On May 4, 2010 the President of the Treasury Board Stockwell Day announced the Government’s intention to extend the provisions of the Lobbying Act. This announcement came in response to the Liberal opposition day motion that called for all Parliamentary Secretaries to be included under the provisions of the Federal Accountability Act.
Last week the Government posted a notice of proposed regulations in Canada Gazette: Part I that would amend the definition of Designated Public Office Holder (DPOH) to include all Members of Parliament, Senators, and any position on the staff of the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons or on the staff of the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate. Once enacted, Lobbyists will be required to report their contacts with them. In addition, the five-year prohibition on paid lobbying, would apply to the staff working in the offices of the Leader of the Opposition in the House and in the Senate.
All interested parties will then have 30 days to offer comments before it is enacted and published in Part II of the Canada Gazette. These Regulations have a coming into force date of September 20, 2010. For more information please go here .
Despite the Government’s claim that these amendments will have no significant direct costs to Government, the lobbying industry or the public. The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying will have to grow in order to deal with this massive administrative undertaking. Members of Parliament, Senators and OLO staff have very little power under our current system and have no access to cabinet documents. I fail to see how these new rules increased accountability.
I am interested in hearing your opinions on this subject.
