Here’s the news we covered this week:

Ivan Ross Vrána, managing partner of Diplomat Consulting, spoke to The Lobby Monitor about his company’s decision to relaunch in an effort to reflect its growth in serving different sectors. The firm “was originally founded as a cannabis consultancy,” he said, but over time the company expanded its client base. “The whole relaunching really made us understand that it's not so much a huge pivot; what we support and where we come from are regulated industries–whether that's agricultural, health care, or new industries in emerging markets,” Vrána said.

Krista Carr, executive vice-president of Inclusion Canada, and Neil Belanger, CEO of Indigenous Disability Canada, are calling on the federal government to eliminate the “track 2” option from medical assistance in dying, which makes it available to individuals with a “grievous and irremediable” condition, but whose death is not foreseeable. “We make laws in this country all the time, and we implement policy,... and then sometimes we figure out they weren't the right thing to do and we change stuff,” said Carr. “What we're basically saying in this case is we're not looking at it as taking something away from people, we are looking at it as keeping people with disabilities from being euthanized in a system where they have a right to die, but not an equal right to live well on par with others.”

The Lobby Monitor spoke with CJ Hélie, president of Beer Canada, and Richard Alexander, executive vice-president of government relations and public affairs at Restaurants Canada, about their efforts to convince the government to cap the alcohol excise tax rate at two per cent, instead of the projected 4.7 per cent. “Last year, we were facing a 6.3-per-cent increase … and when the budget was tabled in March [2023], it was capped at 2 per cent,” said Hélie. “There was lots of serious discussion last year [as to] whether this 2-per-cent [increase] should be implemented for one year, for two years, or as a permanent ceiling. At the end of the day, it was only adopted for one year.”

In this week’s communication reports, les Producteurs de lait du Québec (Milk Producers of Quebec) submitted the highest number of communication reports—34 out of a total of 368—to the federal lobbyists' registry. Most of the organization’s reports were submitted as a result of their participation in the Dairy Farmers of Canada’s annual advocacy day on Feb. 6. Representatives of the organization focused on “a variety of issues, including the modernization of business risks management programs, [and] the protection and reinforcement of Canada’s standards of identity for milk and dairy products,” said François Dumontier, the organization’s director of communications.

In this week’s registrations, Twin Creeks Greenhouse Inc. has registered for the first time. The company is an independent farm in southern Ontario that is seeking a grant from the Agriculture Clean Technology (ACT) program. The farm is being represented by Kerri Wood of Brookston Consulting Group, who will seek communications with government officials from Agriculture in order to discuss the grant, according to her file.

Also joining the registry for the first time is Iron and Earth, a non-profit organization which assists oil and gas workers in transitioning into jobs in the renewable energy sector. The organization is represented by Delaney Cullinan of Earnscliffe Strategies. The consultant will seek conversations related to several topics including federal grants; Bill C-50, Canadian Sustainable Jobs Act; and the development of a “climate career portal.”

In new registrations, World Energy GH2 has hired Alik Angaladian, Phil von Finckenstein, and Gordon Quaiattini of Maple Leaf Strategies to represent it on the federal lobbyists’ registry. Angaladian, von Finckenstein, and Quaiattini will represent the company in discussions about the development of a wind and hydrogen project in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to their registry files.

And in notable lobbying news, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce announced in a press release on March 7 that Perrin Beatty will leave his role as president and CEO on Aug. 31, 2024. At 17 years, Beatty is the longest-serving president and his upcoming departure comes ahead of the influential organization’s 100th anniversary. “I’m proud of what our team has accomplished together, but we can’t stop here. As we prepare to celebrate the Chamber’s 100th anniversary next year, we need an unwavering focus on the future. The next CEO will bring a fresh perspective and renewed energy to that process,” Beatty said in the press release.

New Registry

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Mar. 8, at 9:05 a.m. E.T.

New Registration

Reactivation