On May 4, 2020, several key changes of British Columbia’s lobbying law come into effect, including changing the name of the Lobbyist Registration Act to the Lobbyist Transparency Act. The legislation making the changes, Bill 54, Lobbyists Registration Amendment Act, 2018, received royal assent on November 27, 2019.

Other coming changes include:

• Reducing the time threshold for requiring in-house lobbyists to register from 100 hours to 50 hours annually
• Adding the requirement for lobbyists to complete a monthly return containing details of actual lobbying activities in the previous month by the 15th of each subsequent month
• Declarations in those returns of what code of conduct the lobbyists has undertaken and where it is available for public viewing

Additionally, a newly enacted prohibition on gifts from lobbyists is included in the bill. However, the prohibition does not apply if the gift is given under the protocol or social obligations normally accompanying the duties of a public office holder and the total value of the gift given, directly or indirectly, is less $100 in a 12-month period.

Beginning in May, the registrar will also have the power to impose a prohibition on lobbying for up to 2 years.

Presently, a new online Lobbyists Registry is in development to replace the current Lobbyists Registry and is scheduled to launch on May 4, 2020.

Also effective on May 4, 2020, the Lobbyists Registration Regulation is repealed and the Lobbyist Transparency Regulation is enacted.

Upon Royal Assent from Alberta’s lieutenant-governor, the province will officially eliminate the office of the independent Alberta Election Commissioner. The move makes the commissioner a staff position under the Chief Electoral Officer.

Bill 22, Reform of Agencies, Boards and Commissions and Government Enterprises Act, 2019, passed on November 21. The bill also terminates the current election commissioner, Lorne Gibson, from his position.

Gibson, in his role as commissioner, has fined the members of the majority United Conservative Party government more than $200,000 for election violations.

The election commissioner’s staff will transfer to work for the office of the chief electoral officer, who will then hire a new commissioner.

The bill passed even though the province’s Ethics Commissioner, Margueritte Trussler, issued an opinion stating the individual MLAs who are in the process of being investigated by the Election Commissioner would be in breach of the Conflicts of Interest Act if they were to vote on the bill.

The breach would exist because those MLAs stand to materially benefit from the termination of the Office of the Election Commissioner.

On November 6, a bill to allow recall elections of Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) was reported to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.

Bill 204, the Election Recall Act, allows constituents to petition for the recall of an MLA if 40 percent of eligible voters sign the petition within a 60-day window.

A petition would not be permitted six months before or 18 months after a general election.

The legislation is a private bill introduced by MLA Mark Smith in October.

On December 2, a provincial by-election will be held in the Capitale-Nationale riding of Jean-Talon for the Quebec National Assembly.

The election will be held to fill the vacant seat of former Member of the National Assembly Sébastien Proulx, who resigned in August to return to private life.

The election was announced by Premier François Legault on October 27

Bidders attempting to contract with the Canadian federal government are required to certify they have not committed crimes of fraud or acts of corruptions.

Recent amendments to the Government Contracts Regulations require a bidder declare he or she has not, during the bid solicitation process, committed an act or engaged in an activity constituting any specifically enumerated violations under the nation’s Criminal Code, the Financial Administration Act, the Corruption of Foreign Public Officials Act, or the Competition Act.

Additionally, the amended rules allow a contracting authority to now enter into a construction contract, or any contract not using the solicitation of bids, when the value of the contract does not exceed $40,000, an increase from the previous threshold of $25,000.

On October 7, lawmakers in the Prince Edward Island Legislative Assembly solicited public input regarding what procedural rules they should follow.

The Standing Committee on Rules, Regulations, Private Bills and Privileges is seeking public input on the Rules of the Legislative Assembly, in particular on potential changes to the parliamentary calendar, sitting hours, and budget process.

Public comments and suggestions by individuals and organizations must be in writing and submitted to the Assembly by October 25.

On October 21, 2019, the fixed date for Canadian federal elections, the election for the now-vacant seat in the House of Commons representing Calgary Forest Lawn (Alberta) will be held.

Because this vacancy occurred less than nine months before October’s fixed-date general election, no by-election will be held.

On August 15, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Calgary Forest Lawn (Alberta) became vacant.

The vacancy came following the death of MP Deepak Obhrai on August 2.

Obhrai had been the longest-serving Conservative member of Parliament.

On August 14, Canada’s federal ethics office issued a report finding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used his position to seek to influence a decision of the Attorney General of Canada relating to a criminal prosecution involving a Canadian corporation based in Montreal.

The 63-page report, released by the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, was prepared by Commissioner Mario Dion.

Dion concludes in the report that Trudeau violated section 9 of the Conflict of Interest Act.

Section 9 prohibits public office holders from using their position to seek to influence a decision of another person to further their own private interests or those of their relatives or friends, or to improperly further another person’s private interests.

Included in the report is a summary of the official response from Trudeau’s legal counsel denying culpability.

Sometime on or before February 2, 2020, a by-election must be held for the seat in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for the electoral district of Ottawa-Vanier.

On August 2, the Chief Electoral Officer of Ontario received a notice of vacancy for the position from the Assembly.

MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers, who had announced her intention to leave office on May 16, resigned on July 31 to begin working August 1 as the Principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto.

Any by-election in the province must be called within six months of the Chief Electoral Officer receiving notice of the vacancy.

On July 31, three members of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly will resign their positions to seek federal positions.

The members, Chris D’Entremont, Alfie MacLeod, and Eddie Orrell, have been nominated as candidates for the Conservative Party of Canada.

The three are required to step down before the writ period begins for the fall elections.

By-elections for the soon-to-be-vacant provincial seats have not been yet been called.

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario adjourned its legislative session on June 6 and voted 64-35 to not return till October 28, a week following the federal election.

Ontario is expected to be a major battleground in the upcoming election, with the Conservative Party hoping to make major gains in the province.

Members of opposition parties suggest the extended break is an attempt to avoid hurting the Conservative Party’s chances to regain control.

On June 3, the 4th Session of the 41st Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, which began on November 20, 2018, adjourned until October 2, 2019.

Bill 2, The Municipal Amendment Act (Strengthening Codes of Conduct for Council Members), received Royal Assent on June 3.

The new law amends The Municipal Act to require a code of conduct for members of municipal councils be adopted through by-laws.

The code must include procedures for receiving and dealing with reports of contraventions, relevant sanctions, and training on the municipality’s code of conduct.

The new legislation requires each member of a council to undergo training.

Lawmakers plan to adjourn the Assembly again on November 7.

On April 29, a bill was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for purposes of clarifying certain contributions.

Bill 103, the Election Finances Amendment Act (Leadership Fundraising Loophole) 2019, amends the Election Finances Act and provides that contributions to a leadership campaign following a leadership vote may only be used for the purpose of paying off campaign debt.

If passed, the private member’s bill introduced by MPP John Fraser, will come into effect on the day it receives Royal Assent.

On April 30, Nancy Bélanger, the Commissioner of Lobbying Canada, recommended to the Parliament that they amend the nation’s federal Lobbying Act to improve transparency when the travel of public officials is sponsored by lobbyists.

Bélanger made her recommendation in her report to the House of Commons and to the Senate on her office’s investigation into sponsored travel provided by lobbyists.

The Commissioner found no violation of law related to sponsored travel, but did find a gap in the level of transparency of information disclosed in the Registry of Lobbyists.

“Amending disclosure requirements to include additional information that the Commissioner of Lobbying considers relevant would ensure that sponsored travel is captured as part of the context in which lobbying occurred,” said Bélanger in her press release.