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

Economic development, industry, and environment were the biggest topics of interest for new registrations to the federal lobbyists’ registry in the first half of 2022, while the lobbyists attached to those files were most interested in speaking with MPs, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and Innovation, Science and Economic Development. There were 1,356 new registrations added to the federal lobbyists’ registry between Jan. 1, 2022 and June 30, 2022, according to a search of the registry at 11:32 a.m. on July 5, 2022. Of those, 1,001 were still active as of June 30, and 541 were for organizations that had not appeared on the registry before.

Megan Buttle, the new president of the Government Relations Institute of Canada (GRIC), plans to continue the organization’s work to adapt to the new realities of lobbying and public affairs brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Advocacy has changed,” said Buttle during a phone interview with The Lobby Monitor on July 6. “We've seen a lot more registrable activity with lobbyists and within our government relations community, because everyone felt like they needed to be more involved with a lot of the policies of the government. So for me, I looked at it as an opportunity to really advance [the] understanding of the industry.” Buttle, the principal of Earnscliffe Strategies’ digital strategy practice, was elected president of GRIC at a board meeting on June 29.

Jessica Brandon-Jepp has joined McMillan Vantage Policy Group as a consultant. She joined the firm from the Canadian Credit Union Association (CCUA), where she worked for more than five years. She said that she plans to work across a range of sectors. “That's the most exciting part of the job, getting to work with a wide range of clients across sectors and so many fantastic businesses and associations that are offering a ton of really innovative solutions for Canadians,” she said.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) posted 11 of the 126 communication reports submitted to the registry last week. Represented on the registry by CEO Mustafa Farooq, the council advocates for Canadian Muslim communities in areas such as human rights, civil liberties, and discrimination. All but one of the communications is related to the NCCM’s national advocacy day in Ottawa on June 6. The council communicated with Gary Anandasangaree, parliamentary secretary to Justice Minister David Lametti, and Jenna Sudds, parliamentary secretary to Minister for Women Marci Ien. The NCCM also communicated with NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, public safety critic Alistair MacGregor, and women and gender equality critic Leah Gazan.

In new registrations, NWP Coal Canada Ltd. has hired consultant Ben Parsons of Counsel Public Affairs, who registered on June 23 to represent the company in discussions with the PMO, Environment, Natural Resources, Indigenous Services, Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada, as well as with MPs. NWP is developing the Crown Mountain Hard Coking Project near Sparwood, B.C.  According to its website, the mine is expected to begin operations in late 2024, provided all regulatory approvals are received by the third quarter of 2023. NWP joined the registry, according to its file, in order to participate in the regulatory process and consultations about the project.

Also new to the registry is labour hire and placement company Blue Branch, which added Greg Seniuk of Solstice Public Affairs to the file on June 17. Blue Branch is a Hamilton, Ont.-based company that connects tradespeople with employers. According to its file, Blue Branch is interested in discussing and seeking funding for its labour mobility model that “matches employers (in regions facing chronic ongoing labour shortages) with employees from areas facing high unemployment, providing a concierge service that facilitates worker relocation, housing and transportation.” The company currently works with employers in Ontario and Quebec. Seniuk plans to communicate with Employment.

Boosting its representation on the Hill recently is the Ontario Bioscience Innovation Organization (OBIO), which added Temple Scott Associates consultants Don Moors and Kristina Proulx on July 6. They join Earnscliffe Strategies principal Julie Garner, who has been registered to represent the organization since Jan. 26. OBIO is a member-based organization of human health science companies. According to its registry file, OBIO is seeking government support for programs “that will help connect innovative companies to customers in the health care sector” and build the industry’s talent pool. Moors and Proulx plan to communicate with seven government institutions, including the PMO, Innovation, Health, and Women and Gender Equality, as well as MPs.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on July 8 at 10:04 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations