The Lobby Report: Cities, energy and nature advocates jockeyed for budget inclusion
Automakers, pharmaceutical firms and telcos also kept Parliament Hill meeting rooms busy in October ahead of Carney government's first budget
Parliament Hill meeting rooms were exceptionally busy in October as all manner of lobbyists scrambled to get their wishes included in the federal government’s first budget under Prime Minister Mark Carney, which was ultimately released Nov. 4.
Leading the charge were municipalities, renewable energy and nature advocates, as well as auto makers, pharmaceutical firms and the odd telco.
With lobbyists required to report their meetings for the previous month by the 15th of the current month, here are the monthly leaders in total communications for October:
1. Federation of Canadian Municipalities (102)
The FCM, an advocacy group representing 2,000 towns and cities in Canada, reported a whopping 102 communications with designated public office holders in October. Most took place over three days – Oct. 28, 29 and 30 – with 95 of them being with Members of Parliament and Senators. An additional three took place with policy advisors from the Prime Minister’s Office, with the remainder happening with representatives from the Housing, Infrastructure and Communications, Justice and Finance departments.
An FCM spokesperson said the high number of communications were the result of the organization’s annual “advocacy days” on Parliament Hill. In their meetings, FCM reps stressed the need for the federal government to support core and next-generation infrastructure funding, plus municipal programs for fighting homelessness and providing affordable housing.
2. Canadian Renewable Energy Association (65)
CanREA, which advocates on behalf of wind, solar and energy storage firms, bunched most of its lobbying into a single day: Oct. 21.
A spokesperson said the group actually held only 27 meetings with office holders in October, with the higher communications number reflecting the fact that several of its representatives were present during those meetings. As per the rules, each lobbyist must register a separate communications report.
In those meetings, the group pushed for federal support to build new renewable energy projects, with an eye to policy stability on clean economy investment tax credits, electricity regulations and other programs relating to re-industrialization and electrification.
3. Nature Canada (60)
Nature Canada, a preservation charity that advocates on behalf of – you guessed it, nature in Canada – also attributed its spike in communications to a special event. “Nature on the Hill” took place between Oct. 27 and 29, with group representatives meeting with MPs “to make a final push to make sure biodiversity and nature weren’t forgotten” in the budget, according to a spokesperson.
4. Honda Canada (57)
The lone company in the top five, Honda Canada met broadly with MPs, but also lodged a dozen communications with representatives from Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED), including three with Minister Melanie Joly.
A spokesperson said the company has a regular “Hill Day,” which accounted for many of the communications, and that it “maintains regular and open dialogue with governments at all levels in Canada… to ensure various issues that impact Canadian communities, and our business are addressed clearly and transparently.”
Automakers with manufacturing operations in Canada, including Honda, have had a turbulent year thanks to the ongoing trade and tariff disputes with the United States.
As per their official communications reports with Joly, Honda Canada reps discussed trade uncertainty, the Strategic Innovation Fund and the government’s newly created Strategic Response Fund “to ensure and maintain the competitiveness of automobile manufacturing in Canada.”
5. MS Canada (52)
MS Canada, an advocacy group for multiple sclerosis research and support, normally holds its annual lobbying event in May to coincide with MS Awareness Month, but shifted to October this year because of federal election timing, a spokesperson said.
The group’s communications took place entirely on Oct. 27 and 28, with two meetings attended broadly by MPs, Senators and Minister of Jobs and Families Patty Hajdu.
The group discussed “government investment in MS prevention research and the modernization of the Disability Tax Credit to bring costs down costs for Canadians.”
TOP LOBBYING COMPANIES
On the corporate front, Honda Canada (above) was tops, followed by Restaurant Brands International, Toyota Canada, Telus and Pfizer Canada. Only Honda and Pfizer returned requests for comment.
2. Restaurant Brands International (45)
As with most entrants on this month’s list, Tim Hortons and Burger King owner RBI confined its lobbying to one or two days – in this case, Oct. 28 and 29 – and spread out mainly across MPs, plus a couple of communications with Deputy ISED Minister Sonny Perron.
The federal government has over the past year cut the number of temporary foreign workers that businesses are allowed to hire, which has created challenges for companies that have been relying on them.
RBI, which posted full-year revenue of $8.4 billion last year, discussed tariffs and immigration policy with respect to foreign worker programs and permits in its meetings “to ensure that the labour challenges small business owners face in the restaurant industry are taken into consideration during consultations or development of policies.”
3. Toyota Canada (34)
Toyota Canada had numerous meetings throughout October with senior policy advisors and directors from several departments, including ISED, the Canada Revenue Agency, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Finance, the Privy Council Office and the Prime Minister’s Office.
The company discussed trade issues and “vehicle electrification and reducing carbon emissions, as it relates to the government’s light-duty Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) sales mandate regulation for new vehicle purchases and other related policies and programs, including ZEV charging and refuelling infrastructure development.”
4. Telus (33)
Telus lobbied mainly MPs, ISED and the Privy Council Office throughout the month on artificial intelligence policies and wholesale access to other telcos’ fibre networks.
The government in August upheld an earlier decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission that allows big telcos such as Telus to use rivals’ fibre networks outside of their own territories to sell internet services to customers.
The Nov. 4 budget reiterated the government’s belief that doing so will improve competition in a market that “has far too high prices.”
5. Pfizer Canada (27)
Pfizer Canada met with a broad array of public officer holders, including representatives from Global Affairs Canada, Health Canada and ISED. A spokesperson said the company had 12 meetings, most of which were part of two separate delegations – Innovative Medicines Canada and another with the Canada-US Business Initiative. The 27 communications refers to the total number of office holders who attended those meetings.
Among the topics discussed were the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement, tariffs and regulations, policies and program initiatives regarding research and development in bio-manufacturing and life sciences.
*This monthly feature is a work-in-progress. Stick with me as a I evolve the presentation of these findings in more engaging and useful ways. Suggestions are welcome.