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

An industry association composed of PPE manufacturing companies launched on April 8, and is advocating for the federal government to support domestic suppliers of PPE so Canada doesn’t need to rely on foreign imports. The Canadian Association of PPE Manufacturers (CAPPEM) includes about 30 companies, such as Prescientx in Ontario, NOVO Textiles in B.C., and the Orthopaedic Innovation Centre in Manitoba. Barry Hunt, the president of CAPPEM, told The Lobby Monitor that the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 resulted in PPE shortages and procurement challenges, and “was a lesson to us all that we need to have control over our own PPE.”

Morgan Stahl, a former vice-president of business development and operations for the Economic Club of Canada, joined the Toronto office of Crestview Strategy as a consultant on April 8. Her experience at Queen’s Park includes serving as a senior adviser of operations and stakeholder relations in the office of Liberal MPP Michael Coteau when he served as the province’s minister of Children and Youth Services. She was also a special assistant in Coteau’s office in his earlier role as Ontario’s minister of Tourism. Her work with Crestview will involve assisting clients transitioning to a post-pandemic economy. These include the tourism and hospitality sectors, which she said have been “most hit” by the pandemic.

The Council of Canadian Innovators (CCI) announced an expansion to its operations on April 12 with new practice leads for Ontario, Alberta and B.C., adding to the organization’s existing practice in Quebec. Benjamin Bergen, CCI’s executive director, said the expansion “has opened up advocacy writ-large in those additional jurisdictions.” Alanna Sokic, a former senior consultant for Global Public Affairs, is the practice lead in Ontario. The Alberta practice lead is Bronté Valk, a former senior associate with Alberta Counsel. Tessa Seager, a former senior consultant for McMillan Vantage Policy Group, is the B.C. practice lead.

The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization – International Vaccine Centre (VIDO-InterVac), contributed 17 of the 217 communication reports posted last week on the federal lobbyists’ registry. The centre communicated with Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne on March 2, March 17 and March 30. The organization is advocating for financial support from the federal government to help with a facility upgrade so they can serve as a centre for pandemic research. Fundraising efforts were launched by VIDO-InterVac earlier this month to help support the $66-million project.

Following its launch, it didn’t take long for the Canadian Association of PPE Manufacturers (highlighted above) to jump onto the federal lobbyists registry. In new registrations, the new advocacy group started its first file on April 14 with consultant Galen Cranston of Invictus Corporate Affairs. Cranston will communicate with the federal government about procurement opportunities and programs in Budget 2021, the registry shows. The federal budget will be released on April 19.

Precision ADM, based in Manitoba, started its first file on April 7 with consultant D’arci McFadden of McMillan Vantage Policy Group. McFadden’s colleague, Mark Resnick, was added to the file on April 15. The company is interested in discussing the manufacture and sale of nitrile gloves, nasopharyngeal swabs and masks, according to the registry. The McMillan Vantage consultants will communicate with Health, Innovation, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

Together for Better Health started its first file on April 5 with consultant Nick Koolsbergen of Wellington Advocacy. Consultant Nathan Clark of Enterprise Canada was added on April 15. The organization is communicating with the federal government about policies related to prescription drug coverage and a national pharmacare program. Member organizations of Together for Better Health include the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association (CLHIA), and the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association of Canada. Koolsbergen and Clark will communicate with the PMO, Health, Finance, Employment and Social Development Canada, the Privy Council Office, and Women and Gender Equality.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on April 16 at 10:00 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations