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

The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) du Canada, a French-language advocacy group, posted 19 communication reports between Jan. 6 and Jan. 12, making it the most active lobby group from that time frame. The group’s president, Jean Johnson, was on Parliament Hill in December to discuss the Official Languages Act, which is currently in the process of being modernized for the first time since it was originally adopted in 1969.

The communication reports list contact with Minister of Official Languages Mélanie Joly, as well as MPs including Mario Beaulieu (Bloc Québécois), Chris d’Entremont (Conservative), and Carol Hughes (NDP).

Lobbyists preparing policy ideas for the upcoming federal budget are doing so with less time to review the federal ministers’ mandate letters, as compared to the post-2015 election period.  

Lobbyists such as Tim Gray, the executive director of Environmental Defence, are expecting the 2020 budget will be released in the spring. The mandate letters of the federal ministers provide a clearer picture of government priorities, which is helpful to know when making proposals to the government, according to Gray. 

The mandate letters after last  fall’s election were released on Dec. 13. In 2015, the public was able to review the letters in November.

Mandate letters were made public for the first time in 2015 following the Liberals’ win. 

Sandra Hanna is officially leading the Neighbourhood Pharmacy Association (Neighbourhood Pharmacies) of Canada after being interim CEO for four months. She was announced as the organization’s CEO of on Jan. 9.

Hanna intends to advocate for a “mixed-payer” model for national pharmacare, which she argues is more cost-effective than the “single-payer” model currently being considered by the federal government.

The federal Liberals have promised to implement a national pharmacare program as a way  to manage the costs of prescription drugs for Canadians. There are several ways such a program could be implemented. A federal government advisory council chaired by former Ontario Health minister Dr. Eric Hoskins, released a report in June 2019 recommending a single-payer format.

A single-payer system could cost about $15 billion annually beginning in 2027, according to the report. Hanna contends that a mixed-payer model would be closer to a figure between $1 billion to $3 billion.

Hanna is a practising pharmacist, and co-owner of a pharmacy in Guelph, Ont.

The beef industry was one of the most active industries on the Hill in December. The Canadian Cattlemens’ Association (CCA), which represents nearly 60,000 beef farmers and ranchers across Canada, was tied with the FCFA for the most active advocacy group with 19 communication reports filed last month.

The senior officer on CCA’s registry file is its executive vice-president, Dennis Laycraft.

Also among the top lobbyists, based on the number of filed communication reports, was the National Cattle Feeders’ Association (NCFA), with 11 reports. The NCFA is represented on the file by its president and CEO, Janice Tranberg.

Both cattle-related organizations were interested in talking to the federal government about international trade.

In new registrations, Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) Canada appeared on the federal lobbyists’ registry for the first time on Jan. 13 with five consultants from StrategyCorp. Consultants Lisa Samson, Frannie Sobcov, Roberta Kramchynsky, Lexi Ensor and Andrew Steele have been engaged to speak to the federal government about the federal budget, as well as issues related to health, housing and infrastructure.

The consultants will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and the departments of Finance, Health, Infrastructure, Employment and Social Development Canada, as well as MPs and senators.

Also interested in talking about the budget is the TransLink Mayors' Council on Regional Transportation, which started its first file on Jan. 6.

The mayor’s council began the file with consultant Anna Lilly of FleishmanHillard HighRoad, and then added consultant Amna Pervaiz of the same firm on Jan. 15.

The council is composed of the 21 mayors of the municipalities in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, as well as the chief of Tsawwassen First Nation. The group would like to speak to the federal government about possible contributions to regional transportation authorities, with the goal of reducing the traffic congestion in the region.

Lilly and Pervaiz will communicate with the PMO, Finance, Infrastructure, and Western Economic Diversification Canada.

The Dairy Farmers of Canada strengthened its registry file by adding independent consultant Marianne Parvais of Manitoba to its file on Jan. 14. Also active on the file is the organization’s CEO Jacques Lefebvre and 11 members of its board of directors, as well as consultant Jacqueline LaRocque of Compass Rose Group and lawyer Christopher Cochlin of Cassidy Levy Kent.

Dairy Farmers of Canada advocates on behalf of the farmers of more than 12,000 farms in Canada. The organization would like to speak to the federal government about international trade related to the World Trade Organization, according to the registry.

New registry files posted between 2020-01-13 and 2020-01-17

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Jan. 17 at 9:00 a.m.
 

New registrations posted between 2020-01-13 and 2020-01-17

Reactivations posted between 2020-01-13 and 2020-01-17