On October 2, a provincial by-election will be held in the electoral division of Jean-Talon, located in Quebec City, for the Quebec National Assembly.

The election will be held to fill the vacant seat of former Member of the National Assembly Joëlle Boutin, a member of the governing Coalition Avenir Québec, who resigned on July 19 in order to join the private sector. The seat became vacant on July 31.

The by-election was announced by the government of Quebec on August 30.

If you are hanging around our website and digital media posts, you will see we are celebrating our 30th anniversary. This has certainly given us the opportunity to see how long we have been doing various things.

Our marketing team is starting a campaign to emphasize the work we do in Canada with our International Guide. More and more of our consulting clients are asking for assistance with Canadian compliance and I can see why after reviewing the entries.

The first thing I learned is we have covered Canada for 15 years, which is also hard to believe. We started with Canadian Federal compliance (like the US Federal compliance) then included all the provinces, followed by the territories.

If you think maneuvering Canada is easy…think again. In Toronto, a very popular territory, registrants must update their registrations within three (3) business days from the date of a communication with a public office holder about a registered subject matter. That will keep you on your toes!

Interested in learning more about our International Guidebook, give Joe Wasser a call at 202-465-3276, or email at jwasser@stateandfed.com. He will also be in our booth at NCSL.

We have a busy August with NCSL in Indianapolis, Indiana where we will be in Exhibit Booth 529 and CSG East in Toronto.  Plus, if you are looking for a session on Ethics at NCSL, I am joining colleagues in the industry on a session Wednesday, August 16th, at 1:45 pm, Ethics Dos and Don’ts, ICC, Level 2, Sagamore Ballroom.  Easy to remember because we are the warmup for NFL great Peyton Manning! See you there.

Q: I need to register as a lobbyist in Quebec for my company. What steps do we need to complete in the new system?

A: The Lobbyist Registry in Quebec has been replaced by Carrefour Lobby Quebec.  Previously, the senior officer was responsible for creating an account, and would list any individual lobbyists or administrators on the company’s account.  With the new system using Carrefour Lobby Quebec, the senior officer and each lobbyist must create an individual account, referred to as a professional space.  A professional space can then be linked to an organization’s account, referred to as a collective space.

To create a personal space, you first need to create your account with Carrefour Lobby Quebec.  After creating your account, you must verify it.  You can use the Verified.Me platform, which requires you to login to your financial institution.  This is the easiest method to use.  In the alternative, you can use an ID verification form managed by Lobbyisme Quebec.  With this option, you will be required to upload photo identification such a driver’s license along with a recent financial statement verifying your current address.  Once authenticated, you will have access to your professional space.

The collective space for an organization can be opened by the senior officer, an employee, or even a third party.  Once the collective space has been opened, all individuals with an authenticated professional space can request access to the collective space.  The senior officer must approve or validate these requests.  All mandates can then be published to the collective space by the senior officer, a lobbyist, or an administrator who has been granted access by the senior officer.

The information from this response can easily be found on our website in the Lobbying Compliance section of the Canada Compliance Laws publication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.

On July 24, a Canadian federal by-election will be held in the electoral district of Calgary Heritage (Alberta) to fill a vacancy in the House of Commons.

Calgary Heritage’s Member of Parliament, Bob Benzen, had announced in October of 2022 his desire to resign and return to private life.

On January 5 of this year, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that Benzen’s seat was vacant.

The date for the election was not announced until June 18, which signaled the start of the by-election period.

On July 1, the updated edition of Canada’s federal Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct will come into force.

A new gift limit for lobbyists is imposed, allowing up to $40 for gifts and hospitality for an official they lobby or expect to lobby. The intention of the limit is to avoid the creation of a sense of obligation on the part of the official. The new gift limit has an annual maximum amount of $200, per calendar year, from one lobbying source. Lobbyists may still provide sponsored travel to officials they do not lobby or expect to lobby. However, given the costs of sponsored travel, providing travel to an official by a lobbyist for an official they lobby or expect to lobby could reasonably be seen to create a sense of obligation on the part of that official and be prohibited if over $40. The commissioner, on an annual basis, has the option to take inflation into account in adjusting the individual and annual gift limit amounts.

Lobbyists engaged in certain political work, acting in certain leadership or senior political roles, or fundraising “that could reasonably be seen to be significant to the official” are subject to a cooling-off period. The cooling-off period, for which an individual cannot lobby the official benefited, ranges between 12 to 24 months.

One of the purposes of the new code is to make the rules clear and comprehensive, according to the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada. The commissioner’s office states that lobbyists obligations are described in “plain language” and will eliminate the need for separate guidance documents.

On June 19, federal by-elections will be held in the electoral districts of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce–Westmount (Quebec), Oxford (Ontario), Winnipeg South Centre (Manitoba) and Portage–Lisgar (Manitoba) to fill vacancies in the House of Commons.

From December 2022 until March of this year, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received four separate official notices from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seats were vacant. However, the dates for the election were not announced until May 14, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a single election date for all four of the vacant seats in the House of Commons.

Three of the seats became vacant by retirement, and the fourth, for Winnipeg South Centre, became vacant upon the death of MP Jim Carr. The announcement date of the by-elections signals the start of the by-election period.

Elections Canada published the updated limits on expenses for regulated activities of third parties involved in federal elections in Canada.

The Canada Elections Act imposes a limit on expenses a third party can incur for regulated political activities.

For the period of April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, a third party is prohibited from incurring overall election advertising expenses of a total amount of more than $579,950 during a general election. The previous limit was $543,200.

For the same period of April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, a third party is prohibited from incurring election advertising expenses in a given electoral district of a total amount of more than $4,971 during a general election. The previous limit was $4,656.

Adjustments are made annually based on a formula of a base amount multiplied by the inflation adjustment factor in effect for the period.

On March 27, the city of Pickering, in Ontario, Canada, passed a new lobbying law and will become the 10th municipality in Ontario to have a lobbyist registry framework in place. This by-law authorizing a lobbyist registry for the city technically came into force with its passage, but all enforcement and penalties will not take effect until November 1, 2023.

All lobbyists must file a registration (a first filing of a return) regarding lobbying communication within ten business days of the initial communication occurring. A lobbyist must file a return updating any change to their registration immediately. Lobbying is defined as “any communication with a public office holder by an individual who is paid or who represents a business or financial interest with the goal of trying to influence any legislative action including development, introduction, passage, defeat, amendment or repeal of a bylaw, motion, resolution or the outcome of a decision on any matter before council, a committee of council, or a staff member acting under delegated authority.”

The list of covered public office holders includes members of the city council, officers or employees of the city in management positions, members of local boards or committees established by the city council, and individuals providing professional services to the city during the course of providing such services.

The mandatory registry applies to consultant lobbyists, in-house lobbyists, and certain voluntary lobbyists. Lobbying on a contingency basis is prohibited. Former public office holders are forbidden from lobbying for a period of 12 months after leaving office. Penalties include being barred from lobbying for various periods of time. Additionally, all lobbyists must adhere to a formal Code of Conduct for Lobbyists, which is part of the by-law, during all lobbying activities with public office holders.

On February 21, Mario Dion retired from his position running Canada’s federal ethics office.

As Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner for the past five years, Dion was responsible for helping appointed and elected officials prevent and avoid conflicts between their public duties and private interests. His duties included administering the Conflict of Interest Act for public office holders and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.

Dion said he stepped down because of because of persistent health issues. For now, the seat is vacant. The Parliament of Canada Act requires the position be filled through appointment, after consultation with the leader of every recognized party in the House of Commons and approval of the appointment by resolution of that House, by the Governor in Council.

Sometime before July 2, 2023, a by-election will be announced for the seat in the House of Commons representing Calgary Heritage in the province of Alberta.

On January 3, the Chief Electoral Officer of Canada, Stéphane Perrault, received official notice from the Speaker of the House of Commons that the seat for Calgary Heritage (Alberta) became vacant following the resignation of Bob Benzen. Benzen officially resigned from his seat in the House of Commons on December 31, 2022, in order to return to private life, according to CTV news.

Under the law, the by-election date must be announced between January 14 and July 2, 2023, and will signal the start of the by-election period. According to Elections Canada, the earliest date the by-election can be held is February 20, 2023.

Campaign contribution limits have increased in the province of Ontario, Canada for 2023.

In a calendar year, a person individually may contribute $3,350 to each party, to each constituency association and nominations contestants of a party, and to each leadership contestant of a party.

Additionally, in a campaign period, a person may contribute $3,350 to each candidate of a party, and to each independent non-party candidate.

The total contribution made with respect to a single fundraising event by a contributor may not exceed $3,350 multiplied by the indexation factor.

The previous contribution limits from 2022 were $3,350.

Campaign contribution limits increased in British Columbia for 2023 to $1,401.40 for contributions to registered political parties, including their candidates, nomination contestants and registered constituency associations.

Additionally, individuals can also contribute up to $1,401.40 to independent candidates and leadership contestants, if a leadership contest is called in 2023. The previous limits from 2022 were $1,309.09.

Also increased to $400 is the limit of a fee paid to attend a leadership convention or other convention of a political party without counting toward the $1,401.40 contribution limit.

These contribution amounts are adjusted at the start of each calendar year.

Elections Canada has published the federal contribution limits for the 2023 calendar year.

In 2023, individuals may contribute up to $1,700 to independent candidates, leadership candidates, registered parties, and to, in total, all of the registered associations, nomination contestants and candidates of each registered party.

The limits also apply to any unpaid balance of loans made during a contribution period and the amount of any loan guarantees made during a contribution period. The limits increase annually by $25 on January 1.

Question:  I am the Senior Officer in Quebec for my company.  I have been receiving emails concerning a new website.  What do I need to know?

Answer:  Lobbying to design and administer a new platform to replace the current Registry of Lobbyists.  This new platform is called Carrefour Lobby Quebec.  Carrefour Lobby Quebec aims to be a modernization and update of the current registry.

On June 21, 2022, the first phase of Carrefour Lobby Quebec was deployed.  Senior officers of companies and organizations carrying out lobbying activities were invited to create their individual accounts in the new system, along with the corresponding account for their company or organization.  Authorized representatives and consultant lobbyists were also permitted to proceed with account creation in Carrefour Lobby Quebec.  Users can gain additional information on Carrefour Lobby Québec by viewing an introductory video. They can also review the methods of administration of the new system.

The second and final phase of the deployment will take place this fall.  The Commissioner of Lobbying recommended, as provided for in Bill 13, a decree be adopted fixing the final deployment of Carrefour Lobby Quebec for October 13, 2022.  The functionalities for entering lobbying activities will then be operational in the new system.   On October 13, 2022, the current Registry of Lobbyists will be officially closed and all information in the current registry will be transferred to Carrefour Lobby Quebec.  There will then be a 60-day validation period for all transferred information.

More information will be provided by the Commissioner of Lobbying as the deployment of the second phase approaches.  Until the new system is online, lobbying activities must be entered into the current registry.

The information from this response can easily be found on our website in the Lobbying Compliance section of the Canada Compliance Laws publication.  Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions.