Lobbying commissioner Nancy Belanger asserts the necessity of amending the law to prohibit former public office holders from lobbying on behalf of corporations.
Visibly frustrated, the commissioner testified before MPs on the House of Commons ethics committee on Tuesday regarding the appointment of former Liberal industry minister Navdeep Bains to a position at Rogers.
“I am frustrated,” she stated. “This Lobbying Act must be amended… There are evident gaps and loopholes.”
Under the act, an elected official is prohibited from engaging in lobbying activities for five years after leaving public office. However, Belanger highlighted that this rule is applied differently if they join a corporation.
The commissioner revealed that elected officials who end up working for a corporation can engage in lobbying as long as it does not exceed 20% of their job responsibilities.
“The issue here is not Mr. Bains, and he has publicly stated that he will not communicate with federal officials. However, the act would permit him to do so for up to twenty per cent of his time,” she explained.
“So, one day a week… that’s a significant number of phone calls. And that’s a problem,” she added.
Belanger also identified other loopholes in the law. For instance, a corporation or organization only needs to register if it engages in lobbying for 30 or more hours per month.
Bains, who served in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet from 2015 until early 2021, assumed the role of the company’s chief corporate affairs officer in April.
His appointment raised concerns among critics, who pointed out the perceived politics-to-industry pipeline where former public office holders move on to lucrative positions in the private sector.
Although Bains is responsible for overseeing government affairs, a spokesperson from Rogers confirmed in April that he would not communicate with the government on behalf of the company in order to comply with the Lobbying Act.
Both Belanger and a representative from the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner emphasized that if Bains adheres to his commitment not to engage in direct lobbying, he will comply with the rules.
Lyne Robinson-Dalpe, testifying on behalf of the ethics commissioner’s office, explained that a two-year “cooling off” period applies to former ministers, during which they are prohibited from accepting job offers.
Robinson-Dalpe noted that the two-year period had already elapsed for Bains, allowing him to accept the position at Rogers. However, she pointed out that some rules still apply. For example, a former public office holder is not permitted to provide advice based on non-public information obtained while in office.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
