The House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics met to study the statutory review of the Lobbying Act. The sole witness was Dylan Hanley, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs for the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA).
Dylan Hanley testified that CIJA’s core concern is not any single provision of the Lobbying Act, but whether Parliament’s intent is being overridden by administrative interpretations from the Commissioner of Lobbying. He identified two specific areas: sponsored travel for parliamentarians and parliamentary internship programs. On sponsored travel, he argued that Parliament permitted it under section 15 of the conflict of interest code, but the Commissioner’s interpretation effectively nullifies that exemption by classifying it as a gift subject to a $200 limit, resulting in only 15 MPs participating in 2025, the lowest in 15 years. On internships, he noted that CIJA suspended its multipartisan parliamentary internship program in 2018 after the Commissioner ruled that providing paid interns to MPs free of charge constitutes a gift, despite the House of Commons concurring with a 2022 committee report recommending interns be excluded from the definition of benefit. Hanley urged the committee to restore alignment between Parliament’s will and regulatory practice, recommending that sponsored travel remain permitted with full public disclosure and that a clear exemption for sponsored interns be created, also with public disclosure. He disagreed with the Commissioner’s view that sponsored travel creates an expectation of obligation, arguing the trips are structured, non-partisan and educational.
During questions, Hanley told Conservative MP Michael Barrett that the previous disclosure requirements for sponsored travel were robust and that the Commissioner’s concerns about a transparency gap represent a “solution in search of a problem.” He told Liberal MP Linda Lapointe that CIJA supports the Canada community security program and Bill C-9 to protect Jewish communities, and that he opposes a recommendation to deem board members as employees for lobbying purposes, as it would deter volunteers. To Bloc Québécois MP Xavier Barsalou-Duval, he said he had no specific position on requiring the Commissioner to disclose ongoing investigations, noting a balance is needed to avoid weaponizing the complaints process. To Liberal MP Fares Al Soud, he warned that stringent registration regulations would have a chilling effect on community organizations and civil society. To Liberal MP Bardish Chagger, he said the current 10-day filing deadline is reasonable and that CIJA follows all rules stringently.
Following the witness’s departure, the committee debated a motion by Xavier Barsalou-Duval to study links between the Liberal Party of Canada and the Canada Truck Operators Association. After a procedural motion to adjourn debate was defeated, the committee adopted an amendment to the motion replacing “Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner” with “appropriate officials from the Privy Council Office,” and then adopted the motion as amended.
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