re watching:

• Missing persons data standards consultation (federal): Input from this consultation will form the basis of recommendations for national data standards for police services, helping to improve the information that police gather on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, and responding to one of the Calls for Justice outlined in the Final Report of the National Inquiry into MMIWG. This consultation opened June 2023 and doesn’t specify a closing date.
• Right to repair consultation (federal): ISED is leading consultations on the development of a “repairability policy” — or an approach to give consumers more choice around repair options for home appliances and consumer electronics. This consultation is open June 28, to Sept 26, 2024.
• Improving accessible built environment standards (Ontario): The Design of Public Spaces Standards Development Committee drafted 127 recommendations on improving Ontario’s accessibility standards for public spaces. They are now seeking feedback on these recommendations. This consultation closes August 29, 2024.
• There are also a slew of consultations pending for the federal government’s budget 2024 housing package. We summarized that in our housing briefing note here.

Regularly repeating consultations

Some of the most important consultations happen on a regular basis at the same time. For example, IRCC carries out annual consultations on immigration levels, typically in May and June.

Pre-budget consultations are the most noteworthy regular consultation. While many consultations are about very specific subjects, it’s fair game to submit pre-budget consultation feedback on any topic related to government spending, making it a crucial time and place to influence government spending and policy on the issues that matter to you.

The federal House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance solicits written pre-budget submissions, holds public hearings, and then prepares a report with recommendations. This year’s consultation period closes August 2 and can be accessed here. A second federal-level pre-budget consultation period is run by the Department of Finance and is usually open around December to February. These pre-budget consultations generally have a “consultation portal” webpage through which to submit.

Similar consultations exist at the provincial and municipal level. The Ontario Ministry of Finance holds budget consultations that typically run December-February. The City of Toronto holds budget consultations around November, offered through virtual and in-person consultations and through an online survey and portal.

If this post has you worked up and ready to start making submissions, make sure to check out other pieces we’ve written on the topic: When are budget submissions worth your time? — Part 1 and Part 2. Also, check out Imagine Canada’s pre-budget consultations toolkit.