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

The federal election results indicate the 44th Parliament will look similar to its predecessor, but consultants say the nature of governance over the next term could be very different. Although the Liberal party will form another minority government, Bluesky Strategy Group’s Cameron Holmstrom said it would be risky for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take a confrontational approach with other parties. “You’re dealing with opponents that are less likely to give you any benefits because of what happened [during the election],” he said. Elliot Hughes, a senior adviser at Summa Strategies, said the Liberals would face greater pressure to follow through with their election promises after being judged on their pandemic response.

Election discussions were featured at a Sept. 22 Public Affairs Association of Canada’s event. Federal lobbying commissioner Nancy Bélanger, Ontario integrity commissioner David Wake and City of Toronto lobbyist registrar Cristina De Caprio spoke at the virtual event (which is held annually to provide updates on lobbying regulations). In addition to election activities, Bélanger said she hoped to present an initial update to the federal Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct later this fall, with the goal of making the updated rules “as clear as possible.”

Ivan Ross Vrána was appointed as executive director of the Global Cannabis Partnership on Sept. 1. Vrána will focus on the increasing importance of corporate social responsibility in the legal cannabis industry. Meanwhile, Terry Young has landed at StrategyCorp as a senior adviser. He joined the firm earlier this month after 19 years at the Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), where he was most recently the interim president and CEO. 

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) submitted 13 of the 653 communication reports logged on the federal lobbyists’ registry last week. Represented by its CEO, Shimon Fogel, CIJA advocates on behalf of the Jewish Federations of Canada. The CIJA communicated with Samantha Nadler, senior policy adviser to Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau on Aug. 12, and Lisa Cheskes, the director of case management at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, on Aug. 9 and Aug. 27.

In new registrations, Amylyx Pharmaceuticals Inc. started its first files with Johnathan Rix and Patil Imasdounian of Santis Health on Sept. 13 and Sept. 15, respectively. According to its file, Amylyx is interested in discussing “timely and equitable access” to new therapies for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Rix and Imasdounian will communicate with Health Canada. 

In energy files, Omni Conversion Technologies Inc. started new files on Sept. 14 with Mark Resnick and Drew Fagan of McMillan Vantage Policy Group. The company, previously known as Plasco Energy Group and Plasco Conversion Technologies, develops technology to convert garbage into energy. According to its file, Omni is interested in discussing the government’s greenhouse gas emissions policies, as well as seeking advice about applications for the Strategic Innovation Fund. Resnick and Fagan will communicate with Innovation and Environment, as well as with MPs.

Increasing its presence on the Hill is Salesforce, which added Stefano Gardiman of Capital Hill Group on Sept. 22. Gardiman joins colleagues Dennis Burnside and William Norman. According to its file, the software company is seeking government contracts with multiple departments and institutions, as well as to “influence policy direction related to cloud-based services.” Howe will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office, Health, Agriculture, and the Treasury Board, as well as with MPs and senators.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Sept. 24 at 9:02 a.m. ET.

New registrations

Reactivations