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

Lobbyists feel there will be missed opportunities for networking because of the cancelled Conservative leadership convention, and the possibility that the upcoming Conservative policy convention may become a virtual event. The next leader of the Conservative Party will be chosen entirely by mail-in ballot on Aug. 21. The Conservative policy convention, which was pushed to November, has been postponed again to a date to be determined, which may be in 2021. The party is considering the possibility of the policy convention being conducted virtually, according to a statement released in May. Kate Harrison, a vice-president at Summa Strategies, described political conventions as an opportunity to connect with people, but not for direct lobbying.

John O’Leary, a former communications director for three federal ministers, is now a senior consultant at Crestview Strategy. He previously acted as a communications director for Maryam Monsef and Karina Gould, while both were in the role of minister of Democratic Institutions. He also served in the same role for former Employment minister MaryAnn Mihychuk. O’Leary said he will help clients interested in telling their unique stories in high-stakes, must-win circumstances.

The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) contributed more than a third of all the communication reports posted to the federal lobbyists’ registry last week. The CCA, which represents approximately 60,000 Canadian beef farmers, filed 36 of the 96 communication reports posted between June 22 and June 28. The organization, which is represented on the registry by its executive vice-president Dennis Laycraft and board members Bob Lowe and David Haywood-Farmer, contacted Minister of Agriculture Marie Claude Bibeau on April 14. Minister of Veterans Affairs Lawrence MacAulay was contacted on May 19.

In new registrations, the Real Jobs, Real Recovery Coalition started its first file on June 9. The coalition is represented by Stewart Muir, the executive director of Resource Works, a group that advocates for natural resource development in British Columbia. According to the registry, the coalition is advocating for policy support for natural resources industries for Canada’s economic recovery following the pandemic. Members of the coalition include the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, the Canadian Association of Oilwell Drilling Contractors, and the Canadian Energy Pipelines Association. Muir will communicate with Natural Resources Canada, Innovation, as well as with MPs and senators.

The Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce (CanWCC) started its first file on May 5 with its CEO, Nancy Wilson. The organization, which supports women-owned businesses, is interested in federal government financial support and programming for women-identified entrepreneurs. Wilson will communicate with Innovation, Finance, Global Affairs Canada, WAGE, and the Business Development Bank of Canada.

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment started its first file on June 20 with consultants Dan Mader and Christopher Froggatt of Loyalist Public Affairs. Consultant Kenzie McKeegan of the same firm was added on June 26. The organization is interested in discussing the Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF), a federal government program that provides liquidity assistance in the form of interest-bearing term loans to large Canadian employers that have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The equity firm that owns Gateway, Catalyst Capital Group, is currently involved in a $1.5-billion deal to sell the company to Leisure Acquisition Corp. The deadline of the deal has been extended until Dec. 1.

The Lobby Monitor has also taken a look at new registrations on the federal lobbyists’ registry for the current parliamentary session. From Dec. 5, 2019 until July 3, 2020 at 9:15 a.m., more than 1,500 registry files, new registrations, and reactivations have been posted.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on July 3 at 9:15 a.m.

New registrations

Reactivations