Here’s a rundown of the news we covered this week:

David Tarrant, a former executive director of strategic communications in the office of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, joined Enterprise Canada as a vice-president of national strategic communications.

Tarrant started at the firm’s Toronto office in June. His background includes several strategic communications roles, including in the offices of former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper, and former Conservative leader in Ontario Tim Hudak.

Ontario, Saskatchewan and Alberta all have governments that are, in part, populist, according to Tarrant. This shift towards populist politics in Canada is something Tarrant understands through his experience with provincial and federal governments, he says.

Liberal MP Anita Vandenbeld was ruled to have contravened the Conflict of Interest Code when she used her MP title to endorse her husband’s campaign for a seat on the Ottawa city council in 2018, according to a report released by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner.

Vandenbeld’s husband, Don Dransfield, ran as a candidate for Bay Ward. An investigation found that Vandenbeld identified herself as an MP to support her husband’s candidacy in a letter sent out to voters, during door-to-door canvassing, and in a recorded telephone message.

In the report, Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion recommended no sanction against Vandenbeld, calling her actions “an error in judgement made in good faith.”

A coalition of health organizations intends to arrange meetings with various government officials to try to convince them to make the marketing of unhealthy foods to children an election issue.

The Stop Marketing to Kids Coalition was a major supporter of Bill S-228, a bill that would have restricted the marketing of food and beverages high in salt, sugar and saturated fat to kids aged 12 and under. That bill did come to a final vote before the House adjourned on June 21, and was left to die on the order papers.

Tom Warshawski, co-chair of the coalition, has some hope that the Liberals may support another attempt at legislation on this issue if Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is re-elected, because restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children was part of his 2015 election platform.

Crestview Strategy promoted former consultant Melissa Caouette, making her a senior consultant and the new practice lead for Western Canada.

The firm’s presence in the West currently consists of Alberta offices in Calgary and Edmonton, but Caouette says there is intention for new offices to be created in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Caouette stepped into her new role July 3, replacing former practice lead Zoe Addington who departed the firm to become an assistant deputy minister of economic policy in the Alberta government’s Policy Coordination Office.

In new registrations, the Native Horizons Treatment Centre started its first file on the federal lobbyists’ registry on July 5 with consultant Ron Gersh of TheCCSGroup. The centre, located in Ontario, was destroyed by fire in December 2018, and its staff is now seeking federal funding to rebuild. Gersh will be communicating with Indigenous Services.

The Union of Safety and Justice Employees (USJE) started its first file June 27 with consultant Catherine Fortin LeFaivre of Impact Public Affairs. The union is requesting that the federal government double the current funding for community corrections programs so that more parole officers can be hired.

The USJE released a report about Canada’s correctional system in May, in which they stated many parole officers are being overwhelmed by the current workload and the correctional system is “nearing a breaking point.”

Fortin LeFaivre will be communicating with the PMO, the Correctional Service of Canada, Finance, Public Safety, as well as with MPs and senators.

Chocolate company Nestlé Canada increased its representation on the Hill June 28 by adding consultant Susan Fielding of Earnscliffe Strategy Group. Fielding joins colleagues Charles Bird and Elly Alboim on the file.

Nestlé would like to speak to the federal government about Canada’s food labelling policies and regulations related to the nutrition facts table on food and beverage products, the registry shows.

The federal government is currently engaged in consultations with the food industry about proposed changes to the food labelling requirements and regulations. The food labelling rules are being modernized with the goal to clarify language, promote consistency and improve out-dated labelling regulations.

Fielding will be communicating with the PMO, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Global Affairs, the Public Health Agency of Canada, as well as MPs and senators.
 

New registry files posted between 2019-07-08 and 2019-07-12

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on July 12 at 9:15 a.m.

New registrations posted between 2019-07-08 and 2019-07-12

Reactivations posted between 2019-07-08 and 2019-07-12

Here’s a look back at the news we covered this week:

Democracy Watch sent a letter on July 4 to the office of Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, requesting an investigation into Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

As reported by CBC News, four judges have been appointed in New Brunswick who have connections to LeBlanc, and Democracy Watch thinks an independent investigation is warranted to determine if LeBlanc violated federal conflict of interest laws by participating in their selection.

Hill+Knowlton has hired Dessy Pavlova as an associate specializing in cannabis consumer marketing. Pavlova, who started at the firm’s Toronto office on June 13, helps clients develop marketing strategies to distribute their cannabis products.

She is also an instructor who developed a course about marketing techniques in compliance with the Cannabis Act, which is available through Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia.

Canadian retailers are counting down until mid-December when edible forms of cannabis, including beverages and extracts, are expected to become commercially available.

The Government Relations Institute of Canada (GRIC) announced that Alayne Crawford has become its new president, taking over for Philip Cartwright who chose not to seek re-election.

Crawford is head of government and regulatory affairs at IBM Canada.

Other changes to the GRIC executive include Jason Kerr being elected to the role of vice-president; Mary Anne Carter becoming treasurer; and board member Megan Buttle becoming corporate secretary. 

Kerr is the senior director of government relations at the Canadian Automobile Association, and Carter is a senior consultant in government relations with Earnscliffe Strategy Group. Buttle is a senior director with Spark Advocacy.

In new registrations, Gender Creative Kids Canada, a Montreal-based organization that raises transgender awareness for children, started its first file on the federal lobbyists’ registry on May 19.

Antoine Beaudoin Gentes, project manager for the organization, will be communicating with Health as well as Women and Gender Equality for federal funding. The organization has created “Sam,” a toy intended to teach children about gender-identity issues, which they would like to distribute to schools across Canada.

Also from Montreal, shipping company CSL Group started its first file on May 1 with president and CEO Louis Martel. The company registered to support Bill C-100, an act to implement the agreement between Canada, the United States of America and the United Mexican States, and also to request that the federal government harmonize maritime transportation regulations between provinces.

Martel will be communicating with Transport, Fisheries and Oceans, Environment, the Canadian Coast Guard, as well as senators and MPs.

The Dairy Farmers of Canada added another of its board members to its file on June 28. Board member Peter Strebel has joined 11 other of the organization’s directors on the file, including Blaine McLeod and Gerrit Damsteegt.

Among other interests, the Dairy Farmers would like to talk to the federal government about the tariff quota under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, and how dairy products are labeled and classified under Canada’s Food and Drugs Act and its accompanying regulations.

Strebel will be communicating with the PMO, Agriculture and Agri-Food, Environment, the Canadian Dairy Commission, the Farm Products Council of Canada, as well as MPs and senators.
 

New registry files posted between 2019-07-01 and 2019-07-05

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on July 5 at 9:00 a.m.
 

New registrations posted between 2019-07-01 and 2019-07-05

Reactivations posted between 2019-07-01 and 2019-07-05