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

Some advocacy groups are ready to push for the federal government to implement publicly-funded universal child care, following the throne speech delivered on Sept. 23, which identified child care as an important factor in rebuilding the economy. Groups including the Canadian Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Owl Child Care Services of Ontario are endorsing a child care plan proposed by Child Care Now, which calls for the federal government to invest $2.5 billion in early learning and child care services in the provinces, territories and Indigenous communities.

The throne speech also set a goal of generating one million new jobs. Clean Prosperity, an organization that advocates for a federal carbon tax and rebate, is arguing that continuing to put a price on carbon pollution is critical to growing the clean tech market, which it considers to contain the greatest opportunity for economic growth. Michael Bernstein, the executive director of Clean Prosperity, argues that hundreds of thousands of jobs could be created through construction of carbon-capture plants, which extract carbon from the air. A job creation plan has also been proposed by the Real Jobs, Real Recovery Coalition, an organization that advocates for the importance of Canada’s natural resources sector in economic recovery. The coalition released a report on Aug. 19, with recommendations including that the federal government conduct a review of the business taxation environment, develop the hydrogen industry in Canada, and adopt a tax credit to promote development of carbon capture technologies.

Kristina Martin joined Loyalist Public Affairs as a senior director on Sept. 28. Martin’s previous professional experience includes a role as a media analyst in the campaign war room of then-Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff in 2011. Martin brings to her new job her sense of the needs facing Canada’s industries through her involvement with the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), she said. She served as president of the IABC in Ottawa between July 2019 and July 2020, and still sits on its board of directors.

The Breakfast Club of Canada (BCC) was the most active lobbying organization last week and posted 36 communication reports between Sept. 29 and Oct. 2. The organization, which provides nutritious breakfasts to school children across Canada, contacted Minister of Indigenous Services Marc Miller on Sept. 17. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed increasing demand on the BCC’s services. The organization attributes this to higher levels of unemployment brought on by the pandemic. The BCC is represented on the registry in house by its president, Daniel Germain, as well as by consultants Kate Moseley-Williams, Chad Rogers and Patricia Sibal of Crestview Strategy.

In new registrations, the Coalition for Conscience and Expression started its first file on the registry on Oct. 2 with consultant Kelly Mitchell of KWMitchell Consulting. The organization, composed of five Christian organizations, is interested in discussing Bill C-6, an act to amend the Criminal Code (conversion therapy), which received first reading in the House on Oct. 1. The bill, if passed, would amend the Criminal Code to make it a crime for anyone to knowingly cause a person to undergo conversion therapy. Mitchell will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Justice Canada, Canadian Heritage and with MPs.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) started its first file on Sept. 28 with consultant Patrick Kennedy of Earnscliffe Strategy Group. The organization is seeking support from the federal government with its democratic development work in Hong Kong, according to the registry. Protests have been ongoing in Hong Kong since June 2019, which started as a response to a now-cancelled bill that would have allowed for criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China under certain circumstances. Kennedy will communicate with the PMO, Global Affairs Canada, MPs and senators.

The Canadian Association for the World Petroleum Council (WPC Canada) started its first file on Sept. 25 with Denis Painchaud, the president of Baneret Consulting. The association is seeking financial assistance from the federal government to support its next World Petroleum Congress, which will be held in the U.S. between Dec. 5 and Dec. 9, 2021. The event, which is typically held every three years, attracts hundreds of representatives from the energy sector. Painchaud will communicate with the PMO, Global Affairs Canada, Natural Resources and Western Economic Diversification Canada.
 

New registry files

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

New registrations

Reactivations