Here’s the news we covered this week:

Witnesses who appeared before the House ethics committee’s study of proposed changes to the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct are waiting to see if the committee’s recommendations will be included in Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger’s final version of the update. “I think all of the [committee’s] recommendations that went back to [the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying] were about streamlining the process to encourage more registration,” said Megan Buttle, president of the Government Relations Institute of Canada (GRIC). But Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, said the committee’s recommendations related to gifts and hospitality risked undermining the integrity of the political system. “It's shocking what the committee is supporting in terms of the commissioner's proposals, and also what they’re calling on the commissioner to do, which is to add more loopholes to gut the rules even more,” he said. 

Martine Richard has stepped down as interim ethics commissioner a little over four weeks into her six-month term. “Effective today, April 19, 2023, Martine Richard has informed the Privy Council Office (PCO) that she will no longer be serving as interim commissioner,” said Melanie Rushworth, director of communications, outreach and planning at the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, in a statement. “She will remain as senior general counsel.” Richard is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, leading to criticism about her appointment from the opposition. She stepped down the day after the House ethics committee voted to conduct a study into the decision to appoint her to the interim position.

The Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver (CASL) will become more vocal about the consequences of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, given the lack of public awareness about the relatively common disease. The organization registered on the federal lobbyists’ registry for the first time this past January to improve awareness of liver diseases and the role of health care professionals involved in this care. “It's totally under the radar, and so we really felt we needed to say something to let people understand that if one in four Canadians has a liver issue … why is there no discussion around that? And so then we decided that we needed to get that out there,” said Dr. Mark Swain, CASL’s president.

Dairy farmers convened in Ottawa for a lobby day about economic and political “headwinds” facing the industry, leading the sector to post the highest number of communication reports last month. Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC) and six provincial milk boards affiliated with the group posted a combined 118 communication reports in March. Most of those reports related to a DFC policy conference and lobby day that took place in Ottawa on March 20 and March 21. The dairy associations contributed to the third-highest number of communication reports posted during the month of March since 2009, which is as far back as records are available on the registry. Lobbyists filed 2,793 reports for communications that took place last month.

In more recent communication reports, Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) posted 47 of the 2,130 communication reports submitted last week. The company is represented on the registry by president and CEO Keith Creel. CP communicated with Dan Vandal, minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, on March 8; Miled Hill, director of policy to Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, on March 2, March 9, March 16, and March 30; Guy Gallant, chief of staff to Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor, on March 9; and Elliott Lockington, chief of staff to Associate Minister of Finance Randy Boissonnault, on March 8. 

In new registrations, ROA Gateways Corp. started its first file on April 17, backdated to Feb. 20, with director Mark Morrison. Founded in 2017 as the Regional Oil Sands Operating Alliance, the organization describes itself on its website as developing “collaborative business practices to improve the competitiveness and long-term sustainability of the Alberta oil sands.” Members include Suncor Energy (whose staff operate the alliance), Athabasca Oil Corporation, Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, and Imperial Oil. According to its file, ROA is seeking government funding to create an online marketplace that will help businesses “with clean technology solutions gain access to the oil sands market at scale.” Morrison plans to communicate with Prairies Economic Development Canada.

Also new to the registry is Northeastern University, which has hired consultant Daniel Komesch of Hill+Knowlton Strategies to represent it in discussions with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Privy Council Office (PCO), Finance, Innovation, and Immigration. Komesch registered on April 20. Northeastern was founded in Boston, Mass., and has opened two campuses in Canada: Toronto in 2015, and Vancouver, B.C., in 2019. The private university is interested in monitoring federal policies and programs related to science and research, according to its registry file.

Returning to the registry recently is Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, a charity that funds research into Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, patient programs, and awareness campaigns. President and CEO Lori Radke registered to represent the organization on April 17. Crohn’s and Colitis Canada was previously represented by Mina Mawani, Radke’s predecessor, between April 13, 2015, and Oct. 29, 2020. The organization has returned to the registry to seek increased federal funding for disease research, and a call to guarantee washroom access in federal government buildings for Canadians living with inflammatory bowel diseases. Radke plans to communicate with the PMO, Finance, Health, Treasury Board, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, MP s and senators.

New registry files

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on April 21 at 9:00 a.m. ET.

New registrations

Reactivations