Opposition Demands Lobbyist Investigation

[Jay]

Lobbying is a legitimate part of our democratic system. People, organizations and businesses have the right to communicate, to decision makers, information and views on issues that are important to them. However, it is important that this happen in a transparent manner – that Canadians have the opportunity to know who is lobbying public office-holders and in which context. The Lobbyists Registration Act and the Lobbyists Code of Conduct set the Government of Canada framework for that transparency and my Office has a key role in ensuring that the systems and processes that support the Act and the Code work well.

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inlobbyist-lobbyiste.nsf/en/Home

 

[FiveParadox]

Jay! Please listen carefully, as I repeat myself.

I am not arguing against people's right to lobby — however, I am arguing in favour of certain regulations that exist now, in terms of restricting employees of the Government of Canada from resigning and immediately using their access to privileged information in order to lobby the Government more effectively than other organizations would be able to. The Government is ignoring these regulations, existing by Statute; that is what I am in opposition to, Jay — I would not have a problem with the lobbyists recognized in the article, if they had followed the regulations for registration.

 

[sanch]

Lobbying is a legitimate part of our democratic system. People, organizations and businesses have the right to communicate, to decision makers, information and views on issues that are important to them. However, it is important that this happen in a transparent manner – that Canadians have the opportunity to know who is lobbying public office-holders and in which context. The Lobbyists Registration Act and the Lobbyists Code of Conduct set the Government of Canada framework for that transparency and my Office has a key role in ensuring that the systems and processes that support the Act and the Code work well.

http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/epic/internet/inlobbyist-lobbyiste.nsf/en/Home

And how much is being paid to connected parties. Government does not really work well in Canada and as Gomery has noted there is little transperancy. The fact is that the lobbyists and former government aides have abused the system and corrupted it. Harper was going to clean all of the above up. Now it's no longer a problem?

 

[Jay]

It is a very young government....you people are acting like we just elected Christ to the position and leprosy and blindness are still a problem.

 

[FiveParadox]

Jay, you are missing the point — the Government of Canada's age is irrelevent in terms of its requirement to abide by the Statutes of Canada. A Government cannot break the law on the grounds that "it's new." I am not arguing against the Conservative Party of Canada — I am arguing against the Government of Canada, which just so happens to be headed by a Conservative-affiliated Prime Minister. I really couldn't care less who was leading the Government, in terms of the inappropriate nature of providing privileged access and information to preferred lobbyists.

 

[Jay]

No. You can petition all you want. I object to large corporation hiring a couple dozen lawyers who do nothing else, and who, by comparison, will bury the government in petitions. What individual, or small business can compete against that?

This what I am mainly arguing against.

 

[FiveParadox]

Would you acknowledge then, Jay, that it is inappropriate for persons to use their authority as employees (or extremely recent employees) of Ministers of the Crown to use their privileged access and authority to gain access to information that would not otherwise be available to registered lobbyists?

 

[Jay]

I'm looking into it.....there is a lot of reading when reading these documents.

Do I have a problem with it? No.

 

[FiveParadox]

Heh, Jay, I wonder if your opinion would be the same, were this to be the 38th Parliament to be summoned in three days. I have a problem with any Government of Canada that would use its information in a way that would show favouratism toward some groups of lobbyists over others; a Government should not have the right to give information and resources to certain "well-connected" lobbyists.

 

[Jay]

We need to see the law.

 

[FiveParadox]

In that case, I am off to the Justice Department of Canada Web site.

 

[FiveParadox]

Unless I am mistaken, the Lobbyists Registration Act is the primary piece of legislation dealing with lobbyists; however, there is also a conflict-of-interest code dealing with public office holders that appears to be relevent to this situation, although I am unsure where to look for the latter.

The Act can, of course, be found at the Ministry of Justice Web site (click here).

 

[Jay]

http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2004/20041218/html/regle8-e.html