Democracy Watch

All but one MP on the federal ethics committee has agreed with a proposal to reduce cooling-off periods for lobbyists doing political work. 

The federal government says departments will focus on making the access-to-information system work better amid calls for fundamental changes to the transparency law.

MPs recently moved to delay proposed changes to the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct that include reduced cooling-off periods for lobbyists doing political work and more stringent rules for gift-giving.

Proposed changes to the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct are ready to be examined and approved by the parliamentary ethics committee before coming into force after two years and three rounds of consultations.

On Thursday, Democracy Watch, Climate Action Network and other civil society groups sent a joint open letter to lobbying commissioner Nancy Bélanger voicing concern over the reduced cooling-off period, which they say opens the door to unethical lobbying.

Lobbyists working the halls of Parliament on behalf of interest groups will soon have new rules around campaigning for politicians and stricter rules around gift giving. 

Federal ministers defended the government's use of the Emergencies Act on Monday, April 25, 2022, as they announced an independent public inquiry to investigate the use of the act to end blockades at Canadian border crossings and in Ottawa earlier this year.

As MPs review their own conflict of interest rules behind closed doors, the co-founder of Democracy Watch says the process highlights a need for greater transparency in the House of Commons.

The Ford government has undermined the independence of quasi-judicial provincial bodies by making appointments to them more beholden to cabinet, says a new legal filing challenging the move.

Alberta's ethics commissioner says Justice Minister Doug Schweitzer did not break the rules when he hired Steve Allan to run a public inquiry into whether foreign money is bankrolling anti-oil protests in Canada.

The Progressive Conservative government has invited businesses to ask for rule changes to help them weather the pandemic. Companies do not have to disclose lobbying activity if they receive a written invitation to do it.

Democracy Watch says it is calling for an investigation into whether the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers and the Conservatives violated Canada's elections law.

The House of Commons' ethics watchdog should never have approved a flight taken by Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc on a private aircraft owned by J.D. Irving, says an organization that advocates for greater government accountability.

Members of Parliament who have decided not to run for re-election this fall will cash in a cumulative $1.6 million in severance payments, and millions more will likely be paid out after the election.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is defending the federal system for appointing judges after revelations several in New Brunswick have personal connections to Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc.