Collette Deschenes is one of Canada’s leading regulatory communications professionals, specializing in strategic communications, public confidence, stakeholder engagement, and organizational reputation within the public-interest and regulatory sectors.
With more than a decade of experience, Collette advises regulators, national organizations, and non-profit leaders on how to communicate with greater clarity, credibility, and purpose. Her expertise spans communications audits, strategic communications planning, stakeholder engagement, media relations, executive communications, website strategy and redevelopment, digital communications, crisis communications, plain-language writing, and organizational transformation.
As Director, Strategic Communications at MDR Strategy Group, Collette leads the firm’s regulatory communications practice and oversees communications strategy for regulatory organizations across Canada. She has directed communications audits, modernization initiatives, public confidence strategies, organizational transformation projects, and retained communications advisory services for regulators representing engineering, health professions, legal services, social work, condominium regulation, and other public-interest sectors.
Collette is widely recognized for advancing the practice of regulatory communications in Canada. Through executive advisory services, national presentations, publications, and the development of MDR’s proprietary communications methodologies, she has helped elevate expectations for clear, purposeful, and evidence-informed communications that strengthen public confidence and organizational credibility.
She is a leading advocate for modern regulatory communications, encouraging organizations to move beyond generalized public messaging and instead identify, understand, and communicate effectively with the specific audiences they are mandated to serve. Her work emphasizes transparency, accessibility, relevance, and trust, helping regulators communicate complex issues in ways that support informed decision-making and reinforce confidence in regulatory systems.
Collette’s approach combines strategic thinking with practical implementation. Whether leading a communications audit, developing a long-term communications strategy, supporting executive leadership, or managing complex stakeholder communications, she focuses on delivering solutions that are measurable, sustainable, and aligned with each organization’s public-interest mandate.
Collette holds a Bachelor of Arts from Dalhousie University and an Advanced Diploma in Public Relations from the Nova Scotia Community College.