Effectively engaging Canadians in the fight against global poverty, structural violence, environmental degradation and a range of other international development issues are of fundamental importance in the search for sustainable solutions to the challenges faced by humanity. This position paper addresses the need to develop a common understanding of the important role that public engagement activities play in the lives of Canadians and populations around the world. This paper presents the vision and experiences of the Provincial and Regional Councils for International Cooperation (the Councils), and the 400 organizations the ICN represents. The paper contributes to the wider discussion of public engagement that is currently taking place in multiple sectors and proposes recommendations to improve our efforts to engage Canadians in the critical work of eliminating global poverty.