Ontario, Canada Premier Kathleen Wynne announced provincial legislation will be introduced in May banning corporate and union donations to political parties. The legislation will also limit contributions from individuals, limit spending for third-party advertising, and tighten political party spending and fundraising rules for by-elections.

“I believe it is important that these changes be in place or significantly underway before the June 2018 election, with initial changes legislated for Jan. 1, 2017,” iPolitics.ca reported Wynne as saying.

Alberta’s Chief Electoral Officer, Glen Resler, issued a writ to administer a by-election for the Calgary-Greenway electoral district to fill a seat in the Legislative Assembly. In the wake of the tragic passing of Progressive Conservative MLA Manmeet Bhullar last November, Alberta’s New Democratic Party (NDP) has set a March 22 election date.

Some other parties, which have yet to nominate candidates, are not pleased. They feel it is poor politics to rush to hold an election when the government has until May and not all parties have chosen their candidates.

The Legislative Assembly of Nunavut’s Management and Services Board is accepting applications for the position of chief electoral officer of Nunavut. The commissioner of Nunavut appoints the chief electoral officer for a seven-year term on the recommendation of the Legislative Assembly. The chief electoral officer is accountable for the administration of all territorial general elections and by-elections, plebiscites, and local option votes.

The next territorial general election is scheduled to take place in October 2017.

Alberta’s New Democratic Party has filed a calendar for the Second Session of the 29th Legislature and announced starting dates for the spring and fall sittings. The spring sitting will commence March 8 with a throne speech and is expected to run no longer than June 2. The fall sitting will begin on October 31 and end before December 1.

The spring or fall sitting of the Assembly may be shortened or extended by passage of a motion to be decided without debate or amendment. There is no word yet on when Finance Minister Joe Ceci will table the government’s budget.

Photo of Alberta’s Legislative Building in Edmonton by Tkyle on Wikimedia Commons.

With the Liberal Party taking office in Canada, a new process for appointing unelected Senate position is taking effect. Under the new process, an independent advisory board will use merit-based criteria to present a list of five potential candidates for each vacancy to Prime Minister Trudeau.

This new measure was motivated by the desire to have a more independent and non-partisan Senate.

Senators from the Liberal Party caucus were expelled last year after accusations of expense account abuse.

An updated Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, which had not been revised since 1997, goes into effect today.

The new Code prohibits lobbyists from lobbying a public official if the lobbyist has campaigned for or has a business interest with the public official. Lobbyists will now be held responsible for giving prohibited gifts to public officials.

The revised rules are aimed at increasing transparency and public trust in officeholders.

A territorial general election will be held on Monday, November 23.

The Commissioner of the Northwest Territories issued the Writs of Election for the 2015 Territorial General Election following the dissolution of the 17th Legislative Assembly on October 25.

The Liberal Party, led by Justin Trudeau, won the October 19 general election in Canada by a landslide, taking 184 seats. Only 170 seats are needed to form a majority government. Stephen Harper, the Conservative Prime Minister, was unseated after three terms and almost 10 years in office.

Trudeau has stated plans to reduce greenhouse emissions, legalize marijuana, and improve infrastructure.

Photo of Justin Trudeau by Alex Guibord on Wikimedia Commons.

A by-election for the riding of Calgary-Foothills will be held on September 3, 2015.

Former Progressive Conservative Leader Jim Prentice vacated the seat when the New Democratic Party gained control of the Legislative Assembly in the May 5 provincial election.

There are six candidates competing in the election.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called for federal elections to take place on October 19, 2015.

Calling for an election during the summer is an unusual move in Canadian politics, creating the longest campaign period since 1874. Some view it as a move to ensure Harper’s Conservative Party stays in power as it will likely be the only party to have raised enough money to spend the maximum amount allowed by law.

The Conservative Party has been in power since 2006, winning two elections thereafter and gaining a majority in the House of Commons in 2011.

On August 1, the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada’s lobbyist registry came into effect. The new bylaw requires lobbyists to register at least one day before lobbying a member of council and any person on his or her staff or an employee of the city who is a member of the city’s senior management team. The law includes exemptions to registrations, as well enforcement powers and responsibilities of the lobbyist registrar.

Happy Canada Day!

On this date in 1867, the four provinces of Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia united together under the British North America Act to form the Dominion of Canada. Over the years, Canada expanded as more former British territories and holdings joined the Dominion. In 1999, the last territory to join Canada was Nunavut, which was carved out of the eastern Northwest Territories.

While most of us think of Canada as a great vacation spot or the birthplace of hockey, it is important to know how important Canada is to us.

Canada is the United States’ top trading partner. Every year, the U.S. takes in about three-quarters of Canadian merchandise exports. Canada is only behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela when it comes to having proved oil reserves, and currently it ranks as the fifth-largest oil producer in the world.

Canada is important to the United States and U.S. businesses. This is why State and Federal Communications has an Executive Source Guide for Canadian Compliance for U.S. businesses. We want to ensure our clients are able to say “I Comply” (in English and French) when they do business in Canada.

Now, in honor of our neighbors to the north on Canada Day, here are 13 Random Facts about Canada:

1. In 1988, Canada and the U.S. signed the Canada-U.S. free trade agreement. The more famous NAFTA wasn’t signed until the 90s and took effect in 1994.
2. Quebec was originally called Lower Canada and Ontario was called Upper Canada. They were given these designations by Britain’s Canada Act. The designations of “Upper” and “Lower” were based on elevation and geographical features, not on which one appeared above the other on a map.
3. Geographically, Canada is immense. It is the second largest nation in the world, has the longest coastline of any nation in the world, and is the largest nation to share a border with only one other country. However, most of the population lives within 100 miles of the U.S. border.
4. The first transoceanic broadcast of a radio signal was received on Signal Hill, St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1901.
5. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, ruled by Queen Elizabeth II. Her representative in Canada is the Governor General. Since 1947, the governor general has had full authority to exercise the duties of the head of state, both in Canada and when abroad.
6. Canada is home to the oldest company in North America. The Hudson’s Bay Company, founded in 1670, controlled a huge area of land in Canada called Rupert’s Land and started as a fur trading company. Today, the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) holdings include the stores Hudson’s Bay, Lord & Taylor, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5^th.
7. Canada introduced the $1 coin in 1987. With a loon on one side, it was soon nicknamed the “loonie.” Two dollar coins, or “toonies,” were introduced in 1996.
8. Newfoundland was the last province to join Canada. It was a British colony until 1949.
9. In 1918 Canadian women were granted the right to vote in federal elections.
10. Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau introduced the Official Languages Act in 1968, which declared French and English as the official languages of Canada.
11. During World War I, the Centre Block building of Parliament burned down, except for the library. A quick-thinking employee closed the doors separating the library from the rest of Centre Block, thus saving it from the fire. Centre Block was rebuilt after the war, with the addition of the Peace Tower being added to the original design. At the tower’s base is the Memorial Chamber. This chamber is dedicated to all Canadians who have served and died for their country.
12. Canada’s first official stamp cost three cents and featured a beaver.
13. In 1962, Saskatchewan became the first province to offer a public health care system in Canada.

A special thank you to George Ticoras and Becky Campbell for their help with this post.

Sources:

The World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook)

Parks Canada – Signal Hill National Historic Site of Canada (http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/lhn-nhs/nl/signalhill/index.aspx)

Global News (http://globalnews.ca/news/1420149/timeline-notable-dates-in-the-history-of-canada/)

Public Works and Government Sevices Canada (http://www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca/collineduparlement-parliamenthill/batir-building/centre/tour-tower/tour-tower-eng.html)

The Hudson’s Bay Company – http://www3.hbc.com/

A Brief History of Canada by Roger Riendeau, 2000

The National Assembly in Quebec has introduced new legislation proposing to strengthen and expand lobbying activities. Bill 56, titled the Lobbying Transparency Act, expands the scope of the definition of lobbyists to include shareholders lobbying for an entity as well as directors and officers of a non-profit. The bill also expands the types of activity considered to be lobbying.

Under Bill 56, all lobbying engaged in by enterprise or organization lobbyists triggers registration, not just those activities which represent a significant portion of his or her job, as is the threshold under current law. Making an appointment or setting up a meeting with a public office holder is considered lobbying under the proposed legislation.

Bill 56 requires each lobbyist to file a return before engaging in lobbying activity. This provision makes Quebec the only Canadian province to require registration prior to lobbying.

Finally, the bill imposes stricter penalties and higher fines on violators of the law.

Corporations and labor unions will no longer be permitted to donate to political parties in Alberta. Bill 1 passed its third reading on Monday, June 22, and when signed into law, will be retroactively effective to June 15, the day the bill was introduced in the house.

Proponents of the bill agree it puts power back in the hands of citizens rather than the entities with the deepest pockets. Critics, however, argue the bill has serious loopholes as it does not address the abilities of companies and unions to guarantee loans to parties or to donate services.