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

Lobbyists are monitoring the Conservative leadership race for policy positions that may interest clients, with economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the major issues. Kate Harrison, a vice-president at Summa Strategies, said it is imperative for the candidates to be clear about how Canada’s recovery should look, as Canadians will want to hear what the Conservatives have to offer. The Lobby Monitor also took a look at the campaign teams of Erin O’Toole, Peter MacKay, Derek Sloan and Leslyn Lewis, and compiled a list of team members with previous experience with government relations firms and law firms.

The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner released its annual reports on June 17 related to its activities enforcing the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code. In one of the reports, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion expressed concern that during the COVID-19 pandemic, complying with the Act or Code may not be top of mind for some government officials. The ethics office is considering creating a new data analyst position, which would be responsible for passively monitoring anyone governed by the Act or the Code to check for potential risks of conflicts of interest.

Economic development was the most popular subject for lobbying activity in May, surpassing the subject of health which had dominated conversations on the Hill since February. The subject of economic development appeared in 313 communication reports last month, according to a search of the federal lobbyists’ registry on June 16, while health immediately followed with an appearance in 312 reports. The most active lobby group in May was the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers (CAPP), which filed 27 communication reports.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) posted the most communication reports between June 8-14. The 24 posted reports included one indicating contact with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on June 1. That was the same day Trudeau announced an offering of $2.2-billion in infrastructure funding to help municipalities contend with budget shortfalls brought on by the pandemic. The funding announcement falls short of the $10-billion the FCM is requesting to comprise an emergency operating fund for municipalities. Bill Karsten, FCM’s president, said he is confident additional support may yet be announced for Canada’s municipalities, according to a report in Halifax Today.

In new registrations, Terrapure, an Ontario company with services that include collecting and transporting hazardous and non-hazardous waste materials, started its first file on June 18 with consultant Giancarlo Drennan of Maple Leaf Strategies. The company is interested in discussing the administration of electronic logging devices (ELDs) for heavy duty transport vehicles, and the compliance deadlines related to the pandemic, the registry shows. The trucking industry is moving more quickly towards digitization because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a report on Trucknews.com. Drennan will communicate with Transport and with MPs.

Canadian North, an Inuit-owned airline that provides passenger services to communities in the Northwest Territories, Nunavik and Nunavut, started its first file on June 5 with consultant Matthew Larventz of Gowling WLG. The airline is interested in accessing relief measures related to airline operations and delivering essential goods to northern communities during the pandemic, according to the registry. Larventz will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Finance, Transport, Indigenous Services, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, and MPs.

Prometheus Studios started its first file on June 18 with consultant Chad Rogers of Crestview Strategy. The U.S. company, which produces documentary, reality and non-fiction television programming, is interested in speaking about COVID-19 border-crossing restrictions, and the impact on the availability of international talent, according to the registry. Rogers will communicate with Immigration, Innovation, and with the Canada Border Services Agency.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on June 19 at 9:30 a.m.

New registrations

Reactivations