At the annual general meeting of the Moose Jaw & District Chamber of Commerce on Sep. 28, guest speaker Kevin Doherty, a former Saskatchewan Party MLA and provincial finance minister, told guests that if they want to see political action, constant lobbying is key.
Doherty has been a senior strategy advisor at Prairie Sky Strategy since resigning his legislature seat in 2018. He was first elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Regina Northeast in 2011 and went on to serve two years on the Executive Council of Saskatchewan as Finance Minister from 2015 to 2017.
Doherty and his partner moved to Moose Jaw just over a year ago, he said, and are loving the city, the community, and the people. He was invited to speak at the Chamber AGM at Grant Hall alongside Maryse Carmichael, Moose Jaw's city manager, on the topic of getting government attention to help advance Moose Jaw's businesses and general economy.
Doherty noted that in addition to his several decades of experience in the public and private sectors, his current work with Prairie Sky Strategy is directly concerned with government relations, public affairs, business development, and stakeholder relations.
"The number one thing in government and getting the government's attention, regardless of political stripe, or which province you're dealing with, or the federal government, is you've got to stay in their ear," Doherty said firmly.
"If you look at representation around the caucus table, and the Cabinet table, and who is getting 'face time', if you will, with respect to those decisions that are being made on attracting investment, or attracting business, or providing some type of incentives, or assistance to attract that investment and attract those businesses ... lobbying goes on all the time.
"It goes on internally, within government. When I was finance minister, I had a parade of MLAs coming to my office on a consistent basis, lobbying on behalf of their constituency and their constituents.
"Whatever the project might be, whether it's a new highway, or some type of tax concession, or some type of a regulatory change to impact that constituency ... (lobbying) is going on all the time."
He added that that constant internal government lobbying is then multiplied by all the firms such as his own Prairie Sky, which also lobbies on behalf of business clients.
"They're being pulled in many, many different directions, but you can't stop. You have to be in their ear."
Doherty pointed to the recent appointment of Moose Jaw North MLA Tim McLeod to the provincial cabinet and said it is "just the reality" that McLeod will now have much more influence than he did as a backbench MLA.
Ministers visit with ministers more often than backbenchers, he said, and it is the responsibility of the City of Moose Jaw's elected officials, the mayor's office, economic development officers, and the Chamber of Commerce to be always in the ear of Tim McLeod and Moose Jaw Wakamow MLA Greg Lawrence, to advocate for Moose Jaw.
(Lawrence recently announced he would not be running again in the next provincial election.)
Doherty advised guests at the event to stay focussed on one issue until it isn't an issue anymore, and to try and relate whatever it is to the current government's current focus.
"Stay on with what your concerns are, over and over and over again. And as we always say in the business, keep the main thing the main thing. Don't go down too many rabbit holes or trying to be all things to all people," he explained.
"The other thing is to take something to government they can say 'yes' to. ... The action plan, or the growth plan that Premier Moe announced in 2020 ... is the North Stay for this government.
"If you're looking for money to help with your economic development, go through this with a fine-toothed comb ... and find things in there that you can support."
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