The Lobbying Act and its related Regulations came into force simultaneously on July 2, 2008.
The Lobbying Act is based on four key principles.
The Act applies to individuals who are paid to lobby. People who lobby on a voluntary basis are not required to register.
The Commissioner’s preliminary recommendations are based on values aimed at enhancing transparency, fairness, clarity and efficiency.
The House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics issued its report "Statutory Review of the Lobbying Act : Its First Five Years" in May 2012. In its report, the Committee requested that the government table a response.
The government issued its response on September 17, 2012. The government responded to the Committee's 11 recommendations by supporting some of them and by stating it would continue to study others further.
The Government Response does not change the Lobbying Act , the Lobbyists Registration Regulations or the Designated Public Office Holder Regulations which are currently in force.
Until such time as any legislative or regulatory changes come into effect, the current requirements of the Lobbying Act and the regulations remain in effect.
The Designated Public Office Holder Regulations were amended September 20, 2010. As a result, the definition of a designated public office holder was expanded to include all Members of Parliament and all Senators, as well as any staff working in the offices of the Leaders of the Opposition in the House of Commons and the Senate, appointed pursuant to subsection 128(1) of the Public Service Employment Act . This brings the total of positions or classes of positions designated by way of regulation to 14.
The Lobbying Act and associated regulations come into force on July 2, 2008. Important changes introduced include:
A further move towards greater independence of the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists was made in February 2006, when the Office was transferred to the portfolio of the President of the Treasury Board as an independent entity.
Bill C-2, the Federal Accountability Act (FedAA), was introduced in Parliament on April 11, 2006 and received Royal Assent on December 12, 2006. The FedAA included changes to the Lobbyists Registration Act , with the name of the Act to the Lobbying Act to reflect its broader scope .
The Regulations Amending the Lobbyists Registration Act and the Act to amend the Lobbyists Registration Act , came into force on June 20, 2005. The following major changes were made to the Act:
In January 2004, the Government introduced Bill C-4, which came into effect in May 2004. The new legislation changed the reporting structure under the Lobbyists Registration Act , so that the Registrar reported to Parliament directly through the Registrar General of Canada (the Minister of Industry). The position of Ethics Counsellor was eliminated. The Registrar assumed all responsibilities under the Lobbying Act . The Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists became an administrative unit within Industry Canada.
The government introduced Bill C-15, An Act to Amend the Lobbyists Registration Act in the House of Commons on October 23, 2002. This bill received Royal Assent on June 11, 2003.
The government introduced Bill C-43, An Act to Amend the Lobbyists Registration Act and to make related amendments to other Acts . It proposed amendments to the Act that strengthened the disclosure requirements to make more meaningful and comprehensive information available about lobbyists and their lobbying activities. The amendments came into force on January 31, 1996. At that time, the responsibility for making decisions under the Act was assigned to the Ethics Counsellor.
The amended legislation also mandated the development of a code of conduct for lobbyists. After extensive consultations, including review by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs, the Code came into force on March 1, 1997. The Ethics Counsellor was responsible for upholding the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct .
The Lobbyists Registration Act came into force on September 30, 1989. It set basic requirements for the registration of paid lobbyists, including that lobbyists were to provide information about themselves and the subject matter of their lobbying.
