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

The Liberal government’s throne speech was delivered on Sept. 23, and some lobbyists have identified job creation, a green economic recovery and support for marginalized groups as three of the major priorities. Kate Harrison, a vice-president of Summa Strategies, said that any advocacy pitch that can combine all three priorities would be “effectively a home run.” Jason Clark, a senior consultant at Crestview Strategy, said it will be important for stakeholders to be clear on how an ask impacts the economy, and how it supports women in the workforce.

The WE Charity scandal has shone a light on the Lobbying Act’s “20 per-cent rule,” which is confusing and should be removed, according to Duff Conacher, the co-founder of Democracy Watch. The 20 per-cent rule stipulates that an organization is not required to register to lobby if the collective lobbying activities of individuals total less than 20 per-cent of the duties of a single, full-time employee. Conacher criticized the rule as allowing for “secret unethical lobbying” for any organization that falls below the threshold.

Ted Menzies, a former Conservative minister of state for Finance, has joined Hill+Knowlton Strategies as a senior associate with a focus on the agricultural sector. Menzies previously served as the president of CropLife Canada, a trade association in Ottawa representing plant biotechnology companies. He is also a former president of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance and a former president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. As an MP, he represented the MacLeod electoral district in Alberta during the government of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper.

Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) was the most active lobbying organization last week, with 33 communication reports posted to the federal lobbyists’ registry. CICan is represented on the registry by consultant Alla Drigola of Impact Public Affairs, as well as in-house by president and CEO Denise Amyot. The organization contacted Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13, as well as Minister of International Development Karina Gould on Aug. 11. On Aug. 26, Immigration Canada announced changes intended to increase the flexibility of post-graduation work permit eligibility for international students, which CICan said reflected “key elements” of what it has been advocating for.

In new registrations, Prescientx, a medical start-up company in Ontario, started its first file on Sept. 1 with its president and CEO, Barry Hunt. The company is interested in speaking with the federal government about funding for start-ups that manufacture N95 masks, as well as other products that promote automated disinfection technology, the registry shows. The company has developed several products designed to provide automatic disinfection services, including a mobile robot called “Charlotte” intended to sanitize workspaces. Hunt will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Health, Innovation, Infrastructure, Transport, Finance, Global Affairs Canada, and with MPs and senators.

Derf Jerky, a beef and pork jerky company based in Quebec, started its first file on Sept. 23 with consultant Carl Nolet of Kube Consulting. The company is interested in obtaining financial assistance from federal government programs intended to provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund (RRRF). Nolet will communicate with Innovation, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Farm Credit Canada, and the Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions.

The Hotel Association of Canada (HAC), added consultants Jeff Lang-Weir and Hannah ter Weeme of StrategyCorp to its registry file on Sept. 14. The two consultants join five other StrategyCorp consultants on the file, including Andrew Steele and Leslie Noble, as well as nine consultants from Impact Public Affairs. The HAC is interested in speaking with the federal government about the impacts of COVID-19 on the hospitality sector, and how the government may assist the industry in a successful restart and recovery, according to the registry. The consultants will communicate with the PMO, the Privy Council Office, Innovation, Finance, and Global Affairs Canada.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Sept. 25 at 9:00 a.m.

New registrations

Reactivations