Recognizing a lobbying activity

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

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

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

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.