When Marc Valois joined Intersol in 1996, facilitation in Canada looked a little different. There were fewer, if any, digital tools and hybrid meetings took place over a speaker phone placed in the middle of a table. But even then, the work was rooted in something deeply Canadian: bringing people together to navigate complexity and find a path forward, without dictating the destination. 

“We don’t come in with a stake in the outcome,” Marc reflects. “We come in with a stake in the process. That’s what makes facilitation so valuable. Especially in a country like Canada where diverse perspectives, cultures and experiences are a given, not an exception.” 

Over nearly three decades, Marc has facilitated hundreds of engagements that have shaped national and regional policy, community programs, and industry frameworks. The thread that connects them? Building spaces where Canadian perspectives, which are often competing and sometimes conflicting, can be heard and weighed fairly. 

National Conversations, Canadian Values 

From agriculture to public safety to mental health, Intersol’s fingerprints are on many of the dialogues that define Canada today. 

Marc led the facilitation of roundtables for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada that restructured how value chain leaders and government collaborate on sector-wide strategies. He helped guide the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers as they refreshed national forest priorities in the lead-up to 2024. His work with Health Canada spans decades. In the late 1990s, he contributed to the multi-stakeholder advisory committee on “medical marijuana,” which led to the development of Canada’s first regulatory framework for therapeutic access. His more recent work with Health Canada to structure delicate conversations around the Cannabis Act Legislative Review offered an interesting look back, as while the Act has evolved, many foundational elements from those early frameworks remain in place today. He also supported the development of regulations on Natural Health Products, measures to eliminate processed trans fats from foods, and voluntary targets to reduce sodium in Canadian diets. 

And he worked with Health Canada to structure delicate conversations around the Cannabis Act Legislative Review, ensuring input from public health experts, Indigenous representatives, and medical access advocates. 

Each project brought together diverse stakeholders including industry, government and community leaders across regions and languages. 

“You can’t run a national dialogue from a single lens,” Marc says. “You have to account for how the conversation lands in Moncton, Edmonton and Whitehorse, sometimes all in the same session.” 

Local to National, Every Level Counts 

Intersol’s Canadian impact isn’t confined to federal policy. Provincial, municipal and regional projects have played a big part in the company’s story and Marc’s. 

He’s worked with the Ontario government, forest communities, industry stakeholder and indigenous partners to reshape how crown forests are managed. With Housing York Inc., he helped municipal councilors and senior staff align around strategies to address housing affordability in the GTA. He’s led strategic planning with Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums, facilitating conversations that span English and French membership. And he’s guiding the Agricultural Adaptation Council of Ontario through a foresight exercise to identify the steps and the work we need to begin today to prepare for the future of agriculture in 2050.  

In each case, the issues were distinct, but the Canadian context remained constant: layered governance, bilingual dynamics, and a deep sense of place. 

“Facilitation in Canada is never just about content, it’s about context. The provinces, the languages, the Indigenous representation, the experiences in the room all matter. That’s what makes it challenging but also meaningful.” 

Building Trust, Not Taking Sides 

Perhaps the most defining feature of Intersol’s Canadian legacy is the neutrality of its approach. Whether it’s firearm buyback logistics with the RCMP and Canada Post, consultations alongside the Minister of Public Safety that informed legislation on assault rifles and handguns, or the design and facilitation of the process to develop the Canadian Grocery Code of Conduct, the team creates structured, respectful dialogue without driving toward any pre-set conclusion. 

“People sometimes think facilitation means steering people somewhere,” Marc notes. “But the work is about holding the space, not filling it. We protect the integrity of the process so the participants can trust it, and by extension, each other.” 

Canadian, Bilingual, and Proud 

Based in Ottawa and working coast to coast to coast, Intersol has long embodied Canadian values: bilingualism, equity, pragmatism, and respect. In a country defined by its diversity, the ability to bring people together isn’t just a skill, it’s a national necessity. 

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned,” Marc says, “it’s that the real work of building Canada doesn’t just happen in Parliament. It happens in the rooms where people show up, speak honestly, and try to figure things out together. And that’s where we’ve always been.”