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

Former senator André Pratte has joined Quebec government relations firm Tact Intelligence-conseil as a strategic adviser.

Pratte who served in the Senate from 2016 until he chose to resign on Oct. 21, will assist Tact clients by drawing upon his experience with Canada’s government, and a nearly 40-year career as a journalist.

The Senate has undergone dramatic changes recently, including the formation - and almost immediate collapse - of the Progressive Senators Group in November. Pratte considers the formation of that group, and the recent formation of the Canadian Senators Group, to be positive indicators of a Senate that is becoming less partisan.

Former minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland was sworn in as Canada’s deputy prime minister on Wednesday, filling a position that has been vacant since 2006.

Freeland is also now the minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Her appointment to these positions could indicate that the federal government intends to address division in Western Canada and make national unity a priority, according to Blake Oliver, a consultant at Crestview Strategy.

Three MPs from Quebec also stepped into new roles during the cabinet shuffle. Pablo Rodriguez became the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Mélanie Joly is now the minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, and François-Philippe Champagne takes on the role of minister of Foreign Affairs.

Oliver referred to these moves as promotions, possibly issued with the goal of strengthening support for the federal government in Quebec.

A green energy company, Canadian Solar Solutions, was the most active lobby group in October, surpassing competitors in other energy sectors such as oil and natural gas.

Canadian Solar filed 22 communication reports in October, which was a month marked by slow lobbying activity overall. October had the least amount of lobbying activity on the Hill so far in 2019, with a total of 384 communication reports filed.

International trade emerged as the most popular subject discussed on the Hill last month, appearing in 79 communication reports. Economic development was the second most-popular subject at 64, followed by research and development listed in 57 communication reports.

Parliament is set to reconvene on Dec. 5, and lobbyists will be paying attention to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s throne speech to determine how to craft advocacy messages around government priorities, according to Don Moors, senior vice-president of Temple Scott Associates.

However, subjects that aren’t mentioned in the speech won’t necessarily fall by the wayside for the Liberal minority government, according to Moors.

As an example, Moors said Trudeau might not put much focus on the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project in the speech, out of a desire to gain supportive votes from NDP MPs.

In new registrations, a Saskatchewan-based company that developed an app for the cannabis industry registered for the first time on Nov. 15 to talk to the federal government about advertising regulations.

Weed.App has developed an app that allows licensed producers of the drug to promote their products. The company is concerned current advertising regulations for the cannabis industry are standing in the way of the app reaching potential customers.

Consultant Henry Awere of Strategic Outlook Consulting will communicate with Health Canada, as well as with MPs and senators.

A Vancouver, B.C. construction company, Nexii Building Solutions, started its first file Nov. 18 with consultant Taran Grey, the director of IP Lobby, to pursue federal funding for research and development projects.

The company announced in October it has developed a new building material, which it calls “Nexiite.” The material is a low-carbon product that allows for the construction of buildings using less concrete, according to Nexii.

Grey will communicate with the National Research Council.

Innovative Medicines Canada (IMC) increased its representation on the Hill on Nov. 18 by adding consultant Christopher Cochlin of Cassidy Levy Kent.

The IMC, an advocacy group representing brand-name drug manufacturers, is interested in discussing international treaty obligations related to the export of pharmaceutical products, according to the registry.

Cochlin will communicate with Global Affairs Canada, Innovation, Justice, and Health.

New registry files posted between 2019-11-18 and 2019-11-22

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Nov. 22 at 9:00 a.m.

New registrations posted between 2019-11-18 and 2019-11-22

Reactivations posted between 2019-11-11 and 2019-11-15

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

The latest shakeup in the Senate occurred on Thursday when the Senate Liberal Caucus disbanded and its members formed the new Progressive Senate Group (PSG).

The interim leader of the new group is New Brunswick senator Joseph Day. The PSG members will promote “liberty and equality” and are committed to advancing reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, according to a document released by the group.

The formation of the PSG came less than two weeks after 11 other senators announced the formation of another new group, the Canadian Senators Group, which includes eight former members of the Upper Chamber’s Conservative caucus.

In Ask the Lobby Monitor, we examined the registration requirements affecting governing members of charitable organizations. Board members of charitable organizations are not required to disclose their lobbying activities on the federal lobbyists’ registry unless they receive payment beyond the reimbursement of expenses, according to the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying (OCL).

However, a court case before the Federal Court of Appeal (FCA) could possibly change this next month. In March, the Federal Court ruled that what is considered “payment” shouldn’t be limited to monetary compensation, and that a directorship within an organization could be considered something of value by itself.

The federal government appealed that ruling, and the hearing of the appeal will take place on Dec. 12.

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) formed a new subgroup to advocate on behalf of western municipalities as Western Canada faces an economic downturn.

The Western Economic Solutions Taskforce (WEST) is comprised of municipal leaders from Western Canada and is chaired by Randy Goulden, a Yorkton, Sask., city councillor.

The declining oil industry is one of several factors contributing to the economic troubles being addressed by WEST, according to Bill Karsten, FCM’s president.

WEST members will likely meet for the first time in Ottawa before the end of this month.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) submitted 25 communication reports between Oct. 28 and Nov. 8, which was more than any other organization. However, these reports were for meetings that occurred this past summer or earlier, and weren’t posted until recently because of a delay.

Joshua Ostroff, senior editorial specialist at the WWF, told The Lobby Monitor that the organization’s filings had been inaccurate due to an administrative error, and that they had reached out to the OCL as soon as they realized the problem.

The WWF is interested in speaking with the federal government about how to protect the endangered population of southern resident killer whales, among other issues.

In new registrations, two organizations related to hearing health, the Hearing Industry Association of Canada (HIAC) and the Hearing Health Alliance of Canada (HHAC), started files for the first time at the end of October, both with consultant Daniel Tessier of DHAC Consulting.

The HIAC, which started its file on Oct. 28, would like to speak about a partnership between Canada’s hearing aid manufacturers and the federal government to provide hearing aids to government departments, including Veterans Affairs Canada. The memorandum of understanding for this partnership will be up for renewal in April 2020. Tessier will communicate with Veterans Affairs Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and National Defence.

The HHAC would like to urge the federal government to develop a national plan for hearing health action. Nearly a quarter of Canadian adults have some hearing loss, according to the Canadian Hearing Society.

For HHAC, Tessier will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Health Canada, MPs and senators.

Impossible Foods, a U.S. company that produces plant-based meat alternative food products, increased its representation on the Hill by adding consultant Robin MacLachlan of Summa Strategies to its file on Nov. 1.

MacLachlan joins colleagues Jeremy Bruce and Joanne Dobson on the file.

The company would like to discuss the regulatory requirements to bring its products to the Canadian market.

MacLachlan will communicate with Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the departments of Health, Environment and Innovation, as well as MPs.

Engineers Without Borders (EWB Canada) also strengthened its file by adding consultants Sheamus Murphy, Ben Parsons and Brad Lavigne of Counsel Public Affairs on Nov. 11.

One subject the charitable organization would like to discuss with the federal government is the mandatory reporting standards for the extractive sector, according to the registry. Legislation came into force in 2015 requiring businesses involved in extraction of oil, gas or minerals to make annual public reports about payments made to all levels of government.

EWB Canada is interested in discussing the reporting standards, according to the registry.

The Counsel Public Affairs consultants will communicate with the PMO, Natural Resources, Global Affairs, Finance, Export Development, and MPs.
 

New registry files posted between 2019-11-11 and 2019-11-15

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Nov. 15 at 9:00 a.m.

New registrations posted between 2019-11-11 and 2019-11-15

Reactivations posted between 2019-11-11 and 2019-11-15