Behind the Message: How Political Communications Strategies Shape Federal Campaigns (Webinar)

Adam Austen is a seasoned communications professional with experience working in two levels of government, and on everything from local campaigns to national leadership races. He’s advised senior politicians and executives, managed tough reputational challenges and crafted messages that resonate. Through his experience, Adam brings deep insight into the role of communications in shaping public perception and winning support in political campaigns and beyond. 

Fred DeLorey is a highly skilled leader and creative thinker with a diverse background in political campaigns and public affairs. He is a married father of four, hailing from a small fishing village in Nova Scotia and currently residing in the wilderness between Ottawa and Montreal, near the Larose Forest.

Fred’s exceptional leadership skills are reflected in his experience as the National Campaign Manager for the Conservative Party of Canada in 2021 that significantly overperformed expectations, where he oversaw all aspects of the campaign, including creative work and narrative development based on in-depth opinion research. He also served as Director of Field Operations for Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Director of Political Operations for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and national spokesperson for the Conservative Party, including during their 2011 majority-winning campaign. He has advised prime ministers, premiers, and mayors across the country, and represented such bluechip clients as Microsoft and LifeLabs as Partner of NorthStar Public Affairs.

Lucas Medernach is Communications Director in the office of Yves-François Blanchet, Leader of the Bloc Québécois. Previously, he held a number of positions in the field of political communications, including Director of Communications at the Parti Québécois and in the Prime Minister’s Office in France.

Mélanie Richer is a bilingual communications and public affairs Principal at Earnscliffe Strategies and specializes in strategic communications, crisis management, media relations and training. 

Having worked for ten years in public relations, Mélanie leverages her experience in understanding complex communication and media challenges and works with her teams on a solution that is tailored for each client, to help them better communicate with their targeted audience, and quickly address and solve problems. 

Prior to joining Earnscliffe, Mélanie worked as the director of communications and media Canada’s NDP and Jagmeet Singh. She led communication and media relations strategies, worked with the leader and spokespeople to persuasively communicate with media, and acted as the primary crisis management lead. She served as the communications and media lead on tour for political leaders in multiple federal and provincial elections. 

Mélanie earned an Honours Bachelor of Communications – Public Relations from the University of Ottawa and is a graduate of the Public Relations program at Algonquin College. 

Audrey-Ann Turcot-Brochu is a strategist with over a decade of experience leading communications, marketing, and fundraising efforts. Currently serving as the Director of Communications & Fundraising at the Green Party of Canada, she specializes in creating impactful strategies that promote environmental and social justice while driving voter engagement.

Actively involved in her community, she has served on non-profit boards of directors for over a decade. She currently sits as an administrator on Collectif Récolte’s board, which focuses on food security and local food initiatives.

As the Director of Communications at the Green Party of Canada, Audrey-Ann is dedicated to advancing environmental and social justice issues at the federal level.

Cléa Desjardins joined the IRPP in 2020. Previously she held communications roles at the Canadian Centre for Architecture, Concordia University and the MUHC Foundation. She has a BA in English literature from McGill University and an MSt in English literature from the University of Oxford, where she held a Commonwealth Scholarship.