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

Production companies, industry associations, and internet privacy advocates have updated their lobbyists’ registry files to express their interest in discussing Bill C-11, the federal government’s latest attempt to update the Broadcasting Act to include internet streaming services. Our policy map includes the details of the bill, its history, and which advocates have spoken on the issue.

Former Queen’s Park correspondent Shawn Jeffords has joined McMillan Vantage Policy Group as a senior consultant. He will work across a range of files, bringing more than 18 years of experience as a journalist to assist with communications, writing and editing services. “One of the great things about starting out and working at small papers is that you do everything,” he said. “I covered health, I covered education, local government, the environmental file, transportation. You name it, I've probably covered it.”

Unifor filed 42 of the 1,864 communication reports submitted to the registry last week. Represented on the registry by president Jerry Dias, the union represents approximately 315,000 workers in the private sector. Unifor met with Innovation Minister François Philippe Champagne on Jan. 6 for pre-budget consultations about telecommunications, and with International Trade Minister Mary Ng on Jan. 17 to discuss trade and the impacts of the U.S. electric vehicle tax credit on Canada.

In new registrations, Roshel Inc. has hired Yaroslav Baran, Lonzell Locklear, and Anton Sestritsyn of Earnscliffe Strategies, who registered on Feb. 18, to represent the company in discussions with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Privy Council Office, Finance, National Defence, and the Treasury Board. The consultants will support the armoured vehicle manufacturer “in pursuing the purchase and delivery of armoured vehicles destined for [a] third country as part of international aid,” states its registry file. 

Boosting its presence on the Hill recently is the Canadian Home Builders’ Association (CHBA), which has hired consultants Alicia Adams and Bailey Stafford of Earnscliffe Strategies to represent it on the registry. The consultants, who became active on the file on Jan. 31, join CHBA’s CEO Kevin Lee, who has represented the organization on the registry since June 1, 2013. According to its registry file, the association will advocate for the inclusion of affordability as a “core objective” of the National Building Code, and federal measures to address market-rate housing affordability. Adams and Stafford plan to communicate with 17 government agencies, including the PMO, Finance, Global Affairs, Immigration, Innovation, and Natural Resources, as well as with MPs and senators.

Returning to the registry after more than a decade is the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA), which added consultants Supria Kalirai, Frédérik Larouche, and Lisa Samson of StrategyCorp to its file on Feb. 15. The CCA was previously represented by executive director Christina Nichols between Nov. 18, 2005, and Dec. 1, 2008. The CCA advocates for improvements to the administration, effectiveness, and efficiency of archival systems, and encourages co-operation between member organizations. According to its registry file, the CCA will encourage the federal government to fund a “targeted digitization of archives,” invest in archival digital infrastructure, and provide upgrades to existing facilities to “offset ongoing operational expenditures and provide better energy efficiency.” Kalirai, Larouche, and Samson plan to communicate with the PMO, Finance, Heritage, Innovation, the Treasury Board, and Library and Archives Canada, as well as with senators.

And The Lobby Monitor noticed that the Commissaire au lobbyisme du Québec, which regulates lobbying of Quebec provincial officials, launched a new website, logo, and slogan. Commissioner Jean-Francois Routhier announced in a French-language press release on Feb. 17 that the office will now be known as Lobbyisme Québec, with a slogan of “transparence” (transparency). The name change coincides with the 20th anniversary of the office’s creation under the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act and “establishes a natural distinction between the institution and the function of” the commissioner,” Routhier said in the press release.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Feb. 25 at 9:09 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations