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

The federal ethics office fielded more advice requests from designated public office holders about the Conflict of Interest Act in 2021-22 than in any of the previous 11 years, according to an annual report published this week. The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner handled 3,349 requests for advice about compliance under the Act during the last financial year, compared to 2,237 requests in 2020-21. That figure is higher than in any other year since at least 2010-11.

Representatives of organizations involved in the creation of a new national Indigenous economic strategy hope that the connections forged between the participating groups during the process will benefit future advocacy projects. A coalition of more than 25 Indigenous organizations worked on the National Indigenous Economic Strategy, which was released on June 6 in Ottawa. The executive summary bills the document as a “blueprint to achieve the meaningful engagement and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples” in the economy. “The invitation to bring national Indigenous economic organizations together to draft a … strategy was not only important for this document, but for the strong connections we have built over the last 30 months, and for the benefits of our collective voices for the future” said Tabatha Bull, president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business (CCAB).

Amanda van Baarsen has joined Counsel Public Affairs as associate vice-president for Western Canada. She brings more than a decade of experience working with the B.C. NDP, most recently as a senior ministerial adviser to provincial Health Minister Adrian Dix from September 2019 to April 2022. “Nothing else that I have experienced or will experience … can compare to the last two years of my life. It was all crisis, all the time,” she said.  “What I'm taking from it now is that no other problem will be as great. I'm coming to client problems now and, for clients, their experience is intense, there's a lot of anxiety associated with it, but there isn't anything really that shakes me anymore.”

The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) filed 25 of the 196 communication reports submitted to the registry last week. Represented on the registry by president Liane Roy and managing director Alain Dupuis, the FCFA advocates on behalf of French-speaking communities outside Quebec. The FCFA met twice with Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor last month to discuss the government’s proposed updates to the Official Languages Act, as well as the launch of public consultations for a new federal official languages strategy.

In new registrations, the Solar Energy Society of Alberta (Solar Alberta) started its first file on June 3 with its executive director, Heather MacKenzie. The society’s website describes its mission as supporting “Alberta’s transition to a just and sustainable energy future” by advocating for the solar industry, and serving as a community hub. Solar Alberta joined the registry, according to its file, to request solar photovoltaic funding incentives for commercial and community power generation. MacKenzie plans to communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Environment.

Also interested in discussing emissions reduction programs is Loop Energy Inc., a company that develops, manufactures, and supplies hydrogen fuel cell systems for the electrification of commercial vehicles. Loop has hired Earnscliffe Strategies consultant Lonzell Locklear, who registered on June 1 to represent it in discussions with 11 government institutions, including the PMO, Environment,  Natural Resources, and Innovation, as well as with MPs and senators. According to its registry file, Loop is seeking grants to boost the capacity of its production facility in Burnaby, B.C., to “satisfy rising global demand for hydrogen fuel cell modules as countries roll out various initiatives aimed at green energy solutions in transportation and stationary power sectors.” 

Boosting its representation on the Hill is Microsoft Canada Inc., which added Compass Rose Group consultants Kelly Hutchinson and Julia Mills on June 1. They join president Kevin Peesker on the file, as well as Earnscliffe Strategies consultants Elly Alboim, Patrick Kennedy, and Alicia Adams. Microsoft is interested in discussing government procurement modernization related to information and communication technology products and services, according to its registry file, “including cloud-based services.” Hutchinson and Mills plan to communicate with Public Services, Shared Services, and the Treasury Board.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on June 10 at 9:11 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations