CanWest: Lobbying rules leave loopholes, critics say

[tuvor]

OTTAWA - The Harper government has introduced regulations to shed light on lobbyists' activities, but critics say the new rules leave loopholes for unreported lobbying.

The Conservatives promised during the last election to clamp down on ties between lobbyists and public-office holders. The Federal Accountability Act, the centrepiece of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's vow to improve transparency and accountability in government, included provisions to tighten reporting requirements for lobbying.

However, the government delayed for more than a year publishing regulations that would bring the lobbying rules into force so it could conduct consultations with the lobbying industry, which feared the rules would be draconian.

Under the proposed regulations, released yesterday, lobbyists must file monthly returns that disclose "oral and arranged communication" they have with ministers or government officials. That means lobbyists would not have to report written correspondence such as e-mails, or chance encounters with office holders at cocktail parties or well-known Parliament Hill hangouts, for example.

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http://www.nationalpost.com/news/canada/story.html?id=216105