Rebuilding Institutional Trust Key to Nation Building

Co-authored by Erin McPhee and Tracey Burkhardt

When forest fires erupted in different pockets of the Atlantic provinces this summer in unprecedented fashion, one by one, various levels of government issued public safety decrees. While each order was slightly unique, the overall message was clear: stay out of the woods.

Thankfully the bans were mostly short lived due to the tireless efforts of first responders and subsequent and much-needed rainfall. However, eerily familiar social concern patterns began to emerge. Large protests did not erupt and transport trucks did not double park downtown in our provincial capitals like they did in Ottawa. But, the orders resulted in reactions and emotions similar to those expressed in response to restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The question of whether the restrictions were fair and reasonable was discussed in real time, and was a common topic at dinner tables, coffee shops and office water coolers. As well, the issue peppered social media networks, overall yielding a mix of harsh criticisms and unblinding support. Local media also explored public sentiment, reporting in one instance that a Cape Breton man allegedly broke Nova Scotia’s ban on entering the woods on purpose so he could challenge his resulting $28,000 fine in court.

While not uncommon for society to question the myriad of institutions that govern it, the COVID-19 pandemic shed light on the subjectivity inherent in official decision-making. And, unfortunately planted stronger seeds of doubt. Even though all provinces were fighting the same common viral enemy, Canada was a kaleidoscope of provincial health orders and restrictions as each jurisdiction carved its own path forward. This resulted in fractured trust and a complexity of cracks that must be not only acknowledged but repaired going forward.

As we continue our collective societal recovery from the international pandemic experience, we must also respond to and prepare for new threats, which continue to loom, emerge and ultimately weigh heavily on our personal and professional minds.

Organizations big and small, public and private, are increasingly challenged to deliver clear messages that impact their audiences, who no longer feel the same level of connection or trust as they did five years ago.

With our entire country about to embark on an ambitious development agenda during a period of global economic uncertainty, the role of a strongly crafted key message, aimed at the right audience at the right time, must not be overlooked.

Gone are the days when communications plans relied solely on mainstream media outlets to run softer news stories, helping organizations and brands build positive public perceptions. With a reduced workforce due to pressures on major outlets and singular industry ownership, journalism today is triaged. The remaining dedicated practitioners are tasked with the biggest, high impact stories of the day, and are reporting on the impacts of international wars on communities, overloaded emergency rooms, the housing crisis and corporate cyberattacks. These are all issues being hurtled at a readership that is increasingly feeling adrift and unsafe.

There is limited time to shed light on some of the positive, community-building good news stories that are nonetheless happening in tandem. Trust-building exercises used to be common content pitched to media as part of standard public relations planning, helping to feed the beast, filling former airtime gaps and an overabundance of newsprint inches.

We find our communications plans are increasingly nuanced, and now strongly advocate for the importance of strong and targeted stakeholder engagement. A back-to-basics type of approach allowing organizations to connect with their audiences directly, providing them with the information they need, crafted in a way that resonates is increasingly not only desired, but required. Organizational truths are packaged and presented in a truly transparent and meaningful way that responds to questions and helps fight the backlash that can fester on social media platforms when misinformation takes hold and replicates itself without limits or clarification.

Institutional trust challenges are not unique and in fact are a global phenomenon. A 2024 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Survey on Drivers of Trust in Public Institutions found that: 39 per cent of those surveyed trust their national government; 37 per cent are confident that their government balances the interests of current and future generations; and 41 per cent believe their government uses the best available evidence when making a decision.

Here in Canada, we are going through a major period of change that will require continued efforts to build and maintain the public’s trust. Federal and provincial governments have been elected, in many cases, on a totally different set of priorities than the work necessary now in managing tariff wars, trade pivots and nation-building project mode.

With questions lurking in the minds of Canadians, strategic communications will continue to play a key role in project success at both the micro and macro level. Buy-in at the community, business, Indigenous and political levels will be critical to their overall advancement. By truly identifying and addressing concerns and meeting them where they are in whatever corner of the country that matters most, trust and connection can and will be rebuilt.