Here’s a look back at the news we covered this week:

Veteran journalist Jacques Bourbeau is now offering insights into minority governments as an associate for Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

Bourbeau’s 30 years of journalism experience mostly involved covering federal politics and national affairs for Global News.

As Canada’s Liberal minority government gets started it will likely feel pressure to make financial expenditures in order to appease opposition parties, according to Bourbeau. Big-ticket expenses, such as a national pharmacare program favoured by the NDP, could be challenging when considering the deficit spending promised by the Liberal party during the election campaign, in Bourbeau’s view.

Lobbying rules affecting charities may be tightened depending on the outcome of a case currently before the Federal Court of Appeal. In March the Federal Court ruled that a directorship position with an organization could be considered valuable and therefore count as “payment” for the purposes of the Lobbying Act, even if the position is unpaid. The federal government appealed the ruling in April, and the appeal will be heard on Dec. 12. The final decision may not be for months.

Counsel Public Affairs opened its first office in Victoria, B.C., by taking on Jim Rutkowski as a senior associate. Rutkowski has experience with the Alberta government as a former senior adviser, and later principal secretary, to former premier Rachel Notley. He also has a background with the B.C. government as a former chief of staff to Carole James, the province’s former NDP opposition leader and current Finance minister.

Rutkowski’s joining Counsel continues the firm’s strategy of expansion into Western Canada. Other examples include David Bieber and Amber Ruddy, who joined the firm in 2017 and 2019, respectively, each becoming directors for Western Canada.

Deputy minister of Innovation Simon Kennedy was one of the most-lobbied designated public office holders on Parliament Hill based on communication reports posted between Nov. 9 to Nov. 25.

Kennedy appeared in 14 communication reports posted in that time frame. He was contacted by telecommunications companies such as Telus Corporation and by post-secondary institutions such as the University of Winnipeg in Manitoba.

The organization that posted the greatest number of communication reports between Nov. 9 to Nov.25 was Canadian Solar Solutions, which filed 22.

In new registrations, the Canadian Prepaid Providers Organization (CPPO) made its first appearance on the registry Nov. 18 with consultant Noah Niznick of PAA Public Affairs Advisors. The CPPO is interested in talking to the federal government about implementation of open banking, a system that allows third party access to banking and financial accounts.

The federal government has been considering an open banking framework since 2018, but hasn’t yet released the results of a consultation process it launched last January.

Niznick will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Finance, the Bank of Canada, the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, Innovation, MPs and senators.

NWT Holdings, based in the United States, started its first file on Nov. 22 to discuss cannabis waste with the federal government.

The company holds the trademark for the Firefly, a vaporizer for cannabis. Consultant Mitchell Colbert, an environmental lobbyist for Firefly Vapor, is listed as a consultant on the file.

Colbert will communicate with the PMO, Innovation, Health, Environment, as well as with senators.

Gazoduq, a Quebec company that has proposed construction of a 750 km underground natural gas pipeline, strengthened its registry file on Nov. 20 by adding consultant Mélissa Coulombe-Leduc of Tact Intelligence-conseil.

Coulombe-Leduc joins colleagues Julien Nepveu-Villeneuve, Vincent Fournier Gosselin and Justine Lalande on the file.

The company would like to speak to the federal government about the approval process for the $9-billion project, as well as federal policies that may apply to it.

The Tact Intelligence-conseil consultants will communicate with Natural Resources, Environment, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, and MPs.

New registry files posted between 2019-11-25 and 2019-11-29

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Nov. 29 at 9:00 a.m.

New registrations posted between 2019-11-25 and 2019-11-29

Reactivations posted between 2019-11-25 and 2019-11-29