Tuesday, March 20, 2001

OTTAWA - Today Democracy Watch, backed by the 31-group, nation-wide Government Ethics Coalition called on the House of Commons Industry Committee to pose key questions to federal Ethics Counsellor Howard Wilson when he testifies this afternoon on changes to the Lobbyists Registration Act. The Coalition also wants the Committee to recommend changes to the lobbying law to ensure lobbyists activities are fully tracked and their undue and distorting influence restricted.

The Committee should ask Ethics Counsellor Wilson and examine the following key questions:

1. How can the Act be in any way effective when the RCMP recently concluded in an investigation that the requirement in the Act that anyone who is communicating with the purpose of influencing public officials must register as a lobbyist is too vague a requirement to be enforced? Wouldn't the Act work better, and ensure that all lobbyists register, if it had a more general definition of "lobbying" and required Ministers and senior public officials to disclose in the Lobbyists Registry who they meet and communicate with?
2. Given that Howard Wilson is controlled by and reports in private to the Prime Minister during investigations of allegations that a Minister or other public official has violated the Conflict of Interest and Post-Employment Code for Public Office Holders, how can the Ethics Counsellor impartially and effectively investigate an allegation that a lobbyist has violated the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct if the situation also involves a Minister or public official? Shouldn't there be an independent investigator of alleged code violations by lobbyists, and public officials?
3. Wouldn't the enactment of measures to protect public interest "whistleblowers" help to ensure the enforcement of the Act and codes?

"Loopholes and lack of enforcement make the lobbying rules a licence to corrupt government policy-making in secret," said Duff Conacher, Coordinator of Democracy Watch and Chairperson of the Government Ethics Coalition, "The law must be changed to bring lobbyists out of the shadows and to ensure they can't distort public policy-making in favour of private special interests."

Democracy Watch has filed three requests for investigations with the Ethics Counsellor since last April that involve both a lobbyist potentially violating the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct and a Minister or senior public officials potentially violating the public office holders' code (See below for a summary of the complaints). Despite the fact that several months have passed, the Ethics Counsellor has not completed his investigations of any of these complaints. Wilson took only four days to rule on a complaint filed during the election about the Prime Minister's role in securing a loan for a hotel in his riding.

"When the Prime Minister wants his activities to be given a rubber stamp of approval, the Ethics Counsellor heels on command," said Duff Conacher, Coordinator of Democracy Watch and , "But when presented with clear evidence about situations that are controversial and embarassing to the government, the Ethics Counsellor becomes a lapdog who can't get anything done for months."

Democracy Watch's three complaints to the Ethics Counsellor concerning lobbyists are as follows:

1. a letter dated April 13, 2000 called for an investigation into whether junior finance minister Jim Peterson violated the ministers' ethics code, and whether lobbyist and former Liberal MP Barry Campbell violated the Lobbyists Code of Conduct, when Campbell organized a fundraising event in September 1999 that raised about $70,000 for Peterson; the letter also called for an investigation of whether other similar events have occurred for other ministers;
2. a letter dated September 25, 2000 called for an investigation into whether then-Industry Minister John Manley and and senior public office holders at Industry Canada violated ethics rules by having Industry Canada join and participate in BIOTECanada, the registered lobbying association for biotechnology companies, and whether BIOTECanada violated the lobbying code by allowing the participation; and
3. a letter dated November 9, 2000 called for an investigation into the Liberals' Transitional Jobs Fund (TJF) grant approval process in Quebec, which involved ministers, Liberal party officials and party members and raises serious questions about whether the ministers and others involved have broken the ministerial ethics code and the lobbying code.

The Government Ethics Coalition, organized and coordinated by Democracy Watch, is made up of 31 groups from seven provinces and the Northwest Territories representing over two million Canadians.