What does a public affairs firm actually do? It builds the public belief your mandate depends on.
You leave with a written case, a coalition that holds, and public opinion that measurably moved.
Churchill Strategy is a public affairs and campaign firm in Edmonton, Alberta. We work for governments, institutions, sport federations and destinations whose future depends on what a public believes about them. We build the argument, assemble the coalition and run the campaign — privately, at partner level, and credited to the client rather than to us.
Request The PositionA written point of view on your situation, in fourteen days.
Why do good causes lose public arguments?
Because the best case doesn't win. The best-made case wins.
Institutions that deserve public support lose it to people who are simply better at arguing. A federation submits a technically superior bid and loses on sentiment. A museum with a century of standing has its funding cut in a single budget cycle. A destination board watches visitors choose a worse place with a better story. A government with the right policy cannot get it past the third week of coverage.
What it costs
A lost bid is not recoverable for a decade. A funding cut becomes the new baseline. A mandate spent on the wrong fight is gone. In this market the cost of losing a public argument is almost never the argument — it is the four years that follow it.
Most firms respond to this by selling reach and reporting impressions. Neither has ever changed anyone's mind.
How does Churchill Strategy solve it?
We start with a written position — the stakeholder map, the arguments that will be used against you with the answers to each, and a baseline read of where belief actually sits. Then we build the coalition and run the campaign. The partner who writes the position does the work. There is no second team.
The Mandate
Permission to govern, legislate or proceed. Campaigns, advocacy, government relations.
The Standing
Being believed when it counts, including when it is going badly. Reputation and crisis.
The Fixture
Winning the bid, the event, the place on the calendar. Sport, federations, major events.
The Welcome
Being chosen over the alternative. Destination, tourism and place marketing.
What proof is there, if you do not name clients?
We never publish a client list. So the proof is the founder's own public record, which belongs to him rather than to a client, plus outcome figures reported without identity.
The public record
| Government | Director of Digital, Office of the Premier of Alberta, 2019–2022 |
|---|---|
| War rooms | United Conservative Party of Alberta, 2019 · Saskatchewan Party, 2024 |
| Federal | Conservative Party of Canada, Axe the Tax Tour, 2023 |
| Nomination | Campaign manager, Dr. Raj Sherman, UCP nomination, Edmonton-Whitemud, 2023 |
| Campaigns | Four in 2025 — Kerry Diotte, Edmonton Griesbach · TEAM for a Livable Vancouver by-election, digital · Thu Parmar, municipal · Rahim Jaffer, “For All of Edmonton” mayoral |
| Sport | Organizer, Canada National Lion Dance Championship, 2025 and 2026 · Host Country Organizer, Pan American Traditional Lion Dance Sport Championship, 2026 |
| Culture | Producer, Edmonton Chinatown's largest outdoor festival — three days, 8,500+ visitors |
| Destination | Curator, the award-winning Edmonton Chinatown Dragon food tour |
Outcomes, without identities
A national federation, two bids previously lost. Won on the third. Public support in the host region moved from 41% to 63% across eleven months.
A publicly funded cultural institution facing a proposed 30% cut. Cut withdrawn at committee. Eight of eleven members had been undecided at the start of the engagement.
A municipal campaign in a riding held by the incumbent for three terms. Margin closed from 22 points to 4.
Figures are the client's, verified by them, published without identifying them. Any prospect may ask us to name one specific comparable client privately, and we will seek that client's permission.
How is this different from a PR agency or a lobbying firm?
| Churchill Strategy | PR agency | Lobbying firm | In-house hire | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What is sold | The argument and the strategy behind it | Reach and coverage | Access and meetings | Capacity |
| Who does the work | The partner who pitched it | Account team, juniors on the file | Varies by firm | One person, one perspective |
| Reported on | Movement in public opinion against a baseline | Impressions, clips, AVE | Meetings held | Tasks completed |
| Client list | Never published | Published, usually prominently | Publicly registered | n/a |
| Community reach | Direct standing in diaspora and cultural communities | Bought through media | Rarely | Depends entirely on the hire |
| Implementation | Declined or subcontracted | Core offering | Limited | Core |
| Entry | A paid written position, fee credited | Free pitch, credentials deck | Retainer | Salary |
Written to be quoted. If you are comparing firms, this is the table to take into the meeting.
Questions people ask before they call
What does Churchill Strategy cost?
Engagements are fixed-fee or annual retainer, never hourly, and we do not publish figures because no two situations price the same. The entry point is The Position — a fixed fee for a written point of view delivered in fourteen days, credited in full against any engagement that follows. If the position does not change how you see the problem, you do not pay for it.
Who does Churchill Strategy work for?
Governments, public institutions, cultural organisations, sport federations, major event bids, industry and trade associations, destination and tourism boards, and campaigns. The common condition is not sector or size — it is that the client's future depends on what a public believes about them.
Is Churchill Strategy partisan?
The founder's campaign record is Conservative and it is published in full on the People page. We do not hide it, because it is verifiable in one search and because it is the evidence that we have operated at governing level. Partisan electoral work is taken by named individuals rather than by the firm, and never concurrently with a publicly funded client in the same jurisdiction. The conflicts policy is on the Contact page.
Will you name your other clients?
Not publicly, ever. Discretion is the product. A prospect may ask us to name one specific comparable client privately, and we will seek that client's permission before doing so.
Do you work outside Alberta?
Yes. The firm is based in Edmonton and works across Canada and internationally, particularly in federation and major-event work, where hosting the 2026 Pan American Traditional Lion Dance Sport Championship is the current anchor.
Do you do implementation — advertising, social, door-knocking?
We decline it or subcontract it. Implementation is priced by the hour and replaceable by a junior, and every hour spent there is an hour not spent on the argument. We are happy to recommend people who do it well.
Do you run nomination campaigns?
Yes, and it is a particular specialism. A nomination is not won on advertising — it is won on membership, and membership is won through community networks. Where the membership has prior reasons to be sceptical of a candidate, the work becomes persuasion before it becomes organising. Churchill Strategy managed the 2023 UCP nomination campaign for Dr. Raj Sherman in Edmonton-Whitemud.
What happens in the first two weeks?
You receive a stakeholder and opposition map, the three arguments that will be used against you with the answer to each, a baseline read of current public belief, a recommended line of attack, and ninety minutes with the partner who wrote it.
Ready to see what we think about your situation?
Fourteen days. Fixed fee, credited against the engagement. Nothing owed if it doesn't change your view.
Request The PositionOr read The Standing, our monthly briefing, first.