Towards the end of February, the OLIP interns met with Mr. Harvey Cooper for an enthusiastic discussion that focused on housing policy and on government relations, in Ontario and in Canada more broadly. Mr. Cooper currently works in a consulting capacity and has also served as a Senior Government Relations Advisor for Habitat for Humanity GTA, as well as the Deputy Executive Director and Director of Government Relations at the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada (Ontario Region). He brings a wealth of experience in the non-profit and community housing sectors, government relations advising, and in the field of public policy.
Mr. Cooper generously opened our meeting with his “crash course” on Canadian housing policy. In this overview, he outlined critical moments and figures throughout history that define and contributed to the complex dynamics of housing dynamics that are present in Canada today. He identified several important factors in the current housing landscape, including the changing funding strategies of federal and provincial governments over time, the role of developers, and the importance of incorporating a spectrum of housing options for a robust and effective housing policy.
While critically assessing the causes and consequences of challenges to housing in Canada, Mr. Cooper still found time to discuss strategies for solutions. His strongest piece of advice for the OLIP interns was that to meaningfully advocate for an issue or reform, one must prioritize relationship building, across partisan lines. Mr. Cooper provided advice and anecdotes about navigating government relations on both sides of the aisle, while clearly and efficiently representing one’s cause in meetings with MPPs and MPs.
We want to offer a sincere thank you to Mr. Cooper, for sharing his passion and knowledge for housing in your meeting with us. We really appreciated all the perspective he shared with us and look forward to applying his insights on both policy and politics throughout the rest of our OLIP year, and in our future endeavors.
