Newly Approved Lobbying Rules Will ‘Legalize Bribery,’ Say Canadian Citizen Groups

Newly Approved Lobbying Rules Will ‘Legalize Bribery,’ Say Canadian Citizen Groups
Commissioner of Lobbying Nancy Belanger at her office in Ottawa on June 12, 2018. Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
Tara MacIsaac
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Changes are coming to Canada’s lobbying rules, and a coalition of citizen groups says they will “legalize bribery by allowing for favour-trading between lobbyists and politicians.” The House ethics committee has approved a proposed revision of the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct by and large, only making a few recommendations for changes.
“It’s shameful that the Liberal, Conservative, and Bloc MPs on the ethics committee have decided ... to support changes that will gut key ethical lobbying rules,” said Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, in a release on March 27.