Struggling with how to navigate political risk within your organization?
Learn how professional lobbyists deploy winning strategies while becoming an expert in public policy.
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Participants from
Learn to anticipate, interpret, and mitigate political risk with professionals from across Canada.
GR 101 cohort participants have come from organizations including:
LOBBYISTS ARE PROFESSIONALS
Political risk is business risk
Understanding how politics and business intersect is perhaps the most important skill in a world where government impacts nearly every decision associations, non-profits, or private companies make in pursuit of their mandate or mission.
You could level-up your professional value proposition by...
- Becoming a strategic and creative problem-solver
- Becoming political without becoming partisan
- Becoming politically proactive vs. reactive
- Becoming confident with risk management
- Becoming an expert at government and politics
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
I'm Mel Caouette
I launched Pocket Lobbyist in 2022 after spending over a decade in and around politics. From volunteering to working as a bureaucrat and political staffer to becoming a strategist in the private sector before founding my own boutique consulting practice, politics and public policy have shaped my entire professional career.
I have always rejected the idea that political risk is somehow a less important organizational risk than finance or IT (for example) or that lobbyists are somehow less valuable than other professionals.
In reality, nearly every organizational risk can be traced back to political risk…so why are we not openly acknowledging and addressing it?
I have come to understand people see themselves as either good at business or good at politics and public policy–never both.
I created GR 101 because every organization needs people with a holistic understanding of how business and politics intersect, and not very many people have the background to teach both. GR 101 is about merging theory and history with practical insights on how to advance government and public policy objectives to accomplish organizational objectives. After all, political risk is business risk.
CURRICULUM
Here's what we cover:
MODULE 1
Political history
The best way to understand the present is to understand the past. We explore and unpack Canadian political history as it applies to current cultures, systems, norms, and traditions.
MODULE 2
How government and politics work
While political positions may change, neither human nature nor institutions do. Learn about the evergreen structures and systems that underwrite government and political systems and decision-making.
MODULE 3
Decision-makers and influencers
What you know is always more important than who you know, but politics and government are run by human beings. We unpack the roles and incentive structures which influence government relations and lobbying.
MODULE 4
Lobbying and government relations
People think that successful lobbyists know the right people, but really, they are strategic business experts that understand how to leverage unique skillsets to increase collaboration and positive outcomes.
MODULE 5
Developing a strategy
Strategy is about the approach and is curated based on the objectives, not a list of tactics. Government relations strategies are not special; strategic planning skillsets translate across organizational priorities.
MODULE 6
Executing a strategy
The effectiveness of a government relations strategy is only as good as the quality of execution. Learn the skills to advance your government relations priorities beyond the boardroom brainstorming sessions.
This cohort is for you if...
- You want to improve your knowledge of politics and public policy
- You work at an organization dependent upon government
- You are responsible for government relations at your organization
- You want to improve risk management and strategic thinking capabilities
"I was pleasantly surprised by how much business strategy content was included as part of the public policy content. It was nice to learn from an expert that is a practicing lobbyist."
- Participant Quote
"When I considered my limited professional development budget for the year, I needed to choose wisely. GR 101 gave me business and political knowledge. I would highly recommend it to any non-profits with a limited budget where hiring a lobbyist might not be an option."
- Participant Quote
"I had no idea how accessible understanding politics and government could be–GR 101 gave me a baseline of knowledge that I have since improved and built upon."
- Participant Quote
SECURE YOUR SPOT
Upcoming Cohorts
Our live, virtual GR 101 cohort programs are delivered on Thursday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. MT for six weeks.
Spots are limited, so we encourage you to register well in advance for your desired intake.
Fall 2026
$2,500.00 CAD + tax
September 17, 2026
September 24, 2026
October 1, 2026
October 8, 2026
October 15, 2026
October 22, 2026
Winter 2027
$2,500.00 CAD + tax
January 14, 2027
January 21, 2027
January 28, 2027
February 4, 2027
February 11, 2027
February 18, 2027
Spring 2027
$2,500.00 CAD + tax
May 13, 2027
May 20, 2027
May 27, 2027
June 3, 2027
June 10, 2027
June 17, 2027
Fall 2027
$2,500.00 CAD + tax
September 9, 2027
September 16, 2027
September 23, 2027
September 30, 2027
October 7, 2027
October 14, 2027