The involvement of communities was normally limited to consultation sessions. Many of these efforts met with limited success since they did not have buy-in from community stakeholders. More recently, a number of Federal and Provincial government departments have used community-based principles in their work. This approach goes well beyond community consultation and involves the community as a partner, or indeed, as the leaders in community development. Government departments which support community-based development recognize that they are just one of several stakeholders interested in common objectives, and that their role is largely to facilitate the process by providing necessary tools that the community requires to obtain concrete action.
Most difficult issues require the cooperation of a number of key stakeholders to resolve.
Often, each stakeholder has a different view and interest. The multi-stakeholder process calls for the development of true and active partnerships among the stakeholders. Participants usually follow a consensus model for decision-making that involves open discussion of the many factors and perspectives that must be considered. When common interests are evident, even established adversaries can work together. Reaching consensus and working together has many benefits, including reducing misunderstandings and work done at cross purposes, overcoming impasses, avoiding duplication, and sharing of expertise and resources.