In this issue...

• Registrations & the Election
• Political Activity & the Election
• Quick Compliance: Lobbying Activity 
• Just the Stats

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New Resource

The upcoming provincial election means that many lobbyists, as well as entities that lobby, will wind down their communications with Ontario public office holders, particularly elected officials. What does that mean for your registrations?

Take a look at our Guidance for Lobbyists During and After an Election for answers to the questions we frequently receive from lobbyists on the topic. Review this guidance to find out whether and when you need to update your registrations, particularly your lobbying targets.

We know that lobbyists will be monitoring for these types of developments in the months following the election and remind you that it is your responsibility to update your registrations to reflect your lobbying activities and goals.

Remember, you can always contact the Office if you have questions about your specific registration circumstances.

Read Guidance

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A reminder...

Lobbyists who volunteer or work on an election campaign are reminded to review the Guidance for Lobbyists on Political Activity and seek an Advisory Opinion from the Integrity Commissioner on their specific situation.

Lobbyists have the right to take part in political activity. However, the decision to participate in a political campaign could lead to the possibility of placing a public office holder in a potential or real conflict of interest in the future. This means that your ability to lobby the public officer holder for whom – or with whom – you did political work may be affected. If a lobbyist knowingly places a public office holder in a position of real or potential conflict of interest, they are breaching the Lobbyists Registration Act, 1998.

Interpretation Bulletin #11 “What is a conflict of interest and how does it affect my lobbying?” provides an overview of the requirements of the Act.

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As of March 31, 2022, there were 3,401 registered lobbyists and 3,234 active registrations on the Ontario lobbyists registry.

Consultant lobbyists are required to have a registration for each client, with 573 consultant lobbyists holding 2,671 of the active registrations.

The remaining “in-house registrations” are held by for-profit and not-for-profit entities. In-house registrations are filed in the name of the senior officer of the company or organization and will list the names of all employees, paid officers and/or paid directors who lobby in one registration.

Information about the types of lobbyists is available here.

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