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

Canada saw its first federal budget in more than two years with the tabling of Budget 2021 on April 19. Dubbed a recovery budget, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland presented a promise to spend $101.4 billion over three years to stimulate economic recovery during and after COVID-19. The budget targeted child care by promising up to $30 billion over the next five years – and $8.3 billion ongoing – for early learning and child care. Seniors were also supported in the budget, with a pledge of $3 billion over five years to Health Canada to support provinces and territories in ensuring standards for long-term care. Freeland said during a press conference on April 19 that the budget will generate 500,000 new job opportunities, putting the Liberal government on track to fulfil its promise of creating one million jobs by the end of 2021.

Crestview Strategy recently made two additions to its team: John Ratchford as a vice-president and general counsel at the firm’s Toronto office, and Bill Anderson as a senior consultant with the Edmonton office. Ratchford is a former associate for law firms Gowlings LLP in Toronto, and Stewart McKelvey LLP in Halifax. He was also a general counsel in the Ontario premier’s office when Progressive Conservative Ernie Eves was in that office.   Ratchford co-ordinated communications in the premier’s office during the 2003 SARS outbreak. Anderson previously served as a manager of policy priorities to Jim Prentice in his role as Alberta’s Progressive Conservative premier. In B.C., Anderson served as a manager of issues and media relations for the province’s Ministry of Children and Family Development, and as the director of communications for the Ministry of Small Business.

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada (TIAC) was the most active lobbying organization in March, and contributed 40 communication reports out of the 2,985 that were filed that month. The TIAC communicated with four federal ministers in March, including Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra on March 1, and Minister of International Development Karina Gould on March 2. The organization shared its 2021 tourism recovery plan in advance of the federal budget, which was released on April 19.

Organizations that led in communication reports filed last week included the TIAC, followed by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which posted 29 reports. The Chamber communicated with Minister of Small Business Mary Ng on March 3, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland on March 5, and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs Dominic LeBlanc on March 24. Advocacy priorities for the Chamber include discussing tax policies in the federal budget that could support the business sector. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers followed the Chamber with 27 filed communication reports.

In new registrations, Mississauga, Ont.-based company VitalSign started its first file on the registry on April 19 with consultant Summer Senter of Wellington-Dupont Public Affairs. The company is interested in speaking with the federal government about possible funding to support a kiosk it has developed featuring an automatic hand sanitizer dispenser, facial recognition software and a contract tracing system. Senter will communicate with Innovation, the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, and with MPs.

Software company Taplytics started its first file on April 21 with consultants Jonathan Telch and Alec Newton of Cumberland Strategies. The company is interested in scaling up its operations, and is reaching out to the federal government to discuss possible funding opportunities. Taplytics provides an analytics platform that can gather data about the performance of different versions of apps. Telch and Newton will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Innovation, FedDev, Employment and Social Development Canada, and the National Research Council.

Alberta oil and natural gas company Cenovus Energy added four consultants from Counsel Public Affairs to its file on April 12, including Ben Parsons and Bridget Howe. In-house representation on the registry for the company includes Cenovus’s president and CEO Alex Pourbaix, and Alan Reid, the company’s executive vice-president of stakeholder engagement. The company’s advocacy priorities include discussing the regulatory framework for greenhouse gas emissions, conservation initiatives to protect species and habitats under the Species At Risk Act, and federal pandemic management programs such as wage supports. The Counsel Public Affairs consultants will communicate with the PMO, Innovation, Infrastructure, Finance, Environment, and with senators and MPs.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on April 23 at 9:00 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations