Here’s a rundown of the news we covered this week:

The federal Liberals may face pressure from stakeholders as well as opposition parties to release a fiscal update as the parties negotiate about the possible return of Parliament on May 25, according to Rob LeForte, a vice-president at Impact Public Affairs. Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-Francois Blanchet have both urged the government this month for an economic update. The current parliamentary schedule of two virtual meetings and one in-person meeting each week is set to expire on May 25. This means all 338 MPs are set to resume traditional operations in Parliament unless the parties can negotiate a new agreement.

Health maintained its lead as the dominant subject matter in federal lobbying in April, appearing in 414 communication reports. Economic development nearly equaled health by appearing in 411 reports. Health and economic development were also the top two subjects discussed in March, but with a wider gap of 62 reports separating them. The most active lobby group in April interested in speaking about economic development was Indigo Books and Music, which is represented on the registry by consultants Andrew Steele and Leslie Noble of StrategyCorp.

The most active lobby group in April was the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP) which filed 40 communication reports between May 11 and May 18. The association is represented on the registry by Tim McMillan, its president and CEO. CAPP is interested in speaking with the federal government about funding support in response to dropping oil prices and the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the registry. Other priorities for CAPP include discussing greenhouse gas emissions policies, and recommendations for improving market access for oil and natural gas.

In new registrations, the Professional Footballers Association Canada (PFACan) started its first file on May 19 with its executive director, Dan Kruk, and consultant Jim Patrick, president of Jim Patrick and Associates. PFACan is interested in federal funding to support professional soccer leagues and clubs in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the registry. Patrick and Kruk will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Canadian Heritage, Finance, Innovation, Immigration, and with MPs and senators.

Another sports-related registration was started on May 7 by Diversified and Event-Funded National Sports Organizations, a coalition of sports organizations including Canada Soccer, Curling Canada and Hockey Canada. Consultants Adam Yahn and Robin MacLachlan of Summa Strategies have been engaged to speak to the federal government about possible funding to assist national sports organizations that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, the registry shows. Yahn and MacLachlan will communicate with the PMO, Canadian Heritage, Finance, Health, Infrastructure, and MPs.

Perfuse Medtec, a Canadian medical device market development company, started its first file on May 15 with consultant Jonathan Rose of Policy Concepts. The company would like to speak to the federal government about its “geko” device, which uses electrostimulation to improve blood flow. Perfuse Medtec argues the geko may be useful for COVID-19 patients by improving circulation to help prevent blood clots. Rose will communicate with the PMO, Health, Finance, Innovation, the Public Health Agency of Canada and the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on May 22 at 9:00 a.m.

New registrations

Reactivations