ETHI meeting 45 · 2026-06-04 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI) met on June 4, 2026, to continue its statutory review of the Lobbying Act, hearing from Brian Gear, Executive Director, and Peter Ross, Director, both from the Policy, Planning and Performance division of the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS).

Brian Gear stated that the Lobbying Act is a robust framework, but that technological and societal changes since 2008 warrant consideration of updates, particularly regarding the distinction between in-house and consultant lobbyists. He emphasized that any changes must balance increased transparency with the administrative burden on lobbyists, including small businesses and non-profits, and that the TBS is analyzing the Commissioner of Lobbying’s recommendations but has paused its own regulatory review pending the committee’s report. He noted that the TBS has not received a request from the Commissioner for regulatory changes in the past eight years, and that decisions on her budget and requests for independent regulation-making authority or immunity are policy matters for the government.

Peter Ross added that when considering reforms, it is crucial to account for how the law applies to diverse groups, from professional consultant lobbyists to small businesses and volunteer-run organizations, to avoid creating unintended barriers to public policy engagement. He pointed out that even leading jurisdictions like British Columbia include exceptions for small organizations, such as those with fewer than six employees.

The committee then debated a motion to undertake a study of the Privacy Act, with an amendment to limit the study to no more than six meetings, and a subamendment to set the limit at eight meetings. Following discussion, the committee also considered and debated a motion to invite the President of the Treasury Board and TBS officials to appear for one hour each as part of the Lobbying Act review, and a separate motion to study a $200-million agreement between the Department of National Defence and Maritime Launch Services, which was introduced but not voted on.

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Witnesses · 2

Brian Gear

Executive Director, Policy, Planning and Performance, Priorities and Planning Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair. It is a pleasure for me and my colleague Peter Ross to join the committee to contribute to the review of the Lobbying Act. The Treasury Board Secretariat has been closely monitoring the committee's important and timely work. We welcome the different perspectives and recommendations on the Lobbying Act that have been shared with the committee by the Commissioner of Lobbying, her provincial counterparts, expert witnesses, and stakeholders from the private sector and civil society. I would like to begin by speaking to the mandate of the President of the Treasury Board and the Treasury Board Secretariat. As members know, the President of the Treasury Board is the minister responsible for the Lobbying Act. That means the president is responsible for bringing forward any amendments to the act or its regulations on behalf of the government. The Treasury Board Secretariat supports the president in fulfilling these responsibilities. This includes providing policy analysis and advice on any recommendations to update the act. The TBS is not responsible for the day-to-day administration of the Lobbying Act or for providing expert guidance on the act. The…

Full testimony ↗

Peter Ross

Director, Policy, Planning and Liaison, Priorities and Planning Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat

Opening remarks

In terms of not impeding things, it's really important that we take into account how the law can apply to different groups. Yes, we want to make sure there's transparency, but at the same time, it's really important that we take into account that it can apply to many different types of organizations. You have the consultant lobbyists who are professional and full-time, but it can also apply to major corporations with in-house lobbyists, or it can apply to small businesses or not-for-profit organizations, like sporting organizations and such. All those need to be taken into account, along with thinking about the appropriate balance between accessibility and transparency and the burden that is puts on organizations.