Why Policy Matters
Grassroots action builds power through bank switches, union drives, and cooperative formation. But policy locks in those gains at scale. Without legislative victories, your progress remains vulnerable. Big 5 banks can deploy regulatory capture to block credit union growth. Provincial governments pass anti-labour laws like Alberta's Bill 32, which deliberately weakened card-check certification. Worker cooperatives lack financing infrastructure because Canada has no federal equivalent to America's Small Business Administration co-op loans.
Reset Phase 2-3: Policy advocacy transforms isolated victories into systemic change. A 1% wealth tax on assets exceeding $10 million generates $5.6 billion annually according to Parliamentary Budget Office 2025 estimates—funding sufficient for CLT construction, co-op development banks, and citizens' dividend programs.
Three-Level Strategy
Municipal campaigns offer the easiest wins with shortest timelines. Progressive city councils in Vancouver, Toronto, and Montréal respond to organized pressure within 6-18 months. Target vacancy taxes at 500% of assessed value on properties vacant over six months annually, generating revenue for CLT funds. Push for land donations of surplus city-owned lots. Demand living wage ordinances requiring $25 hourly minimum for city contractors. Advocate for co-op zoning preferences that fast-track development permits.
Provincial campaigns require 1-3 years but unlock substantial resources. Focus on NDP or Green governments—British Columbia and Québec show most promise. Expand BC's speculation and vacancy tax to Alberta and Ontario. Restore card-check unionization with auto-certification at 55% rather than mandatory votes. Create worker co-op tax credits and development grants. Implement wealth taxes at 1-2% on assets exceeding $10 million.
Federal campaigns demand 3-5 years but deliver highest systemic impact. Target NDP leverage during minority government situations. Reform capital gains inclusion rates from 66.7% to 100%, closing the preferential treatment for investment income. Crack down on offshore tax havens costing $3.65 billion annually in lost revenue. Establish a Co-op Development Bank with $1 billion initial capitalization. Create a Citizens' Wealth Fund through 2-3% financial transaction taxes on TSX trades.
12-Month Campaign Roadmap
Months 1-3: Research & Coalition
Choose one specific policy demand rather than diluting focus across multiple fronts. Your criteria should balance high impact, winnability, and alignment with local political appetite. For example, expanding BC's vacancy tax model to Alberta makes sense given housing crisis severity and existing precedent.
Research precedents exhaustively. Which jurisdictions passed similar legislation? BC's speculation and vacancy tax launched in 2018—study its implementation, revenue generation, and opposition tactics. Use Parliamentary Budget Office and Canadians for Tax Fairness reports for cost projections. Identify who will fight your proposal—real estate lobby groups, chambers of commerce—and prepare counter-arguments before they mobilize.
Build your coalition strategically across multiple sectors. Your core includes 99% Reset chapters, union locals, and tenant unions. Allies should encompass churches providing moral authority, environmental groups overlapping on fossil finance issues, and student unions mobilizing young activists. Recruit economists, lawyers, and academics to provide expert testimony. Aim for 20+ organizational endorsements before launching publicly—this critical mass demonstrates legitimate broad support rather than fringe advocacy.
Months 4-6: Public Education
Frame your message through problem-solution-moral structure. Problem: "Alberta has 15,000 vacant homes while 4,000 people experience homelessness." Solution: "A 500% vacancy tax raises $50 million annually for affordable housing—proven effective by BC's SVT." Moral: "Hoarding homes for profit while families sleep in cars is fundamentally wrong."
Deploy diverse communications tools systematically. Create a one-page PDF with statistics, precedent jurisdiction, and clear ask—template formats below. Develop social media content including infographics, 30-60 second videos, and personal testimonials from affected residents. Submit op-eds to major newspapers like Edmonton Journal or Calgary Herald. Host 3-5 public town halls in union halls or libraries where supporters can ask questions and build commitment.
Launch a petition targeting 10,000+ signatures to demonstrate public support. Use platforms like Change.org or LeadNow that provide infrastructure for signature collection, email follow-up, and data analysis. These numbers matter when meeting decision-makers—a city councillor hesitates to dismiss a campaign backed by thousands of constituents.
Months 7-9: Direct Lobbying
Identify specific decision-makers with power to advance your legislation. Municipal campaigns target city councillors, focusing resources on swing voters rather than certain opponents or guaranteed supporters. Provincial efforts concentrate on NDP and Green MLAs while pressuring centrist Liberals vulnerable to constituent pressure. Federal campaigns work through NDP caucus members and Liberal MPs in competitive ridings.
Execute lobby meetings with careful preparation. Book 30-minute appointments bringing 3-5 constituents plus one expert—lawyer, economist, or academic. Your script follows a tight structure: introduce yourselves as voters in their riding, present the problem affecting your families directly, propose the solution with evidence it works elsewhere, and ask explicitly if they'll support it. Leave behind your one-pager, petition signature counts, and coalition endorsement letters.
Prepare for committee testimony when bills advance. Public hearings provide official platforms for your coalition spokesperson to present 5-minute testimony. Content should concisely state the problem, explain your solution, and preemptively address opposition's likely concerns with data-backed rebuttals. This testimony enters the official record, legitimizing your position.
Months 10-12: Mobilization & Vote
Escalate pressure as the vote approaches. Organize rallies bringing 500+ people to city hall or the legislature—visible demonstrations that decision-makers cannot ignore. Issue press releases and secure media interviews amplifying your petition numbers and coalition breadth. Work your inside game: allied councillors or MLAs introduce the motion or amendment you've drafted.
Track votes obsessively in the final weeks. Maintain a spreadsheet showing who's committed yes, no, or undecided. Call undecided decision-makers daily with constituent stories. Pack the gallery on vote day—politicians feel the weight of public observation. Win or lose, this vote identifies who supports transformative policy and who protects the status quo.
Monitor implementation if you win rather than declaring victory and walking away. Governments frequently delay enforcement or water down regulations during implementation. Sue if necessary—organizations like Canadian Civil Liberties Association and tenant unions maintain legal resources for enforcing won policies.
Opposition Tactics and Counters
| Opposition Claim | Counter-Argument |
|---|---|
| "Wealth taxes cause capital flight." | "BC's speculation tax didn't—revenue increased 300%. If billionaires leave, housing becomes more affordable." |
| "This hurts small businesses." | "Exemption threshold is $10M. Average small business is worth $500K. This targets ultra-rich only." |
| "Government will waste the money." | "Revenue goes to CLTs with transparent community governance. Not general fund discretion." |
| "This is class warfare." | "No—it's rebalancing. Top 1% own 25% of wealth. Middle class owned 50% in 1980. We're restoring that." |
| "Unions are corrupt." | "Some bad actors exist everywhere. 5 million Canadian workers choose unions—that's democracy in action." |
Success Metrics
Municipal vacancy taxes deliver fastest results: 12-18 months from campaign launch to implementation, generating $10-50 million annually in revenue while freeing 500-2,000 vacant units. Provincial wealth taxes require 2-3 years but produce $2-5 billion yearly, funding 10,000 CLT units. Provincial card-check restoration takes 1-2 years and could unionize 100,000+ workers over five years. Federal co-op development banks demand 3-5 years but enable 1,000 new worker cooperatives by 2030.
Coalition-Building Best Practices
Labour unions provide money, members, and political clout. CUPE, Unifor, and UFCW maintain substantial political action funds and can mobilize thousands for rallies. Faith organizations including churches, mosques, and groups like Kairos or Islamic Relief contribute moral authority that resonates beyond secular activist circles. Student groups through the Canadian Federation of Students mobilize quickly on campuses. Tenant organizations like ACORN and Vancouver Tenants Union bring directly affected constituents. Climate groups including 350.org and Council of Canadians overlap substantially on fossil finance issues.
Offer concrete value to potential coalition partners. Co-brand all materials featuring both your logo and theirs—this credits their contribution publicly. Divide labour strategically: unions handle rally turnout, students manage social media campaigns, faith groups host community events. When you win, ensure everyone claims victory publicly to build relationships for future collaboration.
Watch for red flags that undermine coalitions. Some foundations impose strings prohibiting support for "radical" policies like wealth taxes—vet funders carefully. Maintain strict non-partisanship by endorsing policies rather than parties—partisan alignment fractures broad coalitions. Resist mission creep by focusing on ONE legislative demand per campaign cycle rather than diluting effort across multiple fronts.
FAQs
Q: Should we target right-wing governments?
A: Only if your issue has genuine bipartisan support—child poverty reduction, for instance. Otherwise, concentrate resources on swing districts or wait for elections to shift government composition. Lobbying hostile governments wastes limited volunteer hours better spent building power for the next election cycle.
Q: How do we counter well-funded industry lobby groups?
A: They have money; you have people. Outnumber them at committee hearings, flood legislators' phone lines with constituent calls, and pack public galleries on vote days. Politicians respond to visible organized pressure more than quiet lobbying checks—especially in competitive districts where small vote margins matter.
Q: What if we lose the legislative vote?
A: Target those who voted no in the next election. Defeat opponents and elect champions. Losing votes still educates the public about issues and builds organizational infrastructure for future campaigns. Many winning movements lost repeatedly before breakthrough victories.
Q: Do we need lawyers for policy advocacy?
A: Yes for drafting actual legislation—access pro bono assistance through law school clinics or union legal departments. No for lobbying meetings or public education—those require political skills, not legal credentials. Know when each type of expertise matters.
Resources
Canadians for Tax Fairness at c4tf.ca publishes comprehensive wealth tax research and economic modeling. ACORN Canada specializes in tenant organizing and housing policy. LeadNow provides infrastructure for progressive campaign coordination. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives offers economic analysis supporting transformative policy proposals.
Last Updated: November 2025
Difficulty: Medium-Hard (12-36 months)
Impact: Very High (scales grassroots wins)