Compass Rose founder Jacquie LaRocque, Digital Government and Procurement Practice Lead Kelly Hutchinson and Lead Public Affairs Counsellor Kathleen Walsh named one of Top 100 Lobbyists by The Hill Times

A good lobbyist combines strong connections with expertise, problem-solving and trust.

“It’s less about a Rolodex,” Jacquie LaRocque, founder and CEO of Compass Rose Group and a former federal Liberal ministerial Hill staffer, told The Hill Times during a March 6 interview. “Rather, [it’s about] a deep knowledge and ties into the various ecosystems around what we do, and bringing those to bear.”

A “good” lobbyist doesn’t have to have a formal education in politics or experience on Parliament Hill, not that either of those hurt, says lobbyists interviewed for this story. They should start as problem-solving, honest communicators ho are willing to work with all political parties.

“Tenacity is a core trait of anyone wanting to engage in the sector, and I would say also that you really have to have an extremely strong desire to affect the change that you’re looking for [and] to stay committed to it,” LaRocque said.

For LaRocque, a good advocate needs to know how to effectively lobby the cabinet minister in their contact list before scheduling a meeting. A lobbyist should know the file and how to pitch a policy ask before calling a minister.

“Effective lobbyists really understand where the true power is in the ecosystem of Ottawa. It’s not always exactly at the level and the place that you’re thinking. Sometimes there’s a need to engage [with the public service],” she said. “At the highest levels? Absolutely, but there is an equal need to engage at all levels within the system.”

By the time a lobbyist meets with a deputy minister, an MP, or a cabinet minister, the officials have often been briefed on the issue at-hand by their junior staff so it’s important to make connections from bottom to top, LaRocque added.

LaRocque has been in the Ottawa advocacy space since 2006. She said she attributes her success and longevity to her curiosity and focusing on solutions to problems. “It’s about being curious and interested in public policy, and delivering outcomes for people, for Canadians. In our case at Compass Rose, it’s wanting to dig deeper into issues and then finding solutions, or bringing opportunities forward. A great lobbyist actually views it from that macro perspective, and then goes about it very surgically,” she said.

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