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

Democracy Watch was virtually back in Federal Court this week to argue that its two legal challenges, filed in August 2020, against decisions made by Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger should be allowed to continue. Arguing that the cases should not continue was Alexander Gay, the general counsel for Attorney General of Canada David Lametti. At issue is the interpretation of a Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) ruling from April 1, 2020. That ruling was that the Lobbying Act does not confer statutory rights on members of the public for their complaints to be investigated by the OCL. Democracy Watch is now awaiting a court ruling, which Conacher said could take one to two months.

Parents, clean tech companies and airports were some of the people and sectors likely to benefit from the 2021 federal budget. The Lobby Monitor took a closer look at some of the winners from the budget, and the organizations registered to lobby on their behalf. Budget 2021 acknowledged parents with a proposed $30 billion over the next five years to develop a national child care and early learning system. General trade union Unifor said in an April 19 press release that the budget demonstrates “a commitment to correct the unequal effects of the pandemic on mothers.”.

Rahul Bedi, a former chief of staff in the office of Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development Vic Fedeli, has joined the Toronto office of Earnscliffe Strategy Group as a principal. Bedi’s background includes acting as deputy chief of staff in Fedeli’s office when the MPP was Ontario’s Finance minister. He also previously served as a policy assistant in the office of then-Finance minister Jim Flaherty during the government of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.

The Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) contributed 31 of the 128 communication reports posted last week on the federal lobbyists’ registry. The DFO reports all reflect lobbying activity from Feb. 9, during a federal lobbying day hosted by the Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC). MPs contacted during the event include Conservative MP Lianne Rood, her party’s shadow cabinet minister for agriculture and agri-food, and Liberal MP Francis Drouin, a member of the House’s agriculture committee. Topics of discussion included trade issues and mitigation measures for recent trade agreements.

In new registrations, Delta CleanTech started its first file on May 3 with consultant Christina Marciano of Sussex Strategy Group. The company, with offices in Alberta and Saskatchewan, is reaching out to discuss the Liberal government’s objectives related to carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), as outlined in Budget 2021, the registry shows. The budget proposed $319 million over seven years to support the research and development of CCUS technologies. Marciano will communicate with Environment, Innovation, Natural Resources Canada, and Global Affairs Canada.

ChargePoint Canada, a major operator of electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, started its first file on May 1 with Suzanne Goldberg, the company’s director of public policy in Canada. The company’s advocacy priorities include presenting policy recommendations for economic development in Canada’s electric mobility sector, and discussing Canada’s Clean Fuel Standard, according to the registry. Goldberg will communicate with Infrastructure, Innovation, Environment, Transport, the Canada Revenue Agency, Natural Resources Canada, and with MPs.

Resilience Biotechnologies, a pharmaceutical manufacturer based in Ontario, strengthened its representation on the registry by adding Crestview Strategy consultant Patricia Sibal on April 26. Sibal’s colleague, Muhammad Ali, was added on April 27. Also active on the file is Safa'a Al-Rais, the company’s chief operating officer. Resilience Biotechnologies is seeking federal funding to support the construction of facilities with vaccine and biomanufacturing capabilities, according to the file. The Crestview consultants will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office, Innovation, Infrastructure, Finance, Health, Export Development Canada, and MPs.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on May 7 at 9:00 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations