2026 Spring Forwarder Magazine

14 THE FORWARDER | SPRING 2026 Nancy Belanger lobbyist Canada’s Federal Lobbying: Year in Review At NextGen 2026, a conference geared to Public Affairs professionals which took place February 23 in Ottawa, Nancy Bélanger, Canada’s Commissioner of Lobbying Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying | Commissariat au lobbying, provided insights into the evolving federal lobbying landscape. Following her remarks, Guy Giorno , Partner and Political Law Lead at Fasken, joined an armchair discussion exploring what lies ahead for public affairs in Canada. The Commissioner of Lobbying, leading a team of 35, regulates and administers the Lobbying Act. A review of this Act is taking place with House of Commons meetings to discuss conflict of interest issues. The Act was last significantly reviewed in 2012, and faces a long-overdue parliamentary review in 2026 to enhance transparency and accountability. Key changes include a new Commissioner interpretation (effective Jan 19, 2026) that lowers the in-house lobbyist registration threshold to 8 hours over 4 weeks, significantly increasing reporting requirements for organizations. Discussing her new Commissioner interpretation, Bélanger noted that her priority lies in updating of the Code and in monitoring activities around lobbying. The former threshold of 32 hours before lobbying was reported failed to capture many Lobby Day activities for example. Uptake to the July 25 interpretation bulletin that came into force on January 19 has been great, with media calls and inquiries almost every day. Lobbying in Canada differs significantly from what is allowed in the U.S. For example, no corporate donations are allowed in Canada so “owing or obligation” is more of a non-starter. Bélanger may in future seek to impose monetary penalties and publish the names of offenders is adherence to the registry and to reporting timelines is not met. Her team’s service standards are met 100% every year. Organizations such as CIFFA are subject to registering with the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying and to monthly reporting requirements. Move what matters most. Expanding our global network to offer efficient cargo solutions. See our summer 2026 schedule at westjetcargo.com