Melissa Bruno is a Public Affairs Principal at Earnscliffe Strategies, where she brings over a decade of experience in municipal, provincial, and federal politics to help clients navigate complex challenges and deliver results. She specializes in government relations, strategic communications, and advocacy campaigns that influence public policy, mobilize communities, and support long-term organizational goals.
Melissa’s consulting work spans key sectors including labour, energy, and Indigenous relations, where she has partnered with clients to advance major projects, manage risk, and foster meaningful engagement. Melissa has collaborated with non-profits across various sectors, industry associations, and public institutions to align advocacy strategies, navigate regulatory frameworks, and build coalitions that drive shared goals.
Melissa’s career includes serving elected officials at all levels of government, including two federal NDP Leaders and a former Toronto City Councillor and Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) Chair. Her time at Toronto City Hall provided her with deep insight into the city’s governance, transit, and urban development priorities.
Melissa has deep experience leading high-impact public engagement and communications strategies, including a nationally recognized campaign for an Ontario pension plan that earned an international MarCom Award for strategic communications and public relations. As Executive Director for Canada’s New Democrats, she modernized the organization through financial restructuring, enhanced data-driven mobilization, and built one of the most equity-inclusive candidate slates in Canadian political history.
She is a founding member of Moms at Work, Canada’s first professional association for working mothers, serves on the board for the Douglas Coldwell Layton Foundation and previously for both the Public Affairs Association of Canada (Ontario Chapter) and the Toronto Environmental Alliance (TEA), contributing to environmental advocacy and sustainable city-building initiatives. Melissa volunteers with the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, and has served as a Political Management Program Fellow at Carleton University. She holds an Honours degree in Social Work from York University and is a graduate of the University of Toronto’s Public Relations Program.
