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Rob Mariani and I represented Ascentum at the Strategy Institute’s inaugural Innovations in Public Consultation and Engagement Conference in Toronto this week. It was an interesting event for a couple of reasons. One reason was the “new” diversity of interest, but the other was an inspirational address that caught me by surprise. First, we only knew a handful of participants at the conference. It was nice to meet and see so many different people interested in public participation. From Hydro One, to ViaRail to cities across Canada, public participation is what they are doing or at least is a giant blip on their radar. Times are a changing. There was even a small group who travelled from Singapore – and that is a state that has traditionally held more weight in an iron first than open ears. But let me get to the inspiration. I have heard my fair share of speeches from the stump. I also have a healthy dose of pessimism to go along with my well-worn BS filter (BS = bold but shameful). Naheed Nenshi, the Mayor of Calgary, is the real deal. In a country that aches for political inspiration, the Mayor could be the most promising resource out of Alberta that could be tapped and barreled for use across the country. Why? He gets it. He speaks with candid eloquence. He admits mistakes. He wants to do better. He doesn’t stand for the broken “old ways” of government. He truly believes in the role/value of the citizen in democracy – not just on Election Day, but in the four years between them. He has 52,000 twitter followers. He’s bottom line genuine. I am not 100% sure where Naheed Nenshi sits on the political spectrum. Let’s pretend that it doesn’t really matter. There are a couple of parties looking for leadership – the Tories could even draft him. The fact that he was elected in Calgary might signal that the country may be ready to consider a leader from outside of a Christian faith. What’s important is that in a national role he has the ability to shake up a sleepy system not just with rhetoric or ideology but with a mantra of continuous improvement and value for investment. His vision seems to be grounded in a belief that citizens matter and need a voice, beyond that of an elected representative. Citizen’s need to have their own voice. Let’s hope that the Mayor continues to exercise his own. -Joseph Peters-