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

Federal lobbying levels reached a record high last month, with almost 4,000 communication reports logged for November. As of Dec. 20, 3,960 reports were posted to the federal lobbyists’ registry for communications that took place in November. That figure is the highest in any month since at least July 2008, which is as far back as records are publicly available on the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying’s website. The record previously belonged to February 2020, with 3,584 reports. More than a third of November’s communications took place in the week between Nov. 14 and Nov. 20.

Farming associations have welcomed plans to open Canada’s first agriculture office in the Indo-Pacific as part of the federal government’s strategy for the region. Todd Lewis, vice-president of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA), said the sector has long called for an increased trade presence in the region, which is especially important for growers in Western Canada. “Boots on the ground are important and having the Canadian government there with their finger on what's going on within the region, I think, is going to be nothing but positive,” he said. “There's lots of people who live there and increasing populations, and we have, in many cases, the food and agricultural products that they want.”

Unifor filed 115 of the 3,267 communication reports submitted to the registry last week. The union is represented on the registry by national president Lana Payne. Most of the union’s reports were for communications between Nov. 14 and Nov. 17, when the union held a lobby week in Ottawa to discuss its 2023 budget submission. Unifor communicated with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson, Families Minister Karina Gould, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier, Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Seniors Minister Kamal Khera, Rural Economic Development Minister Gudie Hutchings, and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.

In new registrations, the Canadian Water Quality Association (CWQA) hired First Lake Solutions consultants Rob LeForte and Zoie Sutherland on Dec. 19 and Dec. 20 to represent it in discussions with 17 government institutions, including Finance, Health, Innovation, Natural Resources, and Environment, as well as with MPs and senators. According to its registry file, CWQA wants to discuss training and credential recognition for certified professional water quality specialists. The association also wants to promote the “value and contributions of the water quality industry to providing safe, clean drinking water in homes and industrial applications.”

Also new to the registry is White Ribbon, which wants to advocate for culture change within the Canadian Armed Forces. The organization started its first file on Dec. 13 with Counsel  Public Affairs consultant Sheamus Murphy, who also sits on the White Ribbon board. Fellow Counsel consultant and board member Will Shelling joined the file on Dec. 20. White Ribbon advocates for the end of gender-based violence. According to its registry file, the organization wants to advance the implementation of the Independent External Comprehensive Review of the Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces, released on May 30. In addition to National Defence, Murphy and Shelling plan to communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Women and Gender Equality, and MPs.

Returning to the registry is grocery retailer Metro Inc., which has hired consultants Annick Mongeau and Marie-Josée Côté of Mongeau-Pellerin & Co. Mongeau and Côté both registered on Dec. 12. According to its French-language registry file, Metro wants to discuss the importance of protecting the pharmaceutical supply chain and pharmacy services to the public. The company will advocate for limiting the pressure on list prices for patented and generic drugs, according to the file. Mongeau and Côté plan to communicate with Health and Innovation.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Dec. 22 at 9:05 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations

And with that, on behalf of everyone at The Lobby Monitor, thank you for reading in 2022! An additional thank you to everyone who shared their insights with us over an incredibly busy year. We’ll be back on Jan. 3, to cover the newest developments in lobbying rules, campaigns and company moves for 2023. In the meantime, we wish you and your loved ones a safe, happy, and relaxing holiday.