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

Participation in training sessions offered by the ethics commissioner’s office has increased since December 2018, according to the latest quarterly statistics report released by the office on Thursday.

A total of 199 public office holders participated in 12 presentations between July and September, according to the report. This is a jump over the same reporting period last year, which showed 35 participants in seven presentations.

The presentations are meant to help public office holders familiarize themselves with their responsibilities under the Conflict of Interest Act and Conflict of Interest Code.

Andrew Leslie, a former parliamentary secretary and military veteran, joined Bluesky Strategy Group as a senior associate. Leslie is a former MP for the riding of Orléans, who chose not to seek re-election this year. During his time on the Hill, he served as a parliamentary secretary to Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland, and was also a non-voting member on the committees for international trade, and foreign affairs and international development.

As an associate, Leslie will offer strategic advice to Bluesky clients across sectors including agriculture, energy, transportation, and others.

Lisa Kirbie Kinsella, the former managing partner for Daisy Consulting Group, left the firm behind to begin her own consulting firm called Blackbird Strategies.

The new firm offers services related to government relations, media and public relations, and advocacy for Indigenous people. Its website launched today.

Daisy Group has been in the news since a Globe and Mail report on Oct. 18 revealed the firm had been hired to produce a social media campaign to highlight xenophobic comments made by members of the People’s Party of Canada (PPC). The purpose of the campaign was reportedly to turn voters away from the PPC before the federal election.

Warren Kinsella, the president of Daisy Group, defended the work he and his firm had done through a note on his website, saying he was “fiercely proud.”

A plan to establish the first French-language university in Ontario led to the highest number of communication reports posted between Oct. 16 and Oct. 28 on the federal lobbyists’ registry. L'Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario posted 10 communication reports during that period, which represented contact with the federal government between Sept. 2 and Sept. 9.

The most targeted designated public office holder from reports posted between Oct. 16 and Oct. 28 was Caroline Séguin, director of policy to Minister of Official Languages and La Francophonie Mélanie Joly.

In new registrations, Hybrid Pharm, a self-described  “modern wellness pharmacy,” started its first file on the federal lobbyists’ registry on Oct. 29 with consultant Lucas Veiga of Capital Hill Group. The Ottawa-based company is interested in talking to the federal government about cannabis licensing and regulatory developments under the Cannabis Act.

Veiga will communicate with the departments of Health and Public Safety, as well as MPs.

Grandma Emily, a health food company based in Quebec, started its first file on Oct. 29 with consultant Carl Nolet of Kube Consulting.

The company is interested in federal funding to support growth and expansion in the U.S., according to the registry.

Nolet will communicate with Agriculture and Agri-Food, the Business Development Bank of Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency, Innovation, and the National Research Council.

Dow Chemical Canada strengthened its representation on the Hill on Oct. 23 by adding consultant Hugh McFadyen of Longview Communications to its file, and then consultant Jeff Smith of the same firm on Oct. 28.

The two will communicate with Innovation about securing possible funding from the Strategic Innovation Fund. 

Dow Chemical Canada is the Canadian Branch of Dow Chemical, one of the world’s largest chemical companies. Dow manufactures plastics, chemicals, and agricultural products.
 

New registry files posted between 2019-10-28 and 2019-11-01

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Nov. 01 at 8:45 a.m.

New registrations posted between 2019-10-28 and 2019-11-01

Reactivations posted between 2019-10-28 and 2019-11-01