Michael Geoghegan
President
Government and Media Relations, First Nations and Construction Sector
Michael Geoghegan is one of the foremost government and media relations consultants working in British Columbia today. At the provincial government level he served five years as a Ministerial Assistant in the portfolios of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food; and Small Business, Tourism and Culture. From this vantage point, Mike gained an in-depth knowledge of the many challenges facing the private sector in BC.
Mike has worked extensively with a variety of First Nations and Indian Bands seeking to resolve long-standing land claims. Amongst his many successes in working with First Nations was convincing Canada and British Columbia to settle a 108 year old specific land claim involving the Osoyoos Indian Band; as well as bringing Canada to the table to reach a settlement of long-standing land claim involving the Okanagan Indian Band. Mike was also involved in bi-lateral negotiations between Canada and the Westbank First Nation that culminated in a self-government Agreement and he successfully lobbied for the creation of the First Nations Finance Authority (FNFA). He has also been involved in a number of economic development projects involving First Nations and private sector companies.
From 1997 until 2003 Mike Geoghegan served on Langford's Planning and Zoning Committee. The spectacular economic growth that Langford has experienced over the last several years has made it the envy of other municipalities located within the Greater Victoria region.
Mike Geoghegan's in-depth knowledge of BC politics is reflected in the fact that two noted authors of books on BC politics both quoted Mike and thanked him for his assistance. The first author was Dan Gawthrop, whose book "High-wire Act: Power, Pragmatism and the Harcourt Legacy" was published by New Star Books in 1996. The second author was Mark Milke, whose book "Barbarians in the Garden City: The BC NDP in Power" was published in 2001 by Thomas & Black.
Mike has over twenty five years experience in drafting press releases, organizing news conferences and other media events. He has an extensive array of connections amongst politicians and the civil service both in Victoria and Ottawa. He also enjoys a good working rapport with reporters working at the regional, provincial and federal level. For the better part of two decades Mike provided weekly commentary on CFAX radio in Victoria and he is also a go to political analyst for CTV News appearing frequently on their national news coverage (see MGC in the News for numerous examples).
After running in 2018 for Mayor of Victoria where he was endorsed by Langford Mayor Stew Young, world renowned musician David Foster and many others, Mike took a break from consulting and media commentary to serve for six months in 2019 as the executive director for the Tsihlqotin National Government. With that contract complete he has now resumed both his commentary on CTV News and full time consulting work.
Mike can be reached at mike@bclobbyist.com