Here’s the news we covered this week:

The federal government has not yet published a request for applications for a new conflict of interest and ethics commissioner, more than two weeks after Mario Dion left the role. Dion announced his retirement due to health issues on Feb. 14. He officially vacated the role on Feb. 21. Since then, the commissioner position has been vacant. A Privy Council Office spokesperson told The Lobby Monitor in an emailed statement on March 7 that Dion’s replacement will be appointed “in due course… until that time, the important work of the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner will continue under senior leadership.”

Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger has signalled a willingness to raise the annual limit that lobbyists can spend on hospitality for officials in her proposed update to the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, and to clarify the sections that set out rules for gifts and past political work. Bélanger made the comments in a letter to the House ethics committee on March 3. The committee held meetings with stakeholders on Feb. 14 and Feb. 17, during which concerns about the proposed changes to gifts, hospitality, and political work dominated discussions. Bélanger’s letter states that the commissioner wanted to “address some of the concerns and issues raised” by the stakeholders in the committee meetings. 

Industry councils and their engagement with government will become increasingly important as protectionism and conflicts of great global political powers dominate the next decade. That was one of the key messages from a panel discussion that took place during the Canadian Crops Convention in Ottawa on March 8. “We absolutely need these sectoral councils in Canada. They play a critical role and they will be much more important over the next decade than they have been in the past,” said Janice Stein, a convention speaker and founding director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. The convention, hosted by the Canada Grains Council and Canola Council of Canada, focused on the theme of “strategies for a changing world.”

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) posted 59 of the 250 communication reports submitted to the federal lobbyists’ registry last week. The think tank, which focuses on issues of climate change and adaptation, was represented in those communications by president and CEO Richard Florizone. The institute's communications took place between Feb. 1, 2022, and Jan. 31, 2023. The IISD communicated with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland on Feb. 3; Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault on March 16, April 25, and Jan. 31; Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau on Feb. 7; and Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson on Jan. 11.

In new registrations, Sustainable Menstrual Equity in Canada Coalition has hired consultant Alik Angaladian of Maple Leaf Strategies to represent it in discussions with 13 government institutions, including the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Health, Employment, Finance, and Women and Gender Equality (WAGE), as well as with MPs and senators. Angaladian registered on March 1. The coalition is composed of three companies: Aisle International, which specializes in period underwear and menstrual cups; Joni, which sells organic pads and tampons; and Bfree, which produces anti-bacterial menstrual cups. According to its registry file, Angaladian’s goals are to provide government officials with an introduction to the coalition, and discuss the government’s menstrual equity fund.

Also new to the registry is the Conseil québécois de la franchise (CQF), an association for franchisors and franchisees operating in Quebec. The organization started its first file on Feb. 27 with consultant David Heurtel of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin. Members of CQF include A&W, Boston Pizza, and Dairy Queen. According to its French-language registry file, the association wants to discuss issues affecting franchisors and franchisees, including minimum wage and benefits, and small and medium-sized business financing programs. Heurtel plans to communicate with the PMO, Finance, Employment, Environment, Innovation, and Treasury Board, as well as with MPs and senators.

Returning to the federal lobbyists’ registry recently is the Professional Footballers Association Canada (PFA Canada), which reactivated its file with executive director Dan Kruk on March 7. Kruk previously represented the union for professional soccer players on the registry between May 19, 2020, and Nov. 16, 2022.  According to its registry file, PFA Canada is interested in discussions about support for costs related to the COVID-19 pandemic, immigration policies to facilitate the movement of international soccer players into Canada, and the taxation framework for professional athletes. The association’s file also states that it wants to discuss the working conditions, health and safety of professional athletes in Canada. Kruk plans to communicate with the PMO, Privy Council Office, Heritage, Finance, Immigration, and Innovation, as well as with MPs and senators.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on March 10 at 9:14 a.m. ET.

New registrations

Reactivations