Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.

I am pleased to be here today and honoured to be considered for a second term as Commissioner of Lobbying.

When I first appeared before this committee in 2017, I recognized the importance of the federal lobbying regime, which contributes to public confidence in federal institutions and public servants.

After seven years as commissioner, I continue to believe in the importance of this work to support and improve the transparency and ethics of lobbying.

I'm very proud of the work that my team and I have done. I would like to highlight some of those accomplishments.

We've continually improved the Registry of Lobbyists in terms of filing processes, functionality and search functions. We've also improved transparency by aligning topics with the related lobbying details. Monthly reports on oral and organized lobbying of designated public office holders must now identify the details, not just the subject.

We've increased our outreach and engaged with a diverse audience of over 9,000 stakeholders through over 500 presentations.

We broadened our relationships with the media, academia, other government institutions and the international community, while strengthening our proactive engagement with stakeholders. Our website has been renewed to improve the availability of useful information.

I've launched several investigations to ensure compliance with lobbying requirements. This led to 16 referrals of alleged offences to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and six reports of investigations to Parliament.

I also submitted preliminary recommendations to this committee so that they could be considered in improving the Lobbying Act.

Finally, I published a new version of the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct, which sets out clear ethical standards that lobbyists must respect.

This work was performed against the backdrop of a move, two elections and a pandemic. In addition to the ongoing and increasing corporate reporting obligations, the work was performed by a very small team of about 30 employees. In both 2021 and 2023, we succeeded in obtaining additional budget funding to increase our staff capacity. We now have resourcing for approximately 37 employees, compared to 28 when I started my mandate.

Our current total annual budget is approximately $6.2 million. Roughly $4.7 million goes to salaries and benefits, leaving an operating budget of $1.5 million. Speaking of our budget, I would urge parliamentarians to consider a new funding model that preserves the independence of agents of Parliament.

While we have accomplished a lot, there are plans in place to move forward. I recently issued interpretation bulletins about the application of the act, and should I be reappointed, I expect to issue more, including about the threshold that triggers registration for lobbying done by employees on behalf of their employer. We will expand education and understanding by creating and sharing clear and accessible content about lobbying, including videos and learning modules for various audiences. We will continue to improve the registry at every opportunity so that users can easily and effectively find the information that is available.

Finally, I will continue to prepare in anticipation of a long overdue legislative review of the Lobbying Act. The last review occurred in 2012 and brought no changes. I must impress upon you again that it is important that Parliament make legislative changes so our federal lobbying regime can be the best of its kind and remain effective. This is crucial, because rigorous transparency standards contribute to a healthy democracy.

If I am reappointed to a second term, I will continue to serve Parliament and Canadians in keeping with the mandate set by the Lobbying Act and in accordance with the highest integrity, public sector values and ethical standards.

I would like to conclude by expressing a heartfelt “thank you” to each employee of the office. They are actively engaged and contribute to an exceptional work environment. I am extremely grateful for their dedication, professionalism and excellence in delivering on our mandate. It has truly been an honour and a privilege to lead them during the last seven years, and I appreciate the support they have provided me.

Mr. Chair and committee members, I also want to extend my deepest appreciation to each of you for the respectful and constructive interactions we have had over the course of my time as commissioner.

I welcome this opportunity to answer any questions.