Opening Dialogue, Opening Minds: Encouraging Citizen Engagement

The Canadian Council for International Co-operation has been testing innovative methods of engaging the public in meaningful discussion of international policy issues. This community story describes the Council”s work in developing, testing and expanding use of a process known as “deliberative dialogue” or “public deliberation.” The process involves bringing together individuals from a variety of viewpoints to work through different approaches to dealing with an issue. The emphasis is on mutual respect, sharing of opinions and building on the perspectives of others, rather than on debate or attack. The aim is to find common ground that will allow policy progress on contentious issues. Results from a pilot project in three provinces, which involved more than 400 people in deliberations about globalization, suggests that public deliberation is a promising technique to involve the public in consideration of policy options.

ISBN – 1-894598-91-1