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

Crestview Strategy announced that Nick Varley has joined its digital, campaigns and mobilization team as a senior campaign strategist and U.K. lead.

Varley, based in London, U.K., has experience in mobilizing public opinion as the former head of ground campaigns for Vote Leave, a group that supported Brexit in 2016.

Crestview operates in multiple international jurisdictions, and the addition of Varley will facilitate service in the U.K. and beyond, according to Joseph Lavoie, Crestview’s national practice lead for the digital practice.

E-cigarette company Juul Labs will continue its lobbying efforts in Canada, even as it discontinues lobbying in the U.S.

On Sept. 25, Juul announced it would cease advertising its products in the U.S., and would no longer lobby the U.S. government as a response to a proposed ban on vaping flavours in that country. The company cited the prevalence of youth vaping and the loss of public confidence as its reasons for the change in activity.

Lisa Hutniak, a director of communications for Juul Labs Canada, told The Lobby Monitor by email that the announcement only concerns the company’s activities in the U.S.

Environmental advocacy group Environmental Defence said that the progress of its zero plastic waste campaign can be attributed partly to a high level of media coverage due to heightened public interest in the issue.

Vito Buonsante, plastics program manager for the organization, said that he’s had more media exposure during his time with Environmental Defence than for any other non-governmental-organization he’s worked for.

The most recent development on Canada’s path towards reducing its plastic waste came on Sept. 21, when Liberal candidate Catherine McKenna, the Environment minister under the previous Liberal government, pledged to remove all single-use plastics from federal government buildings.

Recent polls have shown an increased likelihood of Canada ending up with a minority government after the October federal election. The presence of a minority government makes it more important to lobby to a broader number of federal parties because of their ability to swing the balance of power, according to Kevin Bosch, vice-president of public affairs at Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

Sarina Rehal, a senior consultant at Crestview Strategy, suggested that in a minority government, lobbyists’ efforts would be aided by looking at the election platforms of the different parties for areas of overlap.

In new registrations, the Schroeder Policy Institute started its first file on the federal lobbyists’ registry on Sept. 20 with a desire to discuss policy recommendations with the federal government. The institute is concerned about Newfoundland’s debt level, and would like the federal government to support the province with $1.4 billion a year until 2041.

Consultants John Gardiner and Mike Van Soelen of Navigator will communicate with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and MPs.

PayTechs of Canada started its first file Sept. 23 with consultant Doug Kreviazuk of DAK Financial Consulting.

The organization advocates for the modernization of Canada’s payments technology. It registered to discuss the possibility of expanding Canada’s national payments system so PayTech firms would be able to access it, in addition to the regulated financial institutions that currently have access.

Kreviazuk will communicate with Finance, Innovation, the Bank of Canada, Competition Bureau Canada, and with senators.

The Mining Association of Canada (MAC) increased its representation on the Hill on Sept. 18 by adding consultant Amélie Gadient of Hill+Knowlton Strategies.

Gadient joins colleague Chris Lalande on the file. Pierre Gratton, MAC’s president, is also active on the registry.

MAC would like to provide input on federal greenhouse-gas emissions strategies, and discuss acts such as the Canada Transportation Act, and how it relates to the shipping of mineral products; and the Environmental Assessment Act, and how it affects product assessments in the mineral industry.

Gadient will communicate with the PMO, Natural Resources, Innovation, Finance, Transport, as well as MPs and senators.
 

New registry files posted between 2019-09-23 and 2019-09-27

Based on a search of the federal lobbyists' registry on Sept. 27 at 8:45 a.m.
 

New registrations posted between 2019-09-23 and 2019-09-27

Reactivations posted between 2019-09-23 and 2019-09-27