Here’s a rundown of the news we covered this week:

Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion released two reports related to the WE Charity scandal on May 13, which cleared Prime Minister Justin Trudeau but found Bill Morneau breached the Conflict of Interest Act. The prime minister and the former Finance minister were investigated by the federal ethics office for possible conflicts of interest when the two were involved in the Liberal government’s decision last June that tasked WE Charity with administering the now-defunct $912-million Canada Student Service Grant (CSSG) program. Dion concluded in his report that “there was no friendship” between Trudeau and Craig and Marc Keilburger, the co-founders of the charity. However, Dion concluded that Morneau and Craig Kielburger were friends, as defined by the Conflict of Interest Act, and therefore should have recused himself from a decision that could potentially further WE’s private interests.

Global Public Affairs, with 108 active clients on the federal lobbyists’ registry as of May 12, is one of the most active government relations firms at the federal level, according to an analysis by The Lobby Monitor. Following Global Public Affairs is Earnscliffe Strategy with 74 clients, and Capital Hill Group with 73. Consultant David Angus of Capital Hill Group takes the title of the lobbyist with the highest number of clients, with his name being attached to 47 client files. 

Ana Krstanovic, a former adviser to Liberal Whip Mark Holland, has joined Hill+Knowlton Strategies as a senior consultant. Krstanovic’s background includes two years with the Liberal research bureau where she began as a special assistant for outreach, and finished her time there as an outreach adviser. During the 2019 federal election, Krstanovic served as a “get out the vote” manager on the successful re-election campaign for Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough.

Imagine Canada contributed 10 of the 178 communication reports posted last week on the federal lobbyists’ registry. This included a communication with Families Minister Ahmed Hussen on April 23. The organization was communicating with public office holders following the release of Budget 2021 on April 19 to provide policy guidance related to the charitable sector, according to Bernadette Johnson, Imagine Canada’s director of advocacy and knowledge mobilization. Following behind Imagine Canada was the Toronto Region Board of Trade, which posted eight communication reports last week. The board communicated with James Read Leask, a senior adviser in the office of Minister of Economic Development Mélanie Joly, on April 19 and April 27.

In new registrations, the Alberta Students' Executive Council started its first file on May 3 with its executive director Jonathan Bilodeau. The council, which represents about 110,000 students in the province, is seeking to discuss the federal budget in relation to tuition, education tax credits, and similar financial grants affecting students, according to the registry. The Liberal government announced a doubling of the Canada Student Grants (CSG) for the 2020-2021 school year in October 2020. Budget 2021 included a proposal to extend the doubling of the CSG until the end of July 2023.

The Building Owners and Managers Association of Calgary started its first file on April 1 with its executive director, Lloyd Suchet. The organization is interested in discussing the Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy (CERS), as well as federal policy and legislation to support COVID-19-related relief for commercial tenants. Suchet will communicate with the PMO, Finance and the Canada Revenue Agency.

The Canadian Association of PPE Manufacturers (CAPPEM), increased its representation on the registry by adding its president, Barry Hunt, to the file on April 23. Already active on the registry for CAPPEM since April 14 is consultant Galen Cranston of Invictus Corporate Affairs. CAPPEM launched on April 8, and is advocating for the federal government to support domestic suppliers of personal protective equipment. Hunt will communicate with the PMO, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Innovation, Health, Finance, and the Business Development Bank of Canada.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on May 14 at 7:00 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations