Here’s the news we covered this week:

David Adams, CEO and president of Global Automakers of Canada, discussed the federal government’s recently announced tariff on Chinese electric vehicle imports. “The fundamental concern of the government was to safeguard the investments that the private sector and the government itself had made in the burgeoning EV sector such as the battery plants and battery component facilities,” said Adams. “The reality is if subsidized Chinese EV vehicles were allowed to enter the country, then it would undermine all that effort.”

The Canada Industrial Relations Board put a stop to the first dual rail strike in Canada’s history this week so The Lobby Monitor talked to agricultural lobbyists about their successful strategies to get the trains moving again. Both Grain Growers of Canada’s Kyle Larkin and Canadian Cattle Association’s Jennifer Babcock did media interviews, lobbied the departments touched by the strike, and participated in a co-ordinated social media campaign.

The Lobby Monitor spoke with Jennifer Harnden, Kit Public Affairs’ new senior director, and William Hollis, who launched Hollis Strategies in July, about their jobs and the future of communication strategies in government relations. “GR helps connect you with the right people, but it's the communications piece that is really the bridge between the client and the decision-makers,” said Harnden, adding that she looks “at the GR strategy and communications strategy as [occurring] in tandem.”.

In this week’s communication reports, the National Association of Women and the Law (NAWL) was the most active lobbying group during the week of Aug. 19. The NAWL is represented on the federal lobbyists’ registry by its executive director, Tiffany Butler, who submitted a total of seven communication reports. Butler’s registry file indicates three reasons for lobbying: to discuss federal funding for women’s rights organizations; discuss Bill C-21, An Act to amend certain Acts and to make certain consequential amendments (firearms); and to seek a ban that would prohibit the use of parental alienation accusations in federal court.

In this week’s registrations, Irish company Simply Blue Sustainable Fuels Canada Ltd. registered to lobby for federal funding for its biorefinery project in Nova Scotia. Four KPMG LLP lobbyists separately registered to lobby for the company this week: Begona Bernardez Padilla, Mathieu Ouellet, Caroline Charest, and Andras Vlaszak. The company’s planned “renewable energy park” will use solar and wind energy and renewable biomass to make “sustainable aviation fuel” that isn’t derived from fossil fuels, and “bio-methanol” which can be used to power ships and other things, according to the company’s website.

Also new to the registry is Unity Health Toronto which will lobby for funding for the development of an electronic health care-related information system for the Catholic health care provider. Torys LLP partner Eileen McMahon is assigned to the file.

In new registrations, Hill & Knowlton consultant Elizabeth Seip registered to lobby for Canada Powered by Women to represent “engaged women” in the discussion of the future of Canadian energy and economic prosperity during energy transformation. She joins fellow Hill & Knowlton consultant Julia Parsons who is also registered to lobby for the organization.

Sara-Emilie Clark, a consultant for Impact Public Affairs, registered to lobby for the Take a Hike Foundation to secure funding in order to expand the alternative outdoor education program across the country. She is the seventh Impact Public Affairs lobbyist to register to lobby for the foundation.

In total, there were 23 new files added to the registry, 33 new registrations, and 10 file reactivations, according to the lobbyists’ registry website.

The following are new registry files, registrations and reactivated files posted on the federal lobbyists' registry between Aug. 26, 2024, and Aug. 30, 2024. The information is based on a search of the registry on Aug. 30, at 10:30 a.m. ET.

NEW REGISTRY FILES

NEW REGISTRATIONS

REACTIVATIONS