Posted yesterday at 4:00 p.m.
Why is lobbying by big business and corporations allowed? After all, they have greater financial means than most other organizations to influence governments. The recent events concerning the protection of woodland caribou and the concentration of nickel in the air at the Port of Québec are convincing examples of the influence of business lobbies on the decision-making of the CAQ.
Real Bilodeau
The term “lobbying” is often surrounded by a negative connotation in Quebec. Stéphanie Yates, professor in the department of social and public communication at UQAM, deplores this.
“For me, it is very clear that lobbying is a legitimate activity in a democracy. We don’t want governments to govern in a vacuum and make decisions that are not informed by the reality on the ground,” she said.
Hence the importance for the various groups in society to have some access to those who are called “public office holders”, whether elected or senior civil servants. In Quebec, this access is governed by the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act. The advantage is, precisely, transparency. Thanks to the registry of lobbyists, we can know who is trying to influence whom, and on what subject.
If you type “forest caribou” in the registry, for example, you will be able to see which lobbyists linked to which groups made representations, and what their mandate was.
As you write, it is true that large corporations have more means to pay for professional lobbyists, whether they are employees of the organization or external advisers. But the law takes it into consideration. In Quebec, non-profit organizations (NPOs) do not have to register as lobbyists to approach the government. This was done precisely to spare them the administrative burden and associated costs.
Note that trade unions must be registered.
This exclusion of NPOs is specific to Quebec (this is not the case at the federal level). It is regularly questioned because it undermines the transparency of the process.
“The consequence is that you can’t see all the influences on a particular issue. We have a partial vision of the phenomenon. On the other hand, we understand that it can be cumbersome for an organization with only two employees, ”underlines Professor Yates.
She explains that the Lobbyists Commissioner is precisely exploring avenues to extend the obligation to everyone, while streamlining the process.
Another hole in the current law is that only people whose lobbying represents at least 20% of their activities must register. The others can make occasional steps without it being known.
Stéphanie Yates also explains that the federal register is much more detailed than the Quebec register. It requires the registration of each meeting between a public office holder and a lobbyist, whereas the Quebec registry only specifies the mandate of the lobbyist.
At the federal level, the names of all those who attend the meetings are also indicated in the register.
Such transparency is very interesting. On an environmental issue, for example, it makes it possible to compare the number of industry meetings with that of environmental groups.
In short, the Quebec law governing lobbying is a big step forward from the days when no one knew who had the government’s ear. But we see that it has shortcomings. As its adoption dates from 2002, we can say that it is ripe to be dusted off.