Introduction

Well folks, after a few close calls, non-calls, one resignation and a leadership contest, here we are, headed to the polls for a federal election. Yes, on Sunday, March 23, Prime Minister Mark Carney asked Governor General Mary Simon to dissolve Parliament and send Canadians from coast to coast to coast to the polls on April 28, 2025. Now, you may have a few questions. With so much, shall we say “energy”, in the political world these days, whether its tariffs, taxes, or territory, who doesn’t have a few curiosities? Well, lucky for you, we are not going to dive into any of those topics here. Rather, the Public Affairs team wanted to provide a little reasoning and advice on why and how we approach elections.

Should we, as The Salvation Army, engage?

Fair question. Referring to that “energy” mentioned above we can all understand why, at times, it can be better to play it safe on the sidelines rather than engage. But the short answer is a resounding “YES!” We all recognize that our current political, media, and social media environment brings an element of risk to engaging in politics. As representatives of The Salvation Army, we must remain conscious that anything we say could be misconstrued as speaking on behalf of The Salvation Army. But, don’t sweat it, the following provides our approach during elections and we’re here to help.

Now, far be it from me to provide any theological underpinning for why we should engage in elections; alas, I am underqualified in both the theo and the logos. Rather, I will direct you to an engaging article written by the ever-charming Major Rick Zelinksy (my boss) to provide some thoughts on that subject. But let me provide a couple other reasons for engaging during an election.

Learning and Teaching

This one is easy and hits at the core of an election campaign. By engaging with parties and candidates during an election, we are provided with the opportunity to learn who these candidates are, the policies their parties will present, and provide our staff and clients an opportunity they may not get otherwise. But, this doesn’t have to be a one-way road, nor should it be. By getting candidates involved with The Salvation Army we seize an opportunity to teach candidates, and subsequently their parties, the importance of the work we do and the challenges each of you and our clients face on the front lines.

Free Public Relations and Relationship Building

The Salvation Army is always proud of the work being done on the front lines. As such, we should take the opportunity to show government, and Canadians, the service we provide those being faced with impossible choices. Currently, the official Prime Minister’s X formerly Twitter’s account has over 740k followers; that is a lot of eyes. By engaging with politicians, we can utilize their tremendous public relations network to share our stories with Canadians, and garner support in our communities.

Engaging with candidates and political parties also provides Ministry Unit, Divisional, and Territorial leaders the opportunity to build personal relationships with future members of government and community leaders; key relationships. Not only does it inadvertently aid us when discussing policy or funding, but it can also directly benefit TSA since those relationships lead to a higher likelihood of their support during Christmas and fundraising events.

Service

Now, if there is one thing none of us would contend with it is the life of service. Well, consider engaging during an election another opportunity to serve our clients. By having candidates tour MUs, both in Social and Community Mission, we are providing our clients an opportunity to engage in their democracy; a door that may remain otherwise closed. Our MUs can provide our clients the opportunity to learn about their candidates, share their voice, either directly or indirectly, and learn how they can cast their ballot. (Please refer to our PA Elections Toolkit on Steps to Voting Without Identification)

A-Political vs. Partisan vs. non-Partisan

Alright, now everyone pick your team (party) and prepare for the greatest game of Red Rover ever played! Ah, if only it was that simple.

All jokes aside, The Salvation Army prudently maintains a non-Partisan approach to government relations. Now, you might be thinking, “But you just told me to engage, and now you are saying we are non-Partisan. Who should I engage with?” Easy. Being non-Partisan does not mean we are a-political, non-political, or politically adverse. It means we engage with all politically parties with an unbiased, non-judgmental open invitation. Whether blue, green, red, orange or blue (Conservatives and Bloc both chose blue – take it up with them), we should extend a genuine handshake and open door - for all the benefits highlighted above. If ever one candidate accepts our invitation to engage, it would be incumbent on us to make competing candidates aware of that engagement and offer the same to them. Treating all candidates equally and respectfully is their due given the courage and sacrifice necessary to run and ensures good relations and open dialogue with any party upon whatever election result.

Lobbying v. Advocacy

Finally, the big one, lobbying versus advocacy. We don’t want to be accidently found doing the former, but we are strong proponents of the latter. There are laws about who can lobby, how much they can lobby, and what they can lobby for. Breaking these rules can have very serious personal, and organizational, consequences. Heavy stuff. Easy to avoid. The big distinction between the two is that lobbying refers to trying to directly influence the specific legislation, policy or funding decisions of the candidate and/or party, whereas advocacy seeks to raise awareness and educate more broadly speaking. Keep conversations general and education focused rather than diving into specific policy positions. Trust me, as someone constantly involved in the wonk, broad generates more joy and less headaches.

Conclusion

Alas, that brings us to the end of our time together. In conclusion, the Public Affairs team would just like to encourage everyone to get involved during this short – only 36 days start to finish – election. We know that not everyone is comfortable reaching out to their political candidates, but we would remind you that they too are just human beings. Truthfully, candidates love the opportunity to tour community organizations and speak to their constituents. By being in over 400 communities across Canada, The Salvation Army helps them do just that and simultaneously provides us a great opportunity to showcase our efforts clear across the country.

Also, and never forget this, the Public Affairs team is here to help, in fact we’d love to. Each division comes fully furnished with their own Public Affairs team, and we know that our job is to serve those doing the real work: YOU! If you have any questions, concerns, or simply just want to know more about us and the service we provide, don’t hesitate to reach out, we are really fun and loveable people, just give us a chance. Also, if any political party or candidate reaches out to you, be sure to check in with us to ensure we are walking in a good way rather than being caught in the “energy” unawares.

For election 2025 tip sheet, click here.

Written By: 

Jeff Jakubec
Public Affairs Analyst: PNT
Email: jeff.jakubec@salvationarmy.ca

Further Resources & Articles

• https://salvationist.ca/public-affairs/news/the-end-is-just-the-beginning/
• https://salvationist.ca/articles/2016/11/beyond-left-and-right/?fbclid=IwAR1d0c5YQmoHkaK73x2IfZvzK4ELOD4aqccI0sQIw9yEH7lLRMQDi7sQvsA
• https://salvationist.ca/articles/2011/03/would-jesus-have-voted/
• https://salvationist.ca/public-affairs/news/election-2021-why-i-vote/