In this issue...

Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake and office staff recently attended the annual conference of the Lobbyists Registrars and Commissioners Network (LRCN) in Ottawa from September 23 to 25. This year’s conference was hosted by The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada. Regulators and Commissioners from eight provinces and two municipalities attended the conference.

Regulators and commissioners shared updates from their respective jurisdictions. Topics of discussion included thresholds for in-house lobbying registration in different jurisdictions and the merits of registration by default, unless limited exceptions apply.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provided attendees with its recommendations on transparency and integrity in lobbying and influence. As well, Public Safety Canada briefed commissioners on the Foreign Influence Transparency and Accountability Act and its potential implications on lobbying at all levels of government.

The LRCN conference provides jurisdictions with an opportunity to share best practices and to discuss emerging issues in lobbying.

Registration requirement for consultant lobbyists who arrange a meeting

Sometimes a consultant lobbyist is asked to complete just one task for a client – to contact a public office holder and arrange a meeting. Does that require registration?

According to the Lobbyists Registration Act,1998 - Yes.

Registration is required whenever you arrange a meeting for your client, even if you don’t attend that meeting.

More information on this is available in Interpretation Bulletin #9 "Do I have to register if I only arrange a meeting?"

Make sure former in-house lobbyists are on the right list!

Every in-house lobbying registration has two lists of lobbyists: Current In-House Lobbyists and Former In-House Lobbyists.

When an employee either leaves or stops contributing to the lobbying activity, the Lobbyists Registration Act requires that their name be removed from the Current In-House Lobbyists list and added to the Former In-House Lobbyists list on the registration. This is a manual process, so it’s important to remember to add to the former list if you delete from the current list.

You have 30 days to update the lists, starting from when the employee leaves or stops lobbying.

Bonus tip: Former in-house lobbyists can be removed completely from a registration after six months or at the next renewal period.

Are you managing a lobbyist registration on the Ontario Lobbyists Registry for yourself, your firm, business or organization? If so, join us for one of our online training sessions tailored to helping you use and navigate the registry.

  • Session for consultant lobbyists:
    Tuesday, October 29, 2024
  • Session for businesses and for-profit entities (in-house persons and partnerships):
    Tuesday, November 5, 2024
  • Session for organizations and not-for-profit entities (in-house organizations):
    Tuesday, November 19, 2024

The sessions will cover information about accounts, making changes to a profile, filing or updating a registration and much more! Attendees will also receive tips on how to navigate the registry and learn about the resources available to assist them in managing their registrations.

You may receive an invitation by email. If you would like more information or to register for a session, please send an email to lobbyist.mail@oico.on.ca.
Our Office is still accepting your tips on how to stay on top of the Act’s registration requirements. Tips can be about anything including ways to navigate the registry system or how to keep track of timelines. Click on this graphic to submit your helpful tip. It may be used in a future issue of ON Lobbying.