Election period is ‘the best time’ to engage on some policy issues, says H+K lobbyist

The federal election period can provide a prime opportunity for lobbyists to gain traction on some policy issues, say some in the lobbying business. The dissolution of Parliament and caretaker convention restrict the actions a government can take, but political parties may be more open to policy proposals. “Some people say, ‘Well, you know, the election’s on and the government’s shut down. I guess we can all go home, right?’ Well, that's wrong. It's the best time,” said Kevin Bosch, the vice-president of public affairs with Hill+Knowlton Strategies, and the former deputy director of the Liberal Research Bureau. “One of the best times to talk to parties is at election time because they're the most malleable on policy. You're more likely to make a promise at election time that you may not make other times.” Kevin Bosch is the vice-president of public affairs with Hill+Knowlton Strategies. 'One of the best times to talk to parties is at election time because they're the most malleable on policy.' The Hill Times photograph by Andrew Meade Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) kicked off Canada’s 44th election campaign on Aug. 15, causing Canada's government to enter a caretaker period. The caretaker convention dictates that the current government should act with restraint until the swearing in of a new government. This means that, as much as possible, the government restricts its activity to matters that are considered routine, non-controversial, or potentially reversible by a new government without undue cost or disruption. Mr. Bosch told The Hill Times that federal elections are a great time to reach out to the parties because “pretty instant decisions are made at election time” when it comes to policy, he said. As an example, Mr. Bosch said that if a federal party’s platform included investments to contend with homelessness, other parties may feel pressure to match it. “What are you going to do, Liberals? What are you going to do, NDP? the Conservatives just said they have $100-million for homeless children, are you willing to match that? And in some cases, they may say ‘I think we have to,’” said Mr. Bosch. Ashton Arsenault, vice-president at Crestview Strategy and a former ministerial staffer during then-prime minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative government, said that effective advocacy during an election would involve reaching out to all campaigns in an area. “If you are engaging campaigns, you certainly want to engage all campaigns across the board. It makes no sense at all to be targeting specific candidates unless you feel like they have a good chance of returning to Parliament,” he said. “The reality is, unless you have a crystal ball, it's pretty hard to determine who's going to get elected and who's going to lose. Some things are more certain than others, some ridings are more easy to predict than others, but there will be surprises and you don't want to be the person who engaged one campaign and not the other.” During the election period, lobbyists also keep busy monitoring campaigns in order to keep their clients up to speed on who’s likely to win in a particular riding, said Mr. Arsenault. Ashton Arsenault is vice-president at Crestview Strategy. 'If you are engaging campaigns, you certainly want to engage all campaigns across the board. It makes no sense at all to be targeting specific candidates unless you feel like they have a good chance of returning to Parliament.' Photo courtesy of LinkedIn “There is a lot of uncertainty, and obviously clients thrive when there is consistency and certainty. A lot of what we do during the election period is trying to get a sense of what we're looking at next, regardless of the outcome,” he said. “If had an issue that they were speaking to a particular candidate about in the past … we give them an update on what the reasonable outcome is looking like.” The Conservatives were the first party to unveil a campaign platform on Aug. 16, promising billions of dollars in new spending in the post-pandemic economy. The 162-page document promises to create one million jobs and balance the federal budget within 10 years. Alex Maheu, vice-president at Summa Strategies, who previously worked as a staffer in Paul Martin’s Liberal government, said that lobbyists will be keeping tabs on election platforms to keep clients informed about the potential impacts on policy issues at the conclusion of the election. “Officials, they have to act a little bit with restraint, whether it's on policy decisions, spending initiatives, or grants and stuff like that. They kind of have to defer until after the election,” he said. “It does kind of slow it down from that perspective, but there is also some other work that can be done during a campaign where, on our end, we see a lot of the policy platforms start to come out and shape up.” Important lobbying activity also takes place immediately before an election is called, as stakeholders attempt to advance their advocacy priorities before Parliament is dissolved, according to Mr. Maheu. “Sometimes there'll be some opportunities for us to meet with whoever is holding the pen for the platforms on each of the different parties and see if there's a way to influence the thinking from parties as they start to rally towards an election,” said Mr. Maheu. Lobbyists were busy in the month leading up to the election call. They filed the second-highest total number of communication reports—records of contact with a public office holder—for that month since at least 2009, according to online records on the federal lobbyists’ registry. This July ended with 1,682 communication reports filed, which is second only to the 1,771 communication reports filed for that month in 2020. Lobbyists filed 1,682 communication reports in July. That was the second-highest total for any July, based on online records for the federal lobbyists' registry dating back to 2009. Information courtesy of the federal lobbying registry Leading the way in July was the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA), an organization advocating on behalf of about 850 members in the fresh fruit and vegetables sector, which filed 23 communication reports that month. The association communicated with Mr. Trudeau, Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.), NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh (Burnaby South, B.C.) and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil-Chambly, Que.) on July 22 in a joint-letter co-signed by organizations including the Canadian Horticultural Council and the Canadian Federation of Agriculture. The letter called for the government to develop a trust, similar to the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act in the U.S., that would protect produce sellers and growers in the event of buyer bankruptcies. “Your government has identified ensuring Canada’s food security as a key priority, particularly as the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened Canadians’ awareness about the importance of strong and sustainable food system. We emphasize that the implementation of a financial protection mechanism for fresh produce sellers is not strictly an issue for rural or traditional farming communities,” reads the joint-letter. The Conservative platform proposes the creation of a trust for suppliers of perishable produce in bankruptcy, which would “harmonize our regime with that of the U.S. to regain reciprocal protection.” Following behind the CPMA in July was the Canadian Vaping Association (CVA), which filed 22 communication reports. The CVA, representing more than 200 retail and online vaping businesses in Canada, communicated with Economic Development Minister Mélanie Joly (Ahuntsic-Cartierville, Que.) on July 8 and International Development Minister Karina Gould (Burlington, Ont.) on July 15. The organization is campaigning against proposed restrictions under consideration by the federal government that would ban the sale of products using flavours that are not menthol, mint or tobacco. The proposed ban, intended to curb rising vaping use among youths in Canada, was published in the Canada Gazette, Part I on June 19. Jcnockaert@hilltimes.com

Election period is ‘the best time’ to engage on some policy issues, says H+K lobbyist

Parties are 'most malleable on policy' during an election period, according to Kevin Bosch, the vice-president of public affairs with Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

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Election period is ‘the best time’ to engage on some policy issues, says H+K lobbyist

Parties are 'most malleable on policy' during an election period, according to Kevin Bosch, the vice-president of public affairs with Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

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