Hill Life & People
Training needed to fill staff, MPs’ blindspots on lobbying rules, say insiders
By Shruti Shekar Apr. 4, 2018
‘If you want people to follow laws they should be fully trained,’ says one watchdog, as lobbying and ethics czars agree to collaborate on education initiatives.
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion and Lobbying Commissioner Nancy Bélanger recently signed an agreement to work together to teach Parliamentarians the overlapping ethics and lobbying rules. The Hill Times photographs by Andrew Meade
Parliamentarians and their staff need basic training on lobbying rules to avoid scandals and unpleasant post-employment surprises, according to former politicos and insiders, who say many people are left woefully unprepared for the realities of the job. That responsibility could be taken on by the new lobbying commissioner to conduct training sessions on the Hill, which would be in everyone's best interests, they suggest. Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, said if Parliamentarians and their staff took some time
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