Lobbying Commissioner releases 2019-20 Annual Report

June 11, 2020 – Ottawa, ON

The Commissioner of Lobbying, Nancy Bélanger, has tabled her 2019-20 Annual Report in Parliament.

The report highlights the Office's activities and achievements during the previous year. This includes, key activities related to the 2019 election, three reports to Parliament and the launch of a new website and a major update to the Registry of Lobbyists, both of which offer users a more modern and mobile-friendly experience.

In addition to providing a wide variety of lobbying-related statistics, the report also offers a look at the priorities for the year ahead, such as planned updates to interpretation bulletins and a consultation and review of the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct.

While the 2019-20 fiscal year ended with uncertainty due to the pandemic, improvements to processes made throughout the year and recent investments in IT have positioned the Office well to continue to deliver its program and services while employees are working remotely.

The Commissioner will be available for interviews by telephone on:

• June 11, between 1 p.m. - 3 p.m.
• June 12, between 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.

To request an interview or to submit questions by email, please contact media@lobbycanada.gc.ca.

Read the report:

• 2019-20 Annual Report

Quotes

"I am pleased that lobbyists continued to recognize the importance of registering their activities and reporting their communications with designated public office holders during the pandemic. Canadians have a right to know who was communicating with our decision-makers and about what subjects during these unprecedented times."

"There's no doubt that the 2019-20 fiscal year ended with uncertainty related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The team responded with the excellence and collaboration, which I feel reflects the positive change we've made in the past few years.

"I must also congratulate the team for not missing a beat and continuing to meet or exceed all of its service standards while working remotely."

Highlights

• Throughout 2019-20, there was an average of 6102 active lobbyists registered with the Office.
• In 2019-20, there was an average of 4,260 active registrations each month, with roughly three-quarters filed by consultant lobbyists.
• A total of 18,728 monthly communication reports (MCRs) were filed, 92% of which were filed on time. Of these, 5,863 were filed in February and March 2020.
• The top 5 subject matters listed in MCRs were: health; environment; economic development; international trade; and industry.
• The top 5 government institutions listed in MCRs were: House of Commons; Innovation, Science and Economic Development; Finance Canada; Global Affairs Canada and Natural Resources Canada.
• The Office responded to 4,797 calls and emails from stakeholders. Over 70% of these were related to support for registrations.
• Six files were referred to a peace officer for investigation in 2019-20.
• Three investigation reports were tabled in Parliament, one of which was the result of 19 investigations conducted in parallel.
• A new feature providing a quick glance at registrations related to COVID-19 and quick access to related monthly communication reports was added to the dashboard of the Registry of Lobbyists.

Related information

• Registry of Lobbyists
• Investigation reports
• Appearances before Parliamentary Committees
• Memorandum of Understanding between the Commissioner of Lobbying and the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner

Contacts

For media enquiries, please contact:

Telephone: 613-952-4306
Email: media@lobbycanada.gc.ca

For general enquiries, please contact:

Telephone: 613-957-2760
Email: info@lobbycanada.gc.ca