Democracy in extraordinary times
As the COVID-19 crisis enters its second year in Canada, we ought to reflect on what it tells us about the resilience and fate of our democratic tradition. Many observers have expressed concerns over the impact that COVID-19 measures have on core democratic principles. Some of the harshest critics have decried that by diluting usual […]
Finance Committee chair Easter top non-cabinet-MP target for lobbyists in 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic kept MPs away from Ottawa for most of the year, but that didn’t stop lobbyists from meeting with MPs to try and influence both the government’s and the opposition’s agenda. Liberal MP and House Finance Committee chair Wayne Easter was lobbied 190 times in 2020, the most for an MP not serving […]
Lobbying and Ethics
Joly, Freeland top lobbying targets as activity continues to grow
Lobbying numbers spiked in November as MPs marked the second full month of regular proceedings after the pandemic disrupted the legislative calendar, with a more than 300 per cent increase in activity from the previous year. Consultants, corporations, and organizations logged a total of 3,284 communications reports in November, compared to 818 the year before, […]
Bill C-7 is a matter of life and death for persons with disabilities
By cavalierly hurrying through Parliament and limiting debate on legislation to expand access to assisted death in Canada (Bill C-7), the Canadian government is fast-tracking the deaths of persons with disabilities. Up until now, medical assistance in dying (MAiD) has been limited to those at the end of their lives. Similar to palliative care and […]
Dropping premier approval rates and cooling federal Tory support in key Prairie provinces not a problem for O’Toole, say politicos
With the federal Tories’ support cooling off in three reliably blue Prairie provinces, politicos say Conservative Party Leader Erin O’Toole’s biggest concern is still introducing himself to Canadians and less about being painted by the same brush as his provincial conservative counterparts. Though the federal party is performing poorer in western provinces where the blue […]
End of five-year lobby ban comes with confusion for some Harper-era staffers
Some former Harper-era cabinet staffers are asking for clarification on the enforcement of the federal Lobbying Act, the 2006 law that brought about a five-year lobbying ban for former public office holders, after ex-staffers got conflicting advice from the lobby commissioner’s office on the exact date on which the ban expires. The act, which was […]
Economic, industry concerns top-lobbied issues amid return to Parliament and second COVID wave
Lobbying returned to lower levels, in line with past years, in October—the first full month of regular parliamentary proceedings since the pandemic started—with economic development, industry, health, and the environment the focus of most government relations efforts. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains (Mississauga-Malton, Ont.) and Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.) were among the top-lobbied […]
Senate lobbying dips amid pandemic, but lobbyists say it’s a temporary blip
After an explosive uptick in lobbying at the Senate level during the last Parliament, advocacy has started to trend downward, a temporary blip, say lobbyists, with the pandemic diverting the two Chambers’ focus away from policy issues unrelated to the new coronavirus. Since January, the Senate has racked up some 468 communication reports, compared to […]
Three weeks to deadline, gridlocked Finance Committee’s pre-budget study in doubt
Locked in an impasse since the House of Commons’ return, the Finance Committee has yet to begin its pre-budget consultations and the clock is running out for it to submit a report with recommendations to Parliament. The Standing Orders dictate that the Finance Committee must table its report on the government’s budgetary policy no later […]
