Healthy communities: reflections on building alliances in Canada. A view from the middle

The author is currently working in the office of Health Promotion,Ministry of Health in British Columbia. For the past 17 yearsshe has worked in Health and Welfare Canada as an advocate forcitizen participation in developing health programs and policies. This article is based on her experience as an advocate and bureaucratin translating and mediating health promotion rhetoric intoaction. The Canadian Healthy Communities and Strengthening Communitiesprojects are used as examples in analyzing the opportunitiesand contradictions in building alliances.