Who
Helps Politicians Spend?
Lobbying is as much a part of life in Ottawa as skating on the Rideau
Canal. But lobbyists don't disappear come spring.
Lobbying exists, in differing forms, at all levels of government. A company,
industry or organization wanting to deliver a particular message hires
someone to bring that message to a parliament, city council, committee
or directly to individual members.
See also: Lobbying vs. advocacy.
At the federal level, lobbyists are required to register with the government,
providing information on who they're working for, who they're
lobbying, and why.
LINK: Lobbyist
registry 
There are rules about who is allowed to lobby, and how long after leaving
government public servants may begin lobbying their former employers.
But the rules are difficult to enforce. It's tricky to track who's
doing what, or prove that a particular activity is an attempt to "influence" a public official.
The punishment for non-disclosure is a fine of up to
$25,000. Although there have been several investigations, no one has been
convicted of breaching the disclosure law.
There is a code of conduct for lobbyists, enforced by the federal ethics
counsellor, that says a paid lobbyist cannot place a public official in
a conflict of interest, but it's also hard to police.
LINK: Lobbyists Registration System
When he was prime minister, Jean Chrétien introduced a package
of legislation that would have tightened some of the regulations, and
lengthened the time that a public servant would have to be out of government
before taking a job as a lobbyist. But the bill died on the order paper
when Chrétien left in December 2003.
Paul Martin himself has come under fire for his close
ties to professional lobbyists.
When he came to power, Martin quickly introduced an updated Conflict
of Interest and Post-employment Code for Public Office Holders, but critics say it lacks some of the enforcement changes that Chrétien's
code would have included.
The new code allows ministers to vote on proposals that are of general
application to an industry they may have an interest in. Duff Conacher
of Democracy Watch has complained that the change means, for example,
Martin could vote on a new law to do with the shipping industry, as long
as the new legislation was not designed for Canada Steamship Lines specifically.
CSL is Martin's former company, now owned by his sons.
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