John Reynolds, the man who co-chaired the Conservative national election campaign, is now offering advice to some of Canada's largest companies on how to access the government.

Reynolds has been hired by Lang Michener, a national law firm with offices in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver. The company says it's hired Reynolds for his wealth of experience and connections.

"While government is where he comes from, that's not where we see his main role," said Pam Denecky, Lang Michener's director of business development.

John Reynolds (File photo)

Denecky said Reynolds has a wealth of experience in other areas besides federal politics and the company would have hired him even if the Conservatives hadn't formed the government.

The company said he was hired as a senior strategic adviser for Lang Michener's clients who need access to government, but Reynolds denies that means he's now a lobbyist.

"If I wanted to be a lobbyist - and I had lots of offers to go with some of the major firms in Canada - I would have done that. What we're doing here is different," he said.

Reynolds said a lot of his job will involve giving companies what seems like simple advice - approach your MP if you need to get your point across to cabinet. And although Reynolds may have the prime minister's private number on speed-dial, he said he won't use it.

"If a CEO of a company listens to my advice, he'll be able to get that done, without me having to make a phone call."

As a former MP and Opposition leader Reynolds knows Ottawa well. But it's his unparalleled connections with his colleagues in the Conservative party that is raising some eyebrows.

Reynolds backed Stephen Harper's leadership bid and engineered the party's electoral victory as co-chair of the Conservative's national campaign.

A few weeks ago while still working for the party, Reynolds lured Liberal MP David Emerson to cross the floor to sit in Harper's cabinet.

The party is still wrestling with the ethical questions around that move, and Opposition Leader Bill Graham says Prime Minister Stephen Harper will have to explain how he'll deal with Reynolds in his new job.

"I think this will present some problems for the government in terms of its integrity, of its new accountability procedures, which they say they're going to bring forward," said Graham.

Harper is expected to introduce legislation in April that will ban former ministers from lobbying the government for five years after leaving office.

Reynolds said if he is called upon by the company's clients to deal directly with his friends who are now in government he'll register as a lobbyist and his role will be transparent.