We move our clients Upstream.

Full-Service Public Relations since 1994

We are campaigners and storytellers who simply love to win.

Upstream Strategy Group is a boutique full service government relations and public affairs consultancy. We work with clients to help them navigate against the currents of government decision making, community concerns, and media coverage to take you upstream.

At Upstream we pride ourselves on personalized service for all clients, no matter how big or small. We offer unparalleled service, insight, and results because of our team’s deep experience in politics, our pan-Canadian election campaign experience, and our work within government including legislative experience. We understand how political staff and campaign managers think and speak because we have been political staff and campaign managers, just like we understand how to gain media coverage because we have worked in the media and are still regularly called upon to provide insight and commentary with media outlets across the country. We are the right team to help you.

Upstream specializes in government relations and direct lobbying, but we also have extensive experience in public relations, grassroots activations, stakeholder management, digital advertising, research and advisory services and media training.

Jim Lemaigre

Senior Advisor

Jim is a leading voice for Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan and Canada. He served as the Saskatchewan Party MLA for Athabasca from 2022 - 2024. In that capacity he served as Legislative Secretary to the Minister of Government Relations as well as the Legislative Secretary responsible for Mental Health and Addictions to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, Seniors, and Rural and Remote Health.

Before becoming an MLA, Jim served as an RCMP officer in several Saskatchewan communities. He was also program manager for the First Nations and Indigenous Policing Program through the Ministry of Corrections, Policing and Public Safety.

Jim is a proud member of Clearwater River Dene Nation and speaks Dene fluently.

Scott Fielding

Senior Advisor

Scott has 20 years’ experience in economics, business, and finance in both public and private sector. This includes 15 years of government experience as a Cabinet Minister including Manitoba Minister of Finance, Treasury Board, Natural Resources, Labour, Housing, Families and decision maker in provincial and municipal governments. His experience covers a wide range of areas including public finance, assessment, economic development, social services, labour, housing, municipal and police governance, Indigenous partnerships, resource development, and capital projects including IT.

Scott has extensive experience navigating government decisions making at the provincial and municipal level of government. He knows how to get things accomplished and what decision makers are looking for. He has strong long-term working relationships with elected officials and senior administrators across Manitoba and Canada. He also brings creditability for projects and insights with his years of government decision making experience and knowledge of how to get things done.

Scott also has experience in regulatory oversight responsibility for public utilities, insurance, pensions, financial institutions, and real estate sector.

Scott has executive policy decision making and service delivery implementation expertise. Some of his experiences and areas of focus include governance and strategic planning, fiscal performance, organizational transformation, infrastructure and operational long-term planning, inter-governmental negotiations, financial reporting, and economic and financial analysis.

Scott was previously a Partner at KPMG in Deal Advisory based in Western Canada.

Shannon Andrews

Principal

Shannon brings 20 years of experience advising Saskatchewan Party leadership and working within the Government of Saskatchewan. She has held pivotal roles across nearly every aspect of political operations and the civil service. Shannon began her career as a civil servant, advancing to serve as a Ministerial Assistant in various portfolios and later as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Social Services and the Minister of Government Relations.

In 2017, Shannon served as Scott Moe’s successful campaign co-chair for the Saskatchewan Party leadership race and was subsequently appointed Chief of Staff to the Premier. In this role, she acted as Premier Moe’s most senior advisor, overseeing the execution of government priorities and managing daily operations at the highest levels of government. Her extensive experience provides her with unparalleled expertise in navigating complex government processes, fostering strategic partnerships, and developing actionable strategies for organizations looking to engage with government, influence policy, and achieve their objectives.

Shannon served as the executive council lead for Saskatchewan’s COVID pandemic response and managed decisions working directly with the Ministry of Health and the Chief Medical Health Officer. Shannon is also the longest serving Chief of Staff to a Premier at the Council of the Federation table. She has worked directly with every province and the federal government on a number of key issues, primarily Saskatchewan’s advocacy to abandon the federal carbon tax.. Shannon has been a fixture at dozens of COF, Western Premiers and First Ministers meetings across the country and has built very strong relationships with government leaders across Canada. 

Shannon has also been a cornerstone of the Saskatchewan Party’s electoral success. Most recently, she served as Co-Campaign Manager for the historic 2024 election victory, a role she also held during the 2020 campaign. Additionally, Shannon played key roles in the central campaigns for the 2011 and 2016 elections, contributing to the party’s continued success as one of the leading Conservative governments in Canada.

Shannon and her husband, Jeremy, live in Regina with their son Jackson.

Chris Chapin

Managing Principal

Chris Chapin is a political strategist, communications professional and digital expert. He knows the constantly changing media landscape, and what it takes to drive coverage and reach.  Chris specializes in breaking down complex messages into simple, shareable content that goes viral online.

Chris has over a decade of political experience having worked in senior roles provincially at Queen’s Park, and has managed campaigns at all three levels of government. He has served as the Digital Director to Political Parties and Leadership Candidates.

Chris is a familiar voice in Canadian media, as a regular panelist on NEWSTALK 1010 in Toronto.

Tyler Willox

Principal, Western Canada, Public Sector Procurement Lead

Tyler Willox is a prairie political campaigner and organizer. He has led campaigns for municipal, provincial, federal politicians and third parties in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. He has also served in many corporate capacities advising c-suite executives and boards of directors how to navigate complex environments. 

He has led business development, sales, and account management for one of the largest IT companies in the Prairies, played an integral role in the privatization and public offering of a former Crown Corporation, and worked in mergers and acquisitions at an agriculture giant. 

He is active in the community, including being one of the youngest Chairs of the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce, previously sat on the board of Saskatchewan Polytechnic, CNIB Saskatchewan, and the University of Regina Senate. He is currently the Vice-Chair of the Regina Airport Authority and serves on the Board of Directors of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce, SGI, and SGI Canada. 

Tyler has received several awards, including the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, the 2019 University of Regina Alumni Crowning Achievement Award for Outstanding Young Alumni, and the 2017 CBC Saskatchewan Future 40 Award, recognizing him as one of the province’s top leaders, builders, and change-makers under 40.

Michael Diamond

Founding Principal

Michael Diamond is a campaign strategist and political commentator who has served as a senior advisor to politicians and political parties across Canada.

Having worked on over twenty political campaigns in five provinces, Michael is a specialist in grassroots engagement who has helped leverage the power of stakeholders for well-known clients in Canada, the US, and Australia.

Among his more noteworthy accomplishments, Michael served as the Director of Operations to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in 2010, when he co-chaired the “get out the vote” effort, Campaign Manager for Doug Ford's successful 2018 Progressive Conservative Party leadership bid (the highest membership participation race in the party's history), Campaign Director for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’s 2018 general election campaign, and as a senior official in the 2022 PC re-election campaign. 

Michael was a senior advisor to Heather Stefanson’s leadership campaign for the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba and served on Premier Stefanson’s transition team following her victory in 2021. 

In addition to his government relations work, Michael is a regular contributor to Canadian media, where he offers his insights on politics and culture. From 2019-2021 Michael served as Chairman of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Canada’s largest granting organization.