It can also be observed on a national scale in the form of a federal election. In both of these cases, at the extreme ends of the scale, we see ordinary people taking action to influence their environment. However, citizen engagement has been used to describe many policy development processes in which there is little, if any, direct impact as a result of public involvement. In some cases, no public involvement takes place until after the major policy decisions have been made by either politicians or civil servants. As Leader of the Saskatchewan Party, I have the opportunity to travel throughout the province and meet people from every walk of life.
Many people express a cynical view about politicians and the public process.
They often complain about a political system they perceive has little room and even less interest in their input. This is not to say people are not interested in participating in the process. According to an often quoted poll taken in 1998 by EKOS Research, a significant percentage of Canadians are willing to engage in a process that gives them a legitimate opportunity for influencing policy development in areas that affect their lives. My sub-title, Building Communities and Slaying Governments, refers to the outcome of many effective cases of citizen engagement. I am not suggesting the measure of effective citizen engagement is its negative impact on government politicians at election time.