In Lobby Monitor news this week …

Crestview Strategy’s summer hiring streak has most recently resulted in the announcement that Bernie Morton has joined the company as a vice-president. Morton is known in Conservative circles as a former campaign chair to (now-Toronto mayor) John Tory’s bid to become Ontario’s premier during the 2007 election campaign. Tory was the leader of the Progressive Conservatives at the time. Morton also worked with the federal Conservative Party between 2005 and 2008. Recent Crestview hires also include Supreena Sekhon, a former Alberta bureaucrat, who will work from Calgary, Alta., and former B.C. NDP staffer Dario Garousian, who joins the lobbying firm’s Vancouver, B.C. office.  

Joining the registry recently is Defeat Duchenne Canada. The grassroots organization is focused on finding a cure for Duchenne, a form of muscular dystrophy that mainly affects boys. After going through a rebranding process that was completed this year, CEO Perry Esler told The Lobby Monitor that the organization is ready to advocate on behalf of those with Duchenne and their families at the federal level. Among the organization’s lobbying priorities is to advocate for faster approvals for medicines that can treat Duchenne.  

Summer months means less active lobbying, but The Lobby Monitor continues to keep an eye on groups’ efforts to get their message across as parliamentarians stay close to home. With eight reports, Ducks Unlimited Canada found itself with the highest number of communication reports for the week of July 25. The organization, which focuses on preserving Canada’s wetlands, told The Lobby Monitor that its lobbying is related to its participation in a “Green Budget” coalition which is advocating on common interests related to environmental conservation. Duck Unlimited Canada’s eight reports come from a total of 119 reports that were filed last week. 

Joining the registry for the first time is Whistleblower Security, which wants to talk to officials about its services and technology designed to protect the privacy of those who report ethical issues to government. Aurora Strategy Group’s Hasneet Punia registered on July 29 to talk to officials from Transport Canada about a possible procurement contract. 

Also new to the registry is Dapper Labs, a digital gaming company that designs its products for bitcoin technology. Susie Heath and Cameron Doherty, both of Crestview Strategy, registered on July 19, to represent the company in conversations on the Hill. The consultants are expected to reach out to officials in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Bank of Canada, Finance Canada, as well as MPs and senators. 

Among the new registrations is Hill + Knowlton’s Don Boudria who registered to represent CSA Group on July 21 to “promote the benefit” of the organization’s standards related to policy areas that include long-term care in Canada, climate change adaptation, and disability and inclusion. Lobbying targets include the PMO, Treasury Board, Employment and Social Development Canada, and Finance Canada.

New registry files

New registrations

Reactivations

New registrations are based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry at 9:25 a.m.

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

The Lobby Monitor has collated the 100 most active organizations in the first six months of 2022, based on communication reports submitted to the federal lobbyists’ registry. The Breakfast Club of Canada submitted 134 communication reports for discussions that took place between Jan. 1 and June 30, followed by the Tourism Industry Association of Canada (121), and the Canadian Canola Growers Association (120).

The Breakfast Club of Canada also led in communications posted to the registry last week, contributing 19 of the 151 reports submitted between July 18 and July 24. The organization is represented on the registry by president and CEO Tommy Kulczyk. The Breakfast Club of Canada communicated with Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Marc Miller, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault, and Treasury Board President Mona Fortier. The organization also communicated with Greg Fergus, parliamentary secretary to Fortier; and Conservative deputy leader Luc Berthold. Those communications all took place on June 1 and June 2.

As Montreal, Que. hosts a global AIDS conference, organizations who specialize in sexual health and HIV are wondering if the Canadian government will act on a 19-year-old parliamentary recommendation to increase HIV funding to $100 million. “As the world comes to Canada to talk about HIV, this is an opportunity for us to talk about the great work … the community health sector has been doing, but we need our federal partners to step up,” said Jody Jollimore, executive director of the Community-Based Research Centre (CBRC). The CBRC is part of an informal coalition of groups that has launched a letter-writing campaign to ministers, calling for increased funding. (This story was also published in Hill Times Research, a sister publication to The Lobby Monitor that exclusively covers federal health policy.)

McMillan Vantage Policy Group has welcomed former Hill staffers Rachel Rappaport and Tausha Michaud to its team, and the firm has launched a brand refresh to promote the new services it is offering after more than doubling its team. Rappaport arrived at McMillan after holding a series of communication roles in the offices of Liberal ministers, most recently as director of communications to labour ministers Filomena Tassi and Seamus O’Regan. Michaud, meanwhile, is returning to McMillan Vantage after two years. She most recently worked as chief of staff to then-Conservative leader Erin O’Toole, and was a senior adviser to the Ontario Progressive Conservatives during the provincial election campaign earlier this year.

In new registrations, Boost Child & Youth Advocacy Centre started its first file on July 22 with president and CEO Nona Constas. Boost provides programs and services to children, youth, and their families who experience abuse or violence, as well as prevention programs and training for parents, professionals, and the wider community. According to its registry file, Boost is exploring federal funding options for its programs supporting child and youth victims of crime, with a particular focus on abuse, internet child exploitation, and human trafficking. In addition to Justice and PHAC, Constas plans to communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Health.

Telemedicine provider Taiga Health Corp. has hired Kyle Olsen of Olsen+Biggs Public Affairs, who registered on July 22, to represent it in discussions with the PMO, Health, and Public Services. Taiga provides virtual doctor’s consultations in Canada, including to Ontario residents through the province’s public insurance program, known as OHIP, and UHIP coverage, which is required insurance for international students studying in Ontario. According to its registry file, Taiga is seeking a government contract to purchase COVID-19 tests.

Returning to the registry is the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC), which added CEO and secretary general David Shoemaker to the file on June 29. Shoemaker previously represented the COC between Jan. 18, 2021 and Aug. 9, 2021. The committee has rejoined the registry to discuss plans to bid for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in the future, according to its file. “At this time, we are asking the government to commit staff resources to building a Games Concept with us,” the file states.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on July 29 at 9:08 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations

With that, we come to the mid mark of the summer season and the August long weekend. The Lobby Monitor will not publish on Mon. Aug. 1, due to the Civic Holiday, but we return in full form on Tues. Aug. 2. We wish our readers a happy and safe weekend!