Here’s the news we covered this week:

The Lobby Monitor was at the Canadian Agri-Food in a Sustainable World conference in Ottawa where we listened in on an industry panel discussing how agricultural producers looking to adopt sustainable practices can approach the federal government to gain its support. Kate Harrison, vice-chair at Summa Strategies, told attendees that they should frame their asks around mainstream issues and show the economic viability of their work. “For the last year, issues have been quite entrenched. It's housing and affordability, it’s the cost-of-living crisis, increasing crime and increasing growth, and that includes immigration,” she said. Also providing their insight at the panel were Alanna Koch, board chair at the Global Institute for Food Security, and Scott Ross, executive director at Canadian Federation of Agriculture.

In other live coverage (because tis the conference season), The Lobby Monitor was also in the audience at BIOTECanada’s annual event on Sept. 25. We heard Summa Strategies’ Tim Powers, Bluesky Strategy Group’s Susan Smith, and Monk and Associates’ Kathleen Monk discuss federal advocacy in the current political climate. The lobbyists told attendees that a multi-pronged strategy where GR professionals direct their asks to the current government while getting to know key politicians and staffers from the opposition parties is important right now in light of the uncertainty surrounding the next election date.

Crestview Strategy’s new vice-president Robin Guy spoke with The Lobby Monitor about how he plans to “continue to make sure that business views are well represented in Ottawa” by drawing on his past experience working for the federal Conservative Party and leading the Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s advocacy team. “Coming from a Conservative background, I will be trying to help people understand where a possible Conservative government might go [policy-wise], but I will also have the opportunity to help push things to the current government,” said Guy.

Turning to weekly communication reports, a lobby day focusing on safety and funding for public transit set the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) ahead of the pack of communication reports submitted the week of Sept. 23. CUTA submitted 30 reports for conversations that all took place on Sept. 26, 2024. Communications were submitted by its president and CEO Marco D’Angelo, and Impact Public Affairs consultant Alexis Morin.

In this week’s registrations, Rural Prosperity Group, which is looking to advocate for policies that support rural communities, is joining the registry for the first time. The organization is represented by Jacqueline LaRocque of Compass Rose. Rural Prosperity Group was founded by former Conservative MP Candice Bergen and now-retired senator Dennis Dawson.

Also joining the registry for the first time is Wohler Canada Inc., which is looking to engage with the federal government to discuss the impact of recently implemented tariffs on Chinese aluminum products. The company is represented by Christopher Froggatt, Dan Mader, and Dario Dimitriev of Loyalist Public Affairs. Wohler is an Ontario-based manufacturer of aluminum products.

Toronto-based The Bentway returns to the federal registry to meet with parliamentarians and learn about “the government's perspective on public spaces for artistic, cultural, and recreational events.” Representing the organization is Kyle Jacobs of Navigator Ltd. The Bentway is a non-profit civic organization that hosts various community events in a public space located beneath a major highway in Toronto’s downtown core.

The following are new registry files, registrations and reactivated files posted on the federal lobbyists' registry between Sept. 30, 2024, and Oct. 4, 2024. The information is based on a search of the registry on Oct. 4, at 9:00 a.m. ET.

NEW REGISTRY FILES

NEW REGISTRATION

REACTIVATIONS