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2022–23 Departmental plan

This publication is available online and in PDF format at www.lobbycanada.gc.ca.

Accessible formats are available on request by contacting info@lobbycanada.gc.ca.

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Except as otherwise specifically noted, the information in this publication may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, provided that due diligence is exercised in ensuring the accuracy of the information reproduced; that the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada is identified as the source institution; and, that the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the information reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada.

For permission to reproduce the information in this publication for commercial redistribution, please email:
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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada
as represented by the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada, 2022

Catalogue No. Lo2-4E-PDF
ISSN 2816-2560

Aussi offert en français sous le titre :
Plan ministériel 2022-2023 - Commissariat au lobbying du Canada

Table of contents


Message from the Commissioner of Lobbying

I am pleased to present the 2022-23 departmental plan for the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying.

Photo of Nancy Bélanger, Commissioner of Lobbying

I expect 2022-23 to be a big year for our small organization. The most notable development will be the renewal and modernization of the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, to bring a new level of clarity and transparency to the standards of behaviour that lobbyists must follow in their lobbying of federal officials.

To help lobbyists transition to an updated Code, educational material will be created and conveyed to support awareness and compliance. This will be used as an opportunity to engage proactively with stakeholders and to broaden understanding of the federal lobbying regime.

As always, we will continue to enhance the Registry of Lobbyists. This includes making it even easier for registrants to input information and for those consulting the Registry to find and discover that information with greater ease.

We will also renew the interpretation tools on the application of the Lobbying Act that are published on our website. Improvements to our guidance materials will further the work we have been doing to provide timely and appropriate advice to those who reach out to us with questions.

Of equal importance, efficient and timely compliance work will be achieved through rigorous, continuously improved practices to enhance our ongoing vigilance over lobbying.

Key highlights in 2022-23 will include

  • Renewed ethical behaviour standards for lobbyists
  • More proactive education to promote awareness and understanding of federal lobbying requirements
  • More data reports and statistics on lobbying in the Registry of Lobbyists

As 2022-23 gets underway, we continue our staffing efforts to utilize the funds allocated in Budget 2021 for the maintenance and enhancement of the Registry and other systems. Despite a tight labour market, I am optimistic that we will have the necessary personnel in place during the next fiscal year. It will remain important to me to ensure that our operations are adequately funded to sustain and improve our service to Canadians.

None of this work can be achieved without the dedication and professionalism of our employees. I cannot stress enough how thankful I am for their contributions to our exceptional workplace and their shared commitment to the regulation of transparent and ethical lobbying.

Nancy Bélanger
Commissioner of Lobbying

Plans at a glance

As in previous years, our plans for 2022-23 support openness and transparency in government.

Our work will further strengthen the regulation of transparent and ethical lobbying by:

  • maintaining and enhancing the Registry of Lobbyists, the searchable source of lobbying activities and information registered in accordance with the Lobbying Act
  • providing registration support and sharing appropriate advice with stakeholders
  • engaging in education with stakeholders about lobbying requirements
  • verifying that registrants and lobbyists are compliant
  • conducting investigations when necessary to ensure compliance with the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct

2022-23 key initiatives and activities that support transparent and ethical lobbying

Enhancing registration and compliance

  • making the Registry of Lobbyists more intuitive for registrants, with interface improvements that make it easier to enter information as required by the Lobbying Act and its regulations
  • achieving efficient and timely compliance work that fosters transparent and ethical lobbying

Expanding awareness and understanding

  • renewing and modernizing the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, along with sharing educational material to support lobbyists in complying with updated requirements
  • ensuring stakeholders have access to clear guidance, with refined and refreshed interpretation tools on the application and enforcement of the Lobbying Act
  • engaging proactively in education with stakeholders to broaden understanding of the federal lobbying regime

We remain committed to fostering an exceptional workplace that promotes engagement, openness and transparency. We expect the hybrid workplace that is increasingly common to inform how we operate, with agility and innovation, for the years ahead. With particular attention to wellness and healthy workplace initiatives throughout 2022-23, we will continue to support our employees by fostering mental health. Development of skills and enhancing collaboration will also remain a key focus.

Our plans will be realized with an allocation of $5.45 million in planned spending and 33 full-time equivalents.

Core responsibility: planned results and resources

Regulation of lobbying

Description

The purpose of the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct is to provide a regime for the transparent and ethical lobbying of public office holders. This regime contributes to public confidence in the integrity of decision making by public office holders. The mandate of the Commissioner of Lobbying is to establish and maintain the Registry of Lobbyists, ensure compliance with the Act and the Code, and develop and implement educational programs to foster awareness about the Act and the Code.

Planning highlights

Our activities support the outcome of transparent and ethical lobbying.

A resource allocation of $4.24 million in planned spending and 27 full-time equivalents supports the work of our ‘Registry services and compliance’ program.

To support the Commissioner in the regulation of lobbying, we will focus on the following results in 2022-23:

That lobbyists register and report their lobbying activities in compliance with requirements

We will continue to maintain the Registry of Lobbyists and provide support to lobbyists. Through registration support, monitoring and verification, we provide information to lobbyists that encourages appropriate use of the Registry. Where necessary to ensure compliance with lobbying requirements, suspected offences of the Act are investigated and, when appropriate, referred to peace officers. At the conclusion of an investigation, findings are reported to Parliament.

In particular, registration and compliance will be enhanced in 2022-23 by:

  • making the Registry of Lobbyists easier for registrants to use, with user interface improvements to enhance registration and communication reporting processes
  • improving the user experience for those consulting the Registry, with features such as more reports and statistics, the ability to save searches and create alerts, and enhanced usability of the Registry’s dataset files
  • supporting registrants and others who reach out to us with questions, with timely and appropriate registration support functions and advice
  • achieving efficient and timely compliance work carried out in an independent, fair and impartial manner, supported by rigorous, continuously-improved practices that evolve with jurisprudence
That stakeholders understand federal lobbying requirements

We will continue to develop and disseminate information about legal requirements under the Lobbying Act and adherence with the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct. This includes sharing information with key stakeholders (lobbyists, their clients, and public office holders) and the public.

In particular, awareness and understanding will be expanded in 2022-23 by:

  • renewing and modernizing the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, with implementation supported by information material to assist lobbyists in complying with the standards of behaviour they must follow in their lobbying of federal officials
  • ensuring stakeholders have access to clear guidance, with refined and refreshed interpretation tools on the application and enforcement of the Lobbying Act and continued timely and appropriate advice provided to those who reach out to us with questions
  • continuously improving and developing our other educational information, tools and services, by leveraging analytics, registration data and information such as stakeholder questions and feedback
  • addressing recurring and emerging compliance issues with reporting on the results of our compliance review activities and completed investigations

Gender-based analysis plus

Since 2020-21, stakeholders providing feedback on our outreach services are being invited to provide GBA+ information on an entirely voluntary basis. Collected GBA+ information is anonymized, disaggregated and separately maintained. Analysis of this data is expected to result in changes that improve the inclusiveness and accessibility of our services and information resources.

United Nations' 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the UN sustainable development goals

We are aligned with United Nations’ goal on peace, justice and strong institutions (Goal 16). We are committed to sharing our expertise in lobbying regulation with provincial and international counterparts to help foster effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels. Common goals of transparency and accountability in the principles of lobbying registration and compliance support the development of open standards that can strengthen democratic systems.

Experimentation

As a micro-organization operating with a limited budget, we do not have the flexibility to devote a fixed percentage of program funds to rigorous experimentation in program design and delivery. Despite this budgetary constraint, we are committed to undertake small-scale, simple experiments when resources permit. Lessons learned from experiments will help us innovate and find new ways to improve program delivery. Experimentation undertaken in 2022-23 would relate to our information resources and interactions with stakeholders.

Planned result (Regulation of lobbying)

With respect to our core responsibility, the following table shows our planned results, result indicators, targets and target dates for 2022-23, and actual results for the three most recent fiscal years for which actual results are available.

Departmental result Departmental result indicator Target Date to achieve target 2018-19 actual result 2019-20 actual result 2020-21 actual result
Lobbyists and public office holders understand the requirements of the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct Change in stakeholders’ level of understanding of federal lobbying requirements At least 33% March 31, 2023 Not available * Not available * 37%
Lobbyists register and report their lobbying activities in compliance with the Lobbying Act Percentage of registrations by lobbyists not requiring correction At least 75% March 31, 2023 Not available * Not available * 80%
Percentage of verified monthly communication reports by lobbyists not requiring correction At least 90% March 31, 2023 90% 91% 89%
Percentage of on-time new registrations by lobbyists At least 90% March 31, 2023 Not available * Not available * 96%
Percentage of on-time monthly communication reports by lobbyists At least 90% March 31, 2023 94% 92% 92%

* Results prior to 2020-21 do not exist in relation to select indicators introduced in 2020-21.

To enable this qualitative assessment, we ask those taking part in our learning activities to self rate their level of understanding of federal lobbying requirements before and after learning about the Act and/or Code.

Stakeholders use seven-option rating scales to self-assess their level of understanding, ranging from ‘none’ to ‘advanced’. They provide us with two ratings, one representing their level of understanding before their learning activity and one following the activity. We then compare the difference between their pre-learning rating and the post-learning rating to determine the change (increase or decrease) in their level of understanding.

To calculate the degree of change pre and post learning, we assign a 16.6% difference between each of the seven rating options. For example, if a stakeholder reports that their level of understanding has gone up two steps on the rating scale, we calculate the change as a 33.2% increase in their level of understanding.

Planned budgetary spending (Regulation of lobbying)

With respect to our core responsibility, the following table shows budgetary spending for 2022-23, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the subsequent two fiscal years.

2022-23 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2022-23 planned spending 2023-24 planned spending 2024-25 planned spending
4,078,385 4,243,271 4,078,385 4,078,385

Planned human resources (Regulation of lobbying)

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources planned to fulfill our core responsibility for 2022-23 and for each of the subsequent two fiscal years.

2022-23 planned full-time equivalents 2023-24 planned full-time equivalents 2024-25 planned full-time equivalents
27 27 27

Financial, human resources and performance information related to our program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Internal services: planned results

Description

Internal services are those provided within a department so that it can meet its corporate obligations and deliver its programs. There are 10 categories of internal services:

  • acquisition management
  • communications
  • financial management
  • human resources management
  • information management
  • information technology
  • legal
  • materiel management
  • management and oversight
  • real property management

Given our responsibilities under the Lobbying Act to maintain the Registry of Lobbyists, engage in education with stakeholders, and verify that lobbyists are compliant with lobbying requirements, communications, information technology, and legal services are integrated into our ‘Registry services and compliance’ program.

Planning highlights

We remain committed to fostering an exceptional workplace

A positive and healthy work environment that promotes engagement, openness and transparency is important to us. We support our employees in being knowledgeable, skilled, engaged and productive.

In particular, we will foster an exceptional workplace in 2022-23 by:

  • supporting our employees by fostering mental health, with particular attention to wellness and healthy workplace initiatives
  • supporting career development through training and mentorship opportunities focused on acquiring knowledge, skills and experience
  • encouraging diversity and inclusion in the workplace through awareness products and activities

Planned budgetary spending (Internal services)

With respect to internal services, the following table shows budgetary spending for 2022-23, as well as planned spending for that year and for each of the subsequent two fiscal years.

2022-23 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2022-23 planned spending 2023-24 planned spending 2024-25 planned spending
1,210,811 1,210,811 1,210,811 1,210,811

Planned human resources (Internal services)

The following table shows, in full-time equivalents, the human resources planned to carry out internal services for 2022-23 and for each of the subsequent two fiscal years.

2022-23 planned full-time equivalents 2023-24 planned full-time equivalents 2024-25 planned full-time equivalents
6 6 6

Planned spending and human resources

This section provides an overview of our planned spending and human resources for the next three fiscal years and compares planned spending for 2022-23 with actual spending for the current year and the previous year.

Planned spending

Departmental spending 2019-20 to 2024-25

The following graph presents planned (voted and statutory) spending over time.

Figure 1 - Departmental spending 2019-20 to 2024-25
Departmental spending 2019-20 to 2024-25 chart
Text equivalent: Departmental spending 2019-20 to 2024-25
2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25
Statutory 351,142 457,066 475,576 521,944 521,944 521,944
Voted 4,477,967 4,431,312 4,442,350 4,932,138 4,767,252 4,767,252
Total 4,829,109 4,888,378 4,917,926 5,454,082 5,289,196 5,289,196

In recent years, our core planned spending levels have remained stable. In 2019-20, a special fund was used for expenditures linked to the relocation of our office. In 2020-21, personnel costs increased due to collective agreements implementation adjustments, employee benefit plan adjustments and additional salary costs incurred.

To maintain and enhance the Registry of Lobbyists as well as our information management and technology systems, Budget 2021 allocated additional funds of $556,000 for 2021-22 and thereafter additional funds of $590,000 annually for 2022-23 onwards.

Forecasted spending for 2021-22 does not reflect additional funds allocated in Budget 2021. At the time when this report was prepared, it was anticipated that the staffing and evergreening of IT equipment forecasted for a portion of 2021-22 would not be completed by the end of the year.

Planned spending of $5,454,082 for 2022-23 reflects currently approved resources and an estimated carryforward of lapsed funds of $164,886 from 2021-22.

Budgetary planning summary for core responsibility and internal services

The following table shows information on spending for our core responsibility and internal services for 2022-23 and other relevant fiscal years.

Core responsibility and internal services 2019-20 actual expenditures 2020-21 actual expenditures 2021-22 forecast spending 2022-23 budgetary spending (as indicated in Main Estimates) 2022-23 planned spending 2023-24 planned spending 2024-25 planned spending
Regulation of lobbying 3,257,743 3,609,912 3,771,395 4,078,385 4,243,271 4,078,385 4,078,385
Internal services 1,571,366 1,278,466 1,146,531 1,210,811 1,210,811 1,210,811 1,210,811
Total 4,829,109 4,888,378 4,917,926 5,289,196 5,454,082 5,289,196 5,289,196

In 2019-20, a special fund was used for expenditures ($376,000) linked to the relocation of our office. Relocation costs are reflected in the 2019-20 internal services expenditures.

In 2020-21, personnel costs increased by $330,000 due to collective agreement adjustments ($180,000) and additional salary costs incurred ($150,000). An increase in employee benefit plan year-end adjustments ($106,000) is reflected in the total costs for 2020-21.

When comparing 2021-22 forecast spending to 2022-23 budgetary spending, the $371,270 increase in 2022-23 expenditures is mainly attributable to cost associated with additional personnel and corresponding adjustments to the employee benefit plan.

Planned spending of $5,454,082 for 2022-23 reflects currently approved resources and an estimated carryforward of lapsed funds of $164,886 from 2021-22. Planned expenditures for 2023-24 and 2024 25 are in line with the approved authorities for 2022-23.

Planned human resources

The following table shows information on human resources, in full-time equivalents (FTEs), for our core responsibility and internal services for 2022-23 and other relevant fiscal years.

Human resources planning summary for core responsibility and internal services
Core responsibility and internal services 2019-20 actual 2020-21 actual 2021-22 forecast 2022-23 planned 2023-24 planned 2024-25 planned
Regulation of lobbying 22 24 21 27 27 27
Internal services 6 4 5 6 6 6
Total 28 28 26 33 33 33

As we updated our reporting framework and program inventory effective April 2020, the table above reflects the updated distribution of full-time equivalents effective 2020-21.

Although we received additional funding to increase our full-time equivalents in Budget 2021, staffing processes were still ongoing and the 2021-22 forecast reflects only staffing levels at the time when this report was prepared.

Planned full-time equivalents for 2022-23 and onwards reflect Budget 2021’s increase to our organization’s vote.

Estimates by vote

Information on our organizational appropriations is available in the 2022–23 Main Estimates.

Condensed future-oriented statement of operations

The condensed future-oriented statement of operations provides an overview of our operations for 2021-22 to 2022-23.

The forecast and planned amounts in this statement of operations were prepared on an accrual basis. The forecast and planned amounts presented in other sections of this departmental plan were prepared on an expenditure basis. Amounts may therefore differ.

A more detailed future-oriented statement of operations and associated notes, including a reconciliation of the net cost of operations to the requested authorities, are available on our website.

Condensed future-oriented statement of operations for the year ending March 31, 2023
Financial information 2021-22 forecast results 2022-23 planned results Difference: 2022-23 planned minus 2021-22 forecast
Total expenses 5,611,520 6,335,794 724,274
Total revenues - - -
Net cost of operations before government funding and transfers 5,611,520 6,335,794 724,274

The difference of $724,274 (13%) is mainly attributable to a 2021-22 forecasted lapse of approximately $490,000. At the time when this report was prepared, staffing of certain positions forecasted for 2021 22 was still in progress and some specialized IT services costs anticipated for 2021-22 had not been incurred. The remaining amount of approximately $234,000 represents an increase in IM/IT resources that we expect to staff in 2022-23 using the additional funds allocated in Budget 2021.

Additional information

Organizational profile

Institutional head

Nancy Bélanger, Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada

Enabling instrument

Lobbying Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 44 (4th Supp.)

Year of commencement

2008

Ministerial portfolio

Treasury Board

Other

For administrative purposes, the President of the Treasury Board tables our departmental plans and departmental results reports in Parliament.

Raison d'être, mandate and role

The Commissioner of Lobbying is an independent Agent of Parliament responsible for regulating federal lobbying activities.

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying ensures transparent and ethical lobbying by administering the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct. Responsibilities of the Office include maintaining a searchable registry of information reported by lobbyists, providing education to stakeholders about lobbying requirements, and verifying that lobbyists are compliant.

More information about who we are and what we do is available on our website.

Operating context

Information on our operating context is available on our website.

Reporting framework

Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada
Departmental results framework and program inventory of record for 2022-23
Core responsibility:
Regulation of lobbying
Results: Indicators: Internal services
Lobbyists and public office holders understand the requirements of the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct Change in stakeholders’ level of understanding of federal lobbying requirements
Lobbyists register and report their lobbying activities in compliance with the Lobbying Act Percentage of registrations by lobbyists not requiring correction
Percentage of verified monthly communication reports by lobbyists not requiring correction
Percentage of on-time new registrations by lobbyists
Percentage of on-time monthly communication reports by lobbyists
Program inventory:
Registration services and compliance

Supporting information on the program inventory

Supporting information on planned expenditures, human resources, and results related our program inventory is available in GC InfoBase.

Supplementary information tables

The following supplementary information tables are available on our website:

Federal tax expenditures

This departmental plan does not include information on tax expenditures.

Tax expenditures are the responsibility of the Minister of Finance. The Department of Finance Canada publishes cost estimates and projections for government-wide tax expenditures each year in the Report on Federal Tax Expenditures. This report provides detailed information on tax expenditures, including objectives, historical background and references to related federal spending programs, as well as evaluations, research papers and gender-based analysis plus.

Organizational contact information

Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada
410 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 810
Ottawa ON K1R 1B7

Tel: 613-957-2760
Fax: 613-957-3078
Email: info@lobbycanada.gc.ca
Website: www.lobbycanada.gc.ca

Appendix: definitions

appropriation (crédit)
Any authority of Parliament to pay money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
core responsibility (langresponsabilité essentielle)
An enduring function or role performed by a department. The intentions of the department with respect to a core responsibility are reflected in one or more related departmental results that the department seeks to contribute to or influence.
departmental plan (plan ministériel)
A document that sets out a department’s priorities, programs, expected results and associated resource requirements, covering a three year period beginning with the year indicated in the title of the report. Departmental plans are tabled in Parliament each spring.
departmental result (résultat ministériel)
A change that a department seeks to influence. A departmental result is often outside departments’ immediate control, but it should be influenced by program-level outcomes.
departmental result indicator (indicateur de résultat ministériel)
A factor or variable that provides a valid and reliable means to measure or describe progress on a departmental result.
departmental results framework (cadre ministériel des résultats)
A framework that consists of the department’s core responsibilities, departmental results and departmental result indicators.
departmental results report (rapport sur les résultats ministériels)
A report on a department’s actual performance in a fiscal year against its plans, priorities and expected results set out in its departmental plan for that year. Departmental results reports are usually tabled in Parliament each fall.
experimentation (expérimentation)
The conducting of activities that explore, test and compare the effects and impacts of policies and interventions in order to inform decision-making and improve outcomes for Canadians. Experimentation is related to, but distinct from, innovation. Innovation is the trying of something new; experimentation involves a rigorous comparison of results. For example, introducing a new mobile application to communicate with Canadians can be an innovation; systematically testing the new application and comparing it against an existing website or other tools to see which one reaches more people, is experimentation.
full-time equivalent (équivalent temps plein)
A measure of the extent to which an employee represents a full person year charge against a departmental budget. Full-time equivalents are calculated as a ratio of assigned hours of work to scheduled hours of work. Scheduled hours of work are set out in collective agreements.
gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) (analyse comparative entre les sexes plus [ACS+])
An analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs and other initiatives; and understand how factors such as sex, race, national and ethnic origin, Indigenous origin or identity, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic conditions, geography, culture and disability, impact experiences and outcomes, and can affect access to and experience of government programs.
performance (rendement)
What an organization did with its resources to achieve its results, how well those results compare to what the organization intended to achieve, and how well lessons learned have been identified.
plan (plan)
The articulation of strategic choices, which provides information on how an organization intends to achieve its priorities and associated results. Generally a plan will explain the logic behind the strategies chosen and tend to focus on actions that lead up to the expected result.
planned spending (dépenses prévues)
For departmental plans and departmental results reports, planned spending refers to those amounts presented in the Main Estimates.
A department is expected to be aware of the authorities that it has sought and received. The determination of planned spending is a departmental responsibility, and departments must be able to defend the expenditure and accrual numbers presented in their departmental plans and departmental results reports.
priority (priorité)
A plan or project that an organization has chosen to focus and report on during the planning period. Priorities represent the things that are most important or what must be done first to support the achievement of the desired departmental results.
program (programme)
Individual or groups of services, activities or combinations thereof that are managed together within the department and focus on a specific set of outputs, outcomes or service levels.
program inventory (répertoire des programmes)
Identifies all of the department’s programs and describes how resources are organized to contribute to the department’s core responsibilities and results.
result (résultat)
An external consequence attributed, in part, to an organization, policy, program or initiative. Results are not within the control of a single organization, policy, program or initiative; instead they are within the area of the organization’s influence.
statutory expenditures (dépenses législatives)
Expenditures that Parliament has approved through legislation other than appropriation acts. The legislation sets out the purpose of the expenditures and the terms and conditions under which they may be made.
target (cible)
A measurable performance or success level that an organization, program or initiative plans to achieve within a specified time period. Targets can be either quantitative or qualitative.
voted expenditures (dépenses votées)
Expenditures that Parliament approves annually through an appropriation act. The vote wording becomes the governing conditions under which these expenditures may be made.
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