Laurel Collins

I founded Shoreline Strategy because I know what it looks like when good organizations with important missions don't have a clear plan and don't know how to move within systems of power, and I know what becomes possible when they do. 

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I spent six years as a Member of Parliament, serving as the NDP's Environment and Climate Change Critic and sitting on the Oversight Body for the Supply and Confidence Agreement between the NDP and the governing Liberals. These roles gave me a rare window into how power is actually negotiated at the federal level. I used it to help expand public health care, strengthen environmental protections, secure Indigenous housing funding, and change the criminal code to better support survivors of gender-based violence. I'm also a recipient of the Clean16 Award, recognizing Canada's top sustainability champions.

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I've worked as a facilitator, strategist, and advisor across nonprofit, public, Indigenous and mission-driven private sectors. Before federal politics, I served as a city councillor, led nonprofits, worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and taught political sociology and social justice at the University of Victoria. My PhD (ABD) research focused on leadership and adult education. I also hold a Master's degree in Human Security and Peacebuilding.

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I'm based in Victoria BC, and I work with organizations across Canada who are ready to move from good intentions to real influence .