Recognizing a lobbying activity

Lobbyist

Lobbyist

Regardless of their professional title, lobbyists are persons who, in exchange for a consideration, acting on behalf of a client, an enterprise or an organization, communicate with public office holders to influence their decision-making. These communications may be done in writing, by phone or in person.

For example, lobbyists may be:

  • professionals (architects, engineers, accountants, urban planners, lawyers, notaries, etc.);
  • business development advisors, government relations officers, strategic communication or public relations consultants;
  • real estate developers, representatives of enterprises or organizations.

Public office holder

Public office holder

At the parliamentary level:

  • Members of the National Assembly and persons on their staff; Ministers and members of their staff

At the government level:

  • Employees of the government and government agencies

At the municipal level:

  • Mayors and wardens; municipal councillors; staff members; municipal employees; employees of supramunicipal bodies

Decision concerned

Decision concerned

A lobbying activity is any oral or written communication with a public office holder in an attempt to influence or that may reasonably be considered by the initiator of the communication as capable of influencing a decision concerning:

  • the development, introduction, amendment or defeat of any legislative or regulatory proposal, resolution, policy, program or action plan;
  • the issue of any permit, licence, certificate or other authorization;
  • the awarding of any contract, otherwise than by way of a call for public tenders, or of any grant or other financial benefit or the granting of any other form of benefit determined by government regulation;
  • the appointment of any public office holder within the meaning of the Act respecting the Ministère du Conseil exécutif (member of a board of directors, or member of a government agency or enterprise) or an administrator of State (Secretaries-General or Secretaries of the Ministère du Conseil exécutif and the Secrétariat du Conseil du trésor, and the deputy ministers).

The arranging by a lobbyist of a meeting between a public office holder and any other person is considered to be a lobbying activity.

Transparency required

Transparency required

Any communication made by a lobbyist to a public office holder with a view to influencing a legislative, regulatory or administrative decision must be made transparently, meaning that it must be declared in the register of lobbying activities, Carrefour Lobby Québec.

Some examples of lobbying activities

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An urban planner makes approaches with the City of Saguenay in order to obtain a construction permit and other authorizations under the Act respecting land use planning and development for the implementation of a CPE childcare centre.

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A general manager of an enterprise and representatives of its subsidiaries take approaches to obtain an authorization from the Autorité des marchés financiers to enter into public contracts and subcontracts under the Integrity in Public Contracts Act.

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A president of an association of aluminium companies makes representations to the Ministère de l’Économie, de la Science et de l’Innovation in order to influence the maintenance of an orientation on the disposal of blocks of energy of Québec smelters, enabling them to ensure their development and contribute to job creation.

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A consultant lobbyist makes approaches with the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux on behalf of a client, a pharmaceutical product distributor, in order to request the amendment of the Act to reduce the cost of certain medications covered by the basic prescription drug insurance plan by allowing calls for tenders.

Registration in Carrefour Lobby Québec

Registration in Carrefour Lobby Québec materializes the transparency objective of the Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Act.

Do you meet the conditions of application of the Act?

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