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

The procedure and House affairs committee heard from former ethics commissioner Mary Dawson and Democracy Watch co-founder Duff Conacher this week as it continues its review of the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of Parliament. Dawson says gifts worth $30 or less have been seen as unlikely to create a conflict of interest since her tenure, but that she remains undecided about her successor’s recommendation that the dollar amount be formalized within the code. “I also tend to be nervous about putting that into the code because it’s going to change over time, and what $30 is today isn’t what it is in five years,” she said. Conacher, meanwhile, advocated banning both MPs and their staff from accepting gifts from anyone who is trying to influence their decisions, and prohibiting sponsored travel.

Compass Rose has launched a new practice and announced three new staff members as it seeks to branch out further into the tech sector. Joining Compass Rose Digital are Kelly Hutchinson, who will lead the practice, and former Liberal staffer Tisha Ashton. “It’s no secret that we need to, as a country, deliver services to Canadians in a digital way,” said Hutchinson, who has more than 15 years of public and private sector consulting experience in Ottawa.. “We’re going to really focus on curating a portfolio of clients that are interested in finding common good with government.”

Health was the topic lobbyists wanted to discuss the most with public officials last month. In January, 2022, 381 reports included discussions about health, followed by 344 about the environment, 343 about economic development, and 313 about industry. The Canadian Medical Association was the most active health-related organization in January, submitting 35 reports. Last month’s 2,360 communication reports made it the busiest January for lobbying since at least 2009, which is as far back as registry records show online.

In more recent lobbying efforts, the Canadian Canola Growers Association (CCGA) posted 25 of the 474 communication reports filed on the federal lobbyists’ registry last week. The association of more than 43,000 canola farmers is represented on the registry by Rick White, its president and CEO; and board members Bernie McClean, Jacob Froese, and Dean Roberts. The CCGA communicated with Francis Drouin, parliamentary secretary to Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau; Arif Virani, parliamentary secretary to International Trade Minister Mary Ng; Conservative agriculture critic John Barlow and international trade critic Randy Hoback; and NDP agriculture critic Alistair MacGregor. Those communications all took place on Feb. 8.

In new registrations, LG Energy Solution started its first file on the federal lobbyists’ registry on Nov. 29, 2021, with KPMG consultants Hyunchul Chung, Mathieu Ouellet, Begona Bernardez Padilla, Stephane Tremblay, and Yolanda Su. The South Korean company manufactures batteries for technologies that include electric vehicles, drones, and energy storage systems. According to its file, the consultants will help LG Energy Solutions with an  application for funding from  Innovation, Science and Economic Development’s Strategic Innovation Fund.

Also new to the registry is the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), which started its first file on Feb. 7 with consultant Adam Yahn of Summa Strategies. The Scarborough, Ont.-based junior ice hockey league consists of 20 teams: 17 in Ontario; two in Michigan; and one in Pennsylvania. According to its file, the OHL is seeking “changes to border testing requirements that reflect the short-term nature of their league's travel.” Yahn will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Immigration, Health, Public Safety, Intergovernmental Affairs, Canada Border Services Agency, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Returning to the registry recently is the Ontario Medical Association (OMA), which started a new file with CEO Allan O’Dette on Jan. 25. O’Dette previously represented the OMA on the registry between Dec. 14, 2018, and Jan. 16, 2019. According to its registry file, the OMA is interested in advocating for increases to the Canada Health Transfer, as well as “reducing the backlog of health services, expanding mental health programs, improving home and community care, strengthening public health, and improving access to primary and team based care.” O’Dette plans to communicate with the PMO, Finance, and Health, as well as with MPs.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Feb. 18 at 9:05 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations

The Lobby Monitor will not publish on Mon. Feb. 21, due to the public holiday, but will return to its regular publishing schedule on Tues. Feb. 22. Have a great and safe weekend!