From “Listening” to Collaborative Policymaking: Encouraging Government Engagement with Civil Society

The digital age has helped to create an environment where civic engagement could flourish. The quality and quantity of data have increased and new mechanisms for engagement make it simpler than ever before. Despite this, civic engagement activities often resemble exercises in listening more than active two-way dialogue. With the Government of Canada as its focus, this article asks what changes need to be made to improve civic engagement—to make it more interactive and iterative—so that its potential as an element of good governance can be better realized? Drawing on contemporary examples of engagement related to transparency, it is argued that improvements need to focus on increasing institutionalization of engagement, improving the visibility of engagement opportunities, and building and sustaining relationships and trust with citizens.