Fascinating how Heidelberg's buying spree times up with its CCUS funding push. The carbon capture angle is a smart play given how concrete production is a massive emissions source, but the real story seems to be market consolidation happening quietly under the sustainability narrative. I've seen similar patterns where enviromental credits become the justification for horizontal intergration that otherwise might face more scrutiny.
These are exactly the sorts of insights I'm hoping these lobby reports turn up. Looking into whether there's concentration happening in concrete is not something that naturally occurs to anyone, I would think.
Commissioner Belanger’s call for sanctions points to a massive hole in our transparency laws. Currently, she cannot fine lobbyists who file their paperwork late. She can only write a report to Parliament. This "name and shame" approach clearly isn't enough to stop major players from delaying their disclosures. If we want a registry that actually works, the Commissioner needs the power to issue real fines.
“Since we’re all about corporate concentration and influence here, let’s skip over the likes of the chicken farmers and the solar panel aficionados and focus on the top five actual companies.“
Solar panel aficionados 😆
Oh, but I would be very interested in seeing what lobbying there looks like! Trade associations are made up of corporate members, some of them very large. There are interesting questions to ask about where those companies are based, how much money is flowing, and what government favours the industry is hoping for.
I am a solar panel aficionado myself: I work in the sector, and would love to learn more about how the sausage gets made.
Very good point! I'm still working on figuring out the best way to present these stats and how to separate the civil society-type of lobbyists from corporate interests. Individual companies are easy but industry or group associations can sometimes get more complicated as they can represent a variety of interests. Keep these suggestions coming, we'll get there.
Fascinating how Heidelberg's buying spree times up with its CCUS funding push. The carbon capture angle is a smart play given how concrete production is a massive emissions source, but the real story seems to be market consolidation happening quietly under the sustainability narrative. I've seen similar patterns where enviromental credits become the justification for horizontal intergration that otherwise might face more scrutiny.
These are exactly the sorts of insights I'm hoping these lobby reports turn up. Looking into whether there's concentration happening in concrete is not something that naturally occurs to anyone, I would think.
Commissioner Belanger’s call for sanctions points to a massive hole in our transparency laws. Currently, she cannot fine lobbyists who file their paperwork late. She can only write a report to Parliament. This "name and shame" approach clearly isn't enough to stop major players from delaying their disclosures. If we want a registry that actually works, the Commissioner needs the power to issue real fines.
Along with the absolute mess that is the Freedom of Information system, we have major, major transparency problems in Canada.
“Since we’re all about corporate concentration and influence here, let’s skip over the likes of the chicken farmers and the solar panel aficionados and focus on the top five actual companies.“
Solar panel aficionados 😆
Oh, but I would be very interested in seeing what lobbying there looks like! Trade associations are made up of corporate members, some of them very large. There are interesting questions to ask about where those companies are based, how much money is flowing, and what government favours the industry is hoping for.
I am a solar panel aficionado myself: I work in the sector, and would love to learn more about how the sausage gets made.
Very good point! I'm still working on figuring out the best way to present these stats and how to separate the civil society-type of lobbyists from corporate interests. Individual companies are easy but industry or group associations can sometimes get more complicated as they can represent a variety of interests. Keep these suggestions coming, we'll get there.