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ARTICLE · 01 JULY 2008

Changes To The Federal Lobbyists Registration Act

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Important changes to the Federal “Lobbyists Registration Act” take effect on July 2, 2008. The newly-named “Lobbying Act” increases both the reporting requirements for registered lobbyists and the penalties for non-compliance.

CanadaGovernment, Public Sector
Timothy Murphy
Timothy Murphy
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Important changes to the Federal "Lobbyists Registration Act" take effect on July 2, 2008. The newly-named "Lobbying Act" increases both the reporting requirements for registered lobbyists and the penalties for non-compliance. The major changes in the Act are summarized below.

What's New?

Contingency Fees are Banned: Consultants hired to lobby for a client will no longer be allowed to receive contingency fees based on the success of the lobbying effort.

New Monthly Reporting Requirements: The new Act requires registered lobbyists to specifically report each month instead of every six months when lobbying a new category of federal officials called "Designated Public Office Holders"1. While, in general, only calls or meetings that are arranged in advance and initiated by the lobbyist need be reported, they must be reported when they relate to a grant, contract or similar financial benefit, even if the communication is initiated by the government official.

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