Here’s the news we covered this week:

The Lobby Monitor spoke with Judith Barry, co-founder and director of government relations at the Breakfast Club of Canada, about two parallel processes on the Hill to introduce a national school food policy. The federal Liberals promised one in their 2019 election campaign platform, and undertook a consultation in 2022. Liberal MP Serge Cormier introduced a bill calling for a framework for a national school food program in March 2023. “I think that the private member’s bill is adding some very important perspectives relating to the next steps and how the program should be monitored through [time], which … is complementary. Those types of recommendations haven't been done that clearly until now so that's great,” said Barry of Cormier’s bill. The Breakfast Club of Canada has been advocating for the implementation of a national school food program for several years.

Craig Robinson, CEO of Earnscliffe Strategy, discussed the company’s acquisition of public relations firm Kaiser & Partners, Inc., which he said “is about building a team that has national coverage and national capacity to deliver against public affairs and public relations mandates.” Although Earnscliffe offers communications services, the company primarily focuses on the public affairs space. This acquisition will help Earnscliffe expand its ability to serve clients in the tech and financial services sectors, said Robinson.

The Lobby Monitor covered the House ethics committee’s Jan. 30 meeting where Interim Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein appeared before the House ethics committee and told members that he considered the matter closed regarding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent vacation at the resort of a family friend. “As far as I am concerned, there is nothing further [to be done] … If there had been something that needs to be disclosed, it would have been disclosed,” said von Finckenstein. The interim commissioner was responding to a question from Liberal MP Parm Bains. “We were advised [about Trudeau’s trip by the Prime Minister’s Office], we gave advice, and the prime minister obviously took the advice and followed it.”

In weekly communications reports, Beer Canada submitted the highest number of communications reports to the federal lobbyists’ registry for discussions held in February 2023. The organization is represented by its president CJ Hélie, who submitted 15 out of a total of 103 submitted reports. Hélie’s reasons for wanting to speak with policymakers, as per his file, include rules around single-use plastics, and the automatic annual escalator on federal excise duty as it relates to beer.

In this week’s registrations, Fedora Pharmaceuticals Inc. has joined the federal lobbyists' registry for the first time to seek federal funding to support the research and development of antimicrobial drugs. The company is represented by Joanna Carey of Magnet Strategy Group. Fedora, which is headquartered in Edmonton, is developing a new pharmaceutical that would be capable of overcoming antimicrobial resistant pathogens.

Another first-time registrant seeking federal funding is Agrisolutions Corp., which is represented by Jesse Shea of Enterprise Canada. Shea will engage MPs and officials from FedDev to secure funding for Agrisolutions’ facility, according to the consultant’s registry file. Agrisolutions is a global manufacturer of farming equipment and other solutions for tillage, seeding, planting and fertilizing.

In new registrations, Blue Door Support Services has hired Jacob Gorenkoff of Homeward Public Affairs to represent it on the federal registry. Discussions with federal officials will focus on a request for federal investment in Blue Door’s programs, encouraging the government to expand the federal “Reaching Home” program, and to provide newcomers to Canada and the existing workforce with skills training. Blue Door, a registered charitable organization, is an emergency housing provider in York Region, Ont., which also runs programs that attempt to provide solutions to the “root causes of homelessness.”

New Registry

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Feb. 2 at 8:50 a.m. ET.

New Registration

Reactivation