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

NDP MP Charlie Angus said conducting a review of the Lobbying Act is “very important,” but he has not heard any plans to get started. Angus is a member of the House ethics committee, which is currently probing the WE Charity scandal. The examination of WE Charity’s interactions with the federal government has highlighted weaknesses with the Lobbying Act, according to Angus. This includes the 20 per cent rule, which Angus referred to as “the most notorious loophole in Ottawa.” The ethics committee is scheduled to meet on March 8.

Principals Chris Benedetti and Jamie Besner acquired full ownership of Sussex Strategy Group, according to an announcement by the firm on March 2. Former Sussex president and co-founder Paul Pellegrini is now an executive chairman. Former principal and co-founder Joseph Ragusa, and former principal Brett James, have both become senior counsels. Benedetti said he and Besner will begin strategic planning to determine the direction for the firm for the next 25 years.

Former broadcast journalist Zandra Miljan has joined the Toronto office of Crestview Strategy as a senior consultant. Miljan’s journalism background includes roles with Global News in Toronto, Channel 7 News in Alberta and the Sun News Network in Toronto. Her background in communications also includes serving as a public affairs manager for Futurpreneur Canada, a national non-profit organization that provides financing, mentoring, and other resources to support entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 39.

The Dairy Farmers of Manitoba (DFM) contributed 14 of the 135 communication reports posted on the federal lobbyists’ registry last week. The organization’s primary advocacy objective revolved around trade issues, according to Teresa Ciccarelli, the DFM’s corporate communications manager, in an email to The Lobby Monitor. Also representing the dairy sector, Les Producteurs de lait du Québec posted five communication reports last week. The organization is represented on the registry by its executive director Geneviève Rainville, as well as by 15 of its board directors.

In new registrations, audio streaming media service provider Spotify started its first registry file on March 1 with consultant Jesse Shea of Ensight Canada. The organization is reaching out to the federal government to discuss the potential impacts of Bill C-10 on online audio distribution services, the registry shows. The bill is an attempt to modernize the Broadcasting Act so as to subject online streaming services to the same rules as traditional broadcasters. Shea will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the CRTC, Finance, Canadian Heritage, and with MPs.

The Racial Equity Media Collective (REMC) started its first file on March 3 with consultant Amanda Sussman of Amanda Sussman Consulting. The REMC, which supports Black, Indigenous and people of colour in the film, television and digital media industries, is also interested in discussing Bill C-10. The organization is advocating for amendments to the bill that would mandate the appointment of a chief equity officer, whose role would be to ensure that Black, Indigenous and people of colour have equitable access and benefits under the Broadcasting Act. Sussman will communicate with Canadian Heritage.

The Canadian Air Traffic Control Association (CATCA) added Jason Evans, a public affairs assistant at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, to its registry file on Feb. 19, joining colleagues Don Boudria and Kevin Bosch. The CATC, a union representing air traffic controllers in Canada, is advocating for NAV Canada to reverse a decision to close air traffic control towers in several cities across the country, the registry shows. Evans will communicate with the PMO, Transport, MPs and senators.
 

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on March 5 at 10:00 a.m. ET

New registrations

Reactivations