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

Some lobbyists expect a focus on the environment and health in the upcoming session of Parliament after the swearing-in of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet on Oct. 26. Among the cabinet changes was the appointment of former heritage minister Steven Guilbeault to the environment file. Guilbeault, a former Greenpeace Canada activist, replaced Jonathan Wilkinson, who has moved to the natural resources portfolio. “I think it really became that this government means business and they're looking to move quickly and really set the legacy for this prime minister. That's always been part of the Liberal messaging and core Liberal values, they want to be serious about climate change,” said Daniel Perry, a consultant at Summa Strategies and former Conservative staffer.

An alliance of Alberta oil sands producers is taking steps to publicize environmental practices underway in the region. Canada’s Oil Sands Innovation Alliance is made up of the major oil sands producers in Alberta, with members sharing intellectual property related to greenhouse gas reduction programs, land and water management, and tailings transformation in the oil sands. “Whenever we're meeting with people from outside the province, whether they're public officials or at a chamber lunch, or just a meeting with someone from Toronto or Ottawa or Montreal, we talk about the culture and the history of innovation in the oil sands and the environmental innovation,” said Wes Jickling, the alliance’s CEO.

Lonzell “Bud” Locklear has joined Earnscliffe Strategies as a principal after more than two decades of working in the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa. Locklear will advise clients of U.S.-Canada relations, with a focus on climate, energy, environment, trade and defence. “Earnscliffe Strategies” is the re-branded name of Earnscliffe Strategy Group. The company launched their new brand, which includes  a new website and the tagline “Thinking Forward,” on Oct. 26.  

The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner issued four notices of violation to public office holders for not meeting reporting requirements between July and September, according to the office’s quarterly report. The report, released on Oct. 28, also said that two monetary penalties were issued during that period, both for failures to report a material change. Twenty-three case files were opened during the quarter, with 16 closed and no reports published. Eleven cases concerned ministers or parliamentary secretaries, 10 were related to MPs, and eight were related to other public office holders. 

The Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) filed four of the 19 communication reports submitted last week. Represented on the registry in-house by president and CEO David Weinstein, CSA Group develops public and private sector industry standards, in addition to providing testing, inspection, and certification services. All CSA Group communications filed last week were with Health Canada officials. The group communicated with Jocelyn Voisin, associate assistant deputy minister of Health’s strategic policy branch, on Oct. 4 and Oct. 14; and Luke Carter, an executive director at Health Canada, on Oct. 4 and Oct. 18.

In new registrations, Les investissements Nolinor Inc., more commonly known as Nolinor Aviation, started its first file on Oct. 21 with consultant Yan Plante of TACT. The Quebec-based charter airline is interested in discussing its operations in Canada and demonstrating its “service offering, which can play a key role in a crisis such as access to drinking water in Nunavut.” Plante plans to communicate with 11 government bodies, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Finance, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and Transport, as well as with MPs and senators.

In other Quebec-based registrations, the Fondation québécoise d'Éducation en sécurité routière or the FQESR (known in English as Quebec Road Safety Foundation) started its first file on Oct. 28 with director-general Yves Georges. The foundation advocates safe driving through training courses and awareness activities. It is seeking funding through Transport Canada’s Enhanced Road Safety Transfer Payment Program, which provides federal funding to organizations working on road safety projects. In addition to Transport, Georges plans to communicate with Environment and Natural Resources.

Boosting its representation on the Hill recently is personal protective equipment (PPE) manufacturer Trebor Rx Corp, which added consultants Andrew Steele and Allyson Grant of StrategyCorp on Oct. 20. The pair joins Galen Cranston of Invictus Corporate Affairs, who has represented the company on the registry since March 18. According to its registry files, the company is interested in discussing federal PPE procurement policies. Steele and Grant intend to communicate with the PMO, Health, Innovation, Public Services and Procurement, Transport and the National Research Council, as well as with MPs.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Oct. 29 at 9:00 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations