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ARTICLE · 10 APRIL 2018

Under The Influence: R V Carson Broadly Defines Criminal Offence Of Influence Peddling

McCarthy Tétrault
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Lots of people will boast about their connections with government officials. Some people even get paid to lobby the government.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Canadian Appeals Monitor
Canadian Appeals Monitor
Awanish Sinha
Awanish Sinha
Ryan MacIsaac
Ryan MacIsaac
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Lots of people will boast about their connections with government officials. Some people even get paid to lobby the government. But when does conduct cross the line into criminal influence peddling? In R. v. Carson, 2018 SCC 12 ("Carson"), the Supreme Court of Canada ("SCC") interpreted the offence of influence peddling broadly—it prohibits not only agreeing to influence the government regarding current business matters, but also business matters that the government could be involved with in the future.

Carson is a significant decision and has generated much commentary. For a lengthier discussion of the practical consequences for lobbyists, please see the post by our colleagues Adam Goldenberg and Jessica Firestone here.

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