Thank you.
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, it is an honour and a privilege to have been nominated for the position of Commissioner of Lobbying and to appear before you to consider my candidacy for this important position.
I would like to make some introductory remarks to highlight various aspects of my career. I would also like to share with all of you my experience to date in administering the lobbyists' registration regime, my role as Interim Commissioner, and the duties and obligations of this independent parliamentary office in serving both Parliament and Canadians.
First, let me tell you a little about myself. I was born in Montreal, Quebec. I have been married for 19 years. My husband is an assistant professor at Carleton University and teaches in the fields of program evaluation, ethics, and public administration.
In terms of my academic career, I attended Concordia University, where I obtained my baccalaureate of arts, with a major in economics and a minor in administrative studies. This degree was a cooperative program; as such, my first work term in the summer of 1985 was as an analyst with Employment and Immigration Canada. It was with this experience that I knew I wanted to move to Ottawa and start a career with the federal government. I regarded my decision as the right choice for me, as Canada's federal government provided me with several challenging and exciting opportunities. I saw great value in using my training to serve Canada and Canadians. This thinking has been unwavering on my part.
I moved to Ottawa in May of 1987 to begin my career as a federal public servant. I soon realized that my objective was to become a leader and executive in the public service, so I enrolled in the master of arts program in policy and administration at Carleton University. Not only did I learn the fundamental concepts and practices that would form the basis of my training, but I also gained practical work experience in the co-op program. The combination of theory and practice was ideal, and I consider this training pivotal to success in my career.
As you've likely learned from my résumé, I worked in a number of federal departments prior to joining the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists in 2004. These include Industry Canada, the Office of the Auditor General, Revenue Canada Customs, Employment and Immigration, and Energy, Mines and Resources. I have performed a variety of functions at both the officer and executive levels and have gained significant experience in operations, policy, program management, and human resources. Each of these experiences has provided me with important knowledge, abilities, and experience, which has served me well in my executive function and in my role as interim commissioner of lobbying.
Since joining this office, I have gained an in-depth knowledge of the Lobbying Act, the lobbyist code of conduct, and managing the institution responsible for this important legislation. It is my view that the Lobbying Act and the role of the commissioner is to support the integrity of government decision-making by ensuring that those who are active in lobbying the federal government are behaving in an ethical and transparent manner.
Some of the key developments that I have been involved with have strengthened the integrity of the office. I have created or improved the building blocks necessary for effective lobby legislation including the Lobbyists Registration System, education and outreach function, and supporting effective compliance.
The registry is the primary tool used by this office to maintain transparency in lobbying activities conducted at the federal level. Prior to assuming the role of director of investigations I was primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the registry and for ensuring that lobbyists were provided with efficient service to register and report on their activities. It was also necessary to ensure that lobbyists complied with both the act and its spirit in order to provide Canadians with the most reliable information.
The amendments that came into force in 2005 and in 2008 required lobbyists to disclose either additional or different information. I was involved in these implementation strategies and preparing development updates to incorporate the new legislative and registration requirements.
Regarding education and research, I believe it is important to educate people regarding the act and its requirements rather than rely exclusively on enforcement measures to achieve compliance. In this respect, I have developed a number of interpretation bulletins or advisory opinions to ensure that those subject to the act are clear about their obligations. Although these documents are not legally binding, they provide lobbyists and others interested in lobbying legislation information on how the commissioner intends to implement the act.
I have developed and delivered several training sessions and made presentations to lobbyists, public office holders, parliamentarians, and others interested in the federal lobbying regime. I have represented the office in both national and international forums to explain lobbying legislation and how it is administered.
Although education is important, maintaining an effective compliance system cannot be understated. As such, I have been involved with developing, implementing and ensuring that the necessary enforcement approaches and processes were in place in order to be consistent with the requirements of the act. Such processes have included conduct of administrative reviews and investigations, submitting initial investigative reports to Parliament, verifying monthly communication returns, and assessing applications to the five-year lobbying prohibition.
I have been a key player in establishing the office's overall governance structure. I know it well and I have worked to ensure that it has the necessary resources to effectively carry out the responsibilities bestowed upon it by Parliament. In this respect, I have laid much of the groundwork with respect to the office's human resources policy, establishing financial controls and creating the administrative systems necessary to carry out our regular reporting and monitoring functions.
Members of the committee, this is what I have done. This is the past. Now let me speak to you about how I understand our priorities and challenges for administering the act and managing the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying.
The registry is our bread and butter. It is the office's primary tool for ensuring transparency in lobbying activities. Therefore, it will be important to continue improving its functionalities in order to make it more user-friendly and also technically capable of supporting the increasing demands being made on it.
Despite all of our efforts in the areas of education and outreach, there is still much more that can be done to ensure that lobbyists, public office holders with whom they communicate, and others interested in lobbying activities better understand the rationale and the requirements of the act.
It will be important to finalize and implement our communication strategy and develop the necessary tools and products to maximize our outreach efforts aimed at our various audiences. This will assist registrants to better understand the reporting requirements and reduce their difficulties when reporting their lobbying activities with our office.
I regard it as one of my principal responsibilities to reach out to parliamentarians, public servants, and indeed the public about this legislation and to demystify lobbying activities. Lobbying is a legitimate and democratic activity that should not be diminished by misunderstanding.
With respect to compliance, one of my key priorities will be to review and refine our case management of new and outstanding compliance files in order to be more efficient in administering the act. I will also respect new guidance by the Federal Court of Appeal regarding the application of the conflict of interest provisions of the lobbyists code of conduct. Similarly, I believe it will be a core responsibility to provide lobbyists with additional guidance on other rules contained in the code in order to enlighten potential areas of breach for purposes of clarity.
In closing, let me emphasize that I have found performing in the role of interim commissioner to be exciting and challenging. My goal has been to implement and administer the Lobbying Act in a way that builds the confidence of parliamentarians and Canadians by working always to ensure transparency and integrity in government decision-making through a well-functioning and independent office of Parliament.
Should the committee and Parliament decide to entrust me with the distinct honour of being Canada's first Commissioner of Lobbying, I can assure you that I will continue to work hard to earn your trust and to make certain that this office continues to offer professional and loyal service to Parliament and Canadians.
Thank you.
I am now pleased to take your questions.
