May 6 Conference Call on Alberta Climate Dialogue: A new citizen deliberation project

Here's news about a great joint event that's upcoming next week on the subject of climate change. See below for the details to participate in this timely conversation!.

The EC Consultations Community of Practice (CCOP),
U.S. EPA Collaboration Network, and
Canadian Community for Dialogue and Deliberation (C2D2)
present:

Alberta Climate Dialogue:
A new citizen deliberation project

Thursday May 6, 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (EST)
Call in number: 1-866-299-3188 (Conference Code: 202-566-2196)
Attend as a group in the National Capital Region at Place Vincent Massey, room 807

Hear from three key members of the Alberta Climate Dialogue (ABCD) about this new citizen deliberation project and share your experience and ideas in a discussion on some of ABCD's key aims and challenges.

About ABCD: The project will engage thousands of citizens and stakeholders in climate change planning and action at the municipal and provincial levels, using tools of deliberative democracy. One of ABCD’s goals is to advance the field and build knowledge about citizen engagement on climate that can be used in other jurisdictions. In particular, the project explores how particular elements of deliberative design (e.g. recruitment goals and methods; duration, scale, and interactivity of citizen involvement; how citizen and stakeholder processes are combined within a particular jurisdiction) correlate with two key outcomes: (1) degree of influence on policy, and (2) degree of influence on participants' motivation and ability act individually and with others on climate issues.

Presenters:
>David Kahane (Department of Political Science, University of Alberta). Kahane's research deals with theories and practices of democratic dialogue and deliberation; his most recent publication is Deliberative Democracy in Theory and Practice, edited with Daniel Weinstock, Dominique Leydet, and Melissa Williams (University of British Columbia Press, 2010).
>Mary Pat MacKinnon (Ascentum and University of Ottawa) is one of Canada's best known deliberative democracy practitioners. From 2002 to 2007 she served as the Director for Citizen Engagement at the Canadian Policy Research Networks, where she led citizens’ dialogue projects and coordinated a multiyear research program on the involvement of citizens in government decision-making and democratic life.
>John Parkins (Department of Rural Economy, University of Alberta) specializes in public and stakeholder consultation in the environmental and forestry sectors and is the author, most recently, of "Managing Conflict in Alberta: The Case of Forest Certification and Citizen Committees," in L. Adkin (ed.) Environmental Conflict and Democracy in Canada (UBC Press, 2009).

ABCD presenters will circulate supporting materials for the conference call a few days before the event. We invite you to send us in advance (by end of day April 30) any topics or questions you would like the panel to address.

Please note this event will be conducted in English. 


RSVP 
To give us an idea of the number of participants from Canada, we would ask that you please confirm your attendance by Friday, April 30 by contacting Kait Alkema at consultations@ec.gc.ca or 819-953-6850. See you soon!