Lobbying activity related to building the economy and the green technology sector will likely find traction in 2023 as the parties look ahead to a possible federal election before 2025, according to lobbyists.

“I honestly think a lot of what will define 2023 is what will or will not be in the budget. I think Canadians are facing hard economic times. I think that’s going to be front and centre,” said Daniel Perry, a Summa Strategies consultant and conservative commentator. “I think if you were in the green-tech sector, you’re going to have a great 2023. If you’re in the agriculture sector, or if you’re in parts of the financial sector, such as open banking, you’re probably not going to have the same year as others, just because the government’s really focusing on resetting the economy, [and] looking to fund green-tech projects.”

The 2023 federal budget is to be unveiled on March 28, which Perry said he expects to be the “budget of austerity.” He said the Liberals will likely favour projects that boost the economy for the rest of 2023 in order to secure a strong position if an election comes in the near future.

“I think the government’s going to have to walk this very, very fine line of looking to save money, but also at the same time allowing enough money to be put back into our economy so that we don’t go into a recession,” said Perry. “The reality is, if the Liberals do go into the election, either later this year or even next year, and the economy isn’t coming along, they might have some real problems.”

Kevin Bosch, a managing partner with Sandstone Group, told The Hill Times that the anticipation of an election makes it a critical time for lobbying, as the parties prepare their platforms. Parties begin thinking about their platforms a year or more in advance of an election, he said.

“I’m not expecting an election this year, although surprises do happen in a minority government. But I am thinking, obviously in 2024 or 2025 … we are going to have an election,” said Bosch, who is also a former deputy director of the Liberal Research Bureau. “Often parties will match each other at election time. They’ll say, ‘Okay, this party promised pharmacare, so we’re going to promise it, too.’ If you can get a given idea that you’re pushing for into a platform, it’s almost like a gold medal in the lobbying world.”

A major driving factor for the federal government will likely be the electrification of the economy, according to Bosch.

“We’re moving towards net zero. Anything related to clean energy, [and] moving off of carbon … is going to be hot,” he said. “If we’re all going to be driving electric cars … we’re going to have to revolutionize the electric grid in Canada. I think there’ll be a lot of desire for the government to get active on that, whether it’s building up the grids or building the cars or building the net zero future that we’re all aiming towards. I think that’s going to be the theme of the next 10 or 20 years, let alone the next year.”

Jacquie LaRocque, founder of the consulting firm Compass Rose and a former Liberal ministerial Hill staffer, told The Hill Times that this year’s budget will likely be the last before an election is called, and so eyes will be on the Liberal government to release concrete plans to carry-forward its commitments.

“When you’re realistically looking at a forthcoming, [and] likely last budget before the next election, you look at the commitments that the government’s made, and you say, where to next? What now?” she said. “Watchers are really seeking to get beyond words by looking at, what are the details of that fiscal responsibility? And at the same time, where are the plans for growth of our economy, because without the growth of our economy, the other commitments that are in platforms … cannot get implemented.”

Credibility and thinking outside the box key for lobbyists in 2023

Lobbyists who wish to succeed in this environment need a combination of credibility, subject matter expertise, and a willingness to try new approaches on behalf of their clients or organizations, according to some consultants.

“I believe the success of our team … is about mastery of our subject matter and credibility in representing clients to the federal government,” said Chris Benedetti, managing partner at Sussex Strategy. “You have to understand both how government works, but also understand how your issue and subject matter fits into the larger agenda and how to find alignment between the two.”

That view was echoed by Sheamus Murphy, partner and federal practice lead at Counsel Public Affairs. In addition to the ability to communicate complex issues clearly and effectively, Murphy said commanding both trust and respect were vital for top lobbyists.

Rather than “connections, the number of meetings or adaptability,” Murphy said top lobbyists reflect attributes such as a commitment to “contributing to the broader public debate and working across partisan lines,” the achievement of wins for their clients or sector on issues of national importance, and “enhancing the reputation of the lobbying industry as a whole, as a leader within their own firm [or] organization and as an ethical contributor to better public policy.”

Kate Harrison, vice-chair at Summa Strategies, said that being an effective lobbyist involved putting aside your own partisan views to navigate government and major issues.

“You need to be able to put yourself in decision-makers’ shoes even if you have nothing in common with them, and guide your client accordingly,” she said.

Dave Carey, vice-president of government and industry relations at the Canadian Canola Growers Association, said top lobbyists “are able to disagree without being disagreeable by focusing on bad policy, not bad people.”

“They have seats at tables where decisions are made,” he said. “They are sought out by parliamentarians, department officials and industry leaders for their input and opinion on key issues. They are listened to, respected and used as sounding boards.”

Carey said those skills are important, as “Ottawa has never been more crowded, with parliamentarians still stuck between in-person and virtual.” 

Ashton Arsenault, vice-president at Crestview Strategy, said he expects that virtual meetings could become a permanent fixture of lobbying, which made it important for lobbyists to be able to master both in-person and online versions.

“COVID fundamentally changed how we engage with decision-makers and stakeholders,” he said.

Visibility is important, but a lobbyists’ effectiveness should not be measured by the number of meetings held or communication reports filed with the federal lobbyists’ registry, Arsenault said. “An effective federal lobbyist, above all else, is somebody who is able to consistently achieve objectives on behalf of their clients or organization,” he said. “In short, drive outcomes.”

For newer members of the profession, Christian von Donat, vice-president of government relations and strategy at Impact Public Affairs, recommended thinking outside the box.

“Over my seven years with Impact, it’s been the constant push to think innovatively and to not be afraid to try new strategies that have yielded some big wins on behalf of clients I work with,” he said. “Politicians and staff are so conditioned to 30-minute meetings, evening receptions, one-pagers… the true test for top lobbyists is breaking out of what is perfectly fine in order to deliver something special.”

Top 100 Lobbyists 2023:

The Hill Times compiled this list after reaching out to more than 30 lobbyists, including both in-house representatives and consultants, on background for input. The list is not a popularity contest, but is intended to showcase prominent lobbyists at the federal level based on their reputation and perceived effectiveness, as judged by their peers. This list was compiled by The Hill Times reporter Jesse Cnockaert and Lobby Monitor editor Stephen Jeffery, and organized alphabetically by the lobbyist’s last name.

Lobbyist	Title	Organization
Andre Albinati	Principal	Earnscliffe Strategy Group
Ashton Arsenault	Vice-president	Crestview Strategy
Chris Aylward	National president	Public Services Alliance Canada
Jennifer Babcock	Senior director, government and public affairs	Canadian Cattle Association
Alana Baker	Senior director, government relations	Automotive Industries of Canada
Andrew Balfour	Managing partner (Ottawa)	Rubicon Strategy
Tim Barber	Principal	Bluesky Strategy Group
Perrin Beatty	President and CEO	Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Hardave Birk	Government relations director	Shaw Communications
Kevin Bosch	Managing partner	Sandstone Group
Michael Bourque	CEO	Canadian Real Estate Association
Sam Boutziouvis	Vice-president, government relations	SNC-Lavalin
Diane Brisebois	President and CEO	Retail Council of Canada
Bea Bruske	President	Canadian Labour Congress
Tabatha Bull	President and CEO	Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business
Stéphane Cardin	Director of public policy	Netflix
Dave Carey	Vice-president, government and industry relations	Canadian Canola Growers Association
Philip Cartwright	Senior vice-president	Global Public Affairs
Sean Casey	Managing director	PAA Advisory
George Christidis	Vice President Government Relations and International Affairs	Canadian Nuclear Association
Gary Clement	Director, government relations	TD Bank Group
Paul-Emile Cloutier	President and CEO	HealthCareCAN
Catherine Cobden	President and CEO	Canadian Steel Producers Association
David Cooper	Vice-president, government relations	Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs
Laura D’Angelo	Vice-president, national strategy and public affairs	Enterprise Canada
Dennis Darby	President and CEO	Alliance of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
Paul Deegan	President and CEO	News Media Canada
John Delacourt	Senior vice-president	Counsel Public Affairs
Joanne Dobson	Senior Director, government relations (federal and Ontario)	Air Canada
Bruce Drysdale	Managing partner	Longview Communications
Simon Dwyer	Director, government affairs	BCE
Kristina Farrell	Director	Temple Scott Associates
Deborah Flint	President and CEO	Greater Toronto Airports Authority
Marlene Floyd	National director, corporate affairs	Microsoft Canada
Cheryl Fougere	Senior manager of government relations	Rogers Communications
Pamela Fralick	President	Innovative Medicines Canada
Robert Ghiz	President and CEO	Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
Andy Gibbons	Vice-president	WestJet Airlines
Jacob Glick	Vice-president, public policy	Telus Corp.
Sarah Goldfeder	Manager of government relations	General Motors of Canada
Pierre Gratton	President and CEO	Mining Association of Canada
Tim Gray	Executive director	Environmental Defence
Susie Grynol	President and CEO	Hotel Association of Canada
Kate Harrison	Vice-chair	Summa Strategies
Bruce Hartley	Senior partner	Prospectus Associates
Katie Heelis	Vice-president and health practice lead	Enterprise Canada
Steven Hogue	Director, Global Policy and Public Affairs (Canada)	Pfizer Canada ULC
Kelly Hutchinson	Public Affairs counsellor	Compass Rose Group
Goldy Hyder	President and CEO	Business Council of Canada
Dan Kelly	President, CEO, and chair	Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Lauren Kennedy	Director, public affairs	Chicken Farmers of Canada
Jason Kerr	Managing director, government relations	Canadian Automobile Association
Brian Kingston	President and CEO	Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association
James Kusie	Vice president, public and government affairs	Imperial Oil
Tim Lambert	CEO	Egg Farmers of Canada
Eric Lamoureux	Managing partner	PAA Advisory | Conseils
Jacquie LaRocque	Principal	Compass Rose Group
Jacques Lefebvre	CEO	Dairy Farmers of Canada
Megan Leslie	President and CEO	World Wildlife Fund
Dan Lovell	Senior associate	Sussex Strategy Group
Robin MacLachlan	President	Summa Strategies
Greg MacNeil	Director of government relations	Irving Shipbuilding
Dan Mader	Partner	Loyalist Public Affairs
Elise Maheu	Head of government affairs	3M Canada
Monica Masciantonio	Vice-president, government affairs	Scotiabank
Kelly Masotti	Vice-president, advocacy	Canadian Cancer Society
Bob Masterson	President and CEO	Chemistry Industry Association of Canada
Devin McCarthy	Senior vice-president	Sussex Strategy Group
Dave McHattie	Institutional relations director	Tenaris
Colin McKay	Head of public policy and government relations	Google Canada
Don Moors	President	Temple Scott Associates
Sheamus Murphy	Partner and federal practice lead	Counsel Public Affairs
Derek Nighbor	President and CEO	Forest Products Association of Canada
Chima Nkemdirim	Vice-president, government relations	Shaw Communications
Wendy Noss	President	Motion Picture Association – Canada
Monette Pasher	President	Canadian Airports Council
John Penner	Vice-president	Strategy Corp
Azin Peyrow	Director, government relations	Canadian Medical Association
Beth Potter	President and CEO	Tourism Industry Association
Alex Pourbaix	President and CEO	Cenovus Energy
David Pratt	Principal	David Pratt and Associates
Pierre Pyun	Vice-president, government affairs and public affairs	Bombardier
Gordon Quaiattini	Partner	Maple Leaf Strategies
Mark Resnick	Managing director	McMillan Vantage Policy Group
Chad Rogers	Partner	Crestview Strategy
Elizabeth Roscoe	Senior vice-president	Rubicon Strategy
Carole Saab	CEO	Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Conrad Sauvé	President and CEO	Canadian Red Cross
Susan Smith	Principal	Bluesky Strategy Group
Jennifer Sloan	Vice-president of public policy (Canada)	Mastercard
Andrew Steele	Vice-president	StrategyCorp
Leslie Swartman	Senior director, government relations	MDA
Robert Taylor	Assistant vice-president, North American advocacy	Railway Association of Canada
Gordon Taylor Lee	Managing Partner	NATIONAL Public Relations
Matt Thompson	Vice-president, associate general counsel	CORUS
Carla Ventin	Senior vice-president, government relations	Food, Health, and Consumer Products Canada
Flavio Volpe	President	Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association
Joelle Walker	Vice-president, public affairs	Canadian Pharmacists Association
George Wamala	Director, regulatory and government affairs	RBC
Huw Williams	President	Impact Public Affairs

Top 10 lobbied ministers in 2022

Name	Role(s)	Communications
François-Philippe Champagne	Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry	283
Jonathan Wilkinson	Minister of Natural Resources	205
Steven Guilbeault	Minister of Environment and Climate Change	199
Marie-Claude Bibeau	Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food	177
Omar Alghabra	Minister of Transport	154
Randy Boissonnault	Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance	145
Jean-Yves Duclos	Minister of Health	115
Chrystia Freeland	Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance	103
Mona Fortier	President of the Treasury Board	87
Mary Ng	Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development	81

This table shows the federal ministers who were listed in the most communication reports in 2022. Information courtesy of the federal lobbyists’ registry.

Top 10 lobbied departments in 2022

Department/Institution	Communications
House of Commons	10,170
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada	3,118
Environment and Climate Change Canada	2,040
Finance Canada	1,764
Natural Resources Canada	1,651
Global Affairs Canada	1,465
Senate of Canada	1,374
Prime Minister’s Office	1,301
Health Canada	1,218
Canadian Heritage	1,060

This table shows the federal departments that appeared in the most communication reports in 2022. Information courtesy of the federal lobbyists’ registry.

Top 10 lobbied issues in 2022

Topic	Communication Reports
Environment	5,528
Economic Development	4,910
Health	4,220
Industry	3,965
Energy	3,838
Agriculture	3,253
Climate	3,099
Science and Technology	2,845
International Trade	2,652
Research and Development	2,625

This table shows the most frequently listed subject matter for discussion in communication reports filed in 2022. Information courtesy of the federal lobbyists’ registry.

Top 10 lobbied public office holders/staffers in 2022

Name	Role(s) held in 2022	Office	Communications
Eamonn McGuinty	Senior Policy Advisor	Minister of Environment and Climate Change	297
Michael Brewster	Director of Policy (Nature and Biodiversity)	Minister of Environment and Climate Change	265
Francis Drouin	Liberal MP, and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food		260
Kevin Deagle	Senior Policy Advisor	Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry	255
Peter Opdam	Senior Policy Advisor; Policy Advisor	Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry	231
Kurtis Layden	Senior Policy Advisor	Minister of Environment and Climate Change	228
Fiona Simons	Director of Policy (Clean Energy and Innovation)	Minister of Natural Resources	223
Blake Oliver	Senior Policy Advisor	Minister of Natural Resources; Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance	219
Bianca Hossain	Policy Advisor	Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry	211
Anson Duran	Senior Policy Advisor	Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry	208

This table shows the designated public office holders or staff members who appeared in the most communication reports in 2022. Information courtesy of the federal lobbyists’ registry.