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Bill 2 – Lobbyists Amendment Act, 2009

Ms Blakeman: Thanks very much, Mr. Speaker. I’m pleased to be able to rise and address a few brief remarks around second reading of Bill 2, the Lobbyists Amendment Act, 2009. This is a really important bill for this Assembly but also for citizens. I’m going to keep my remarks brief because I’m more interested in participating in the debate in Committee of the Whole.

As to the principle of the bill that we have in front of us, there are a number of things that I support in the bill. One of those is adding the agencies, boards, and committees, those individuals that are appointed by the government to an agency or a board or a committee or a council, that they would also fall under the auspices of this act, and that all parts of it would then apply to them. So if someone is lobbying somebody on the northern development council, for example, that’s going to count.

I think that’s important because what we’ve seen from this government over a long period of time is an increased reliance on what used to be called delegated administrative organizations. That’s certainly a preferred method of operation that this government has engaged in, where they set up an arm’s-length, or supposedly arm’s-length, agency which is to deliver the service. But it is still delivering a government service. It still is attached to government, and ultimately government and the minister are responsible for it. I think we need to be clear that when you’re lobbying one of those organizations or an individual connected to it, you are involved in a lobbying activity.

I also am pleased to see the clarifications around “persons associated with.” I’m aware that part of that is flowing from the amendment that I had proposed during the original debate of this act. My concern there was that we had to understand that we were in a new millennium, that we have a number of – I can see this debate is going to be longer today than I anticipated. There are a number of those that seem to be very eager to join in the debate, which would include the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Member for Peace River, who seem to be very keen to get in on the debate. I’ll be looking forward to their erudite comments.

The persons associated. My concern is that we understand that it would be, I would argue, more common than not common to have people that are sharing a household or are spouses that are each engaged in their own professional careers, and to say that because one of them is associated – and I’ll put that in quotations – with the other, who may be engaged in a lobbying effort, they get captured in that is just not realistic in this day and age. We have to be very careful about how we designate those associations and who we capture under that net. That’s why I made the original argument. In test driving the act, there have been some difficulties that have been encountered around what we ended up with, so we’re seeing a section here that is clarifying that particular part, which is good. I’m glad to see it. We’re moving ahead on that.

There’s been a clarification around the reports so that if there was to be an investigation, the registrar, one, is to prepare a report; two, there was an expansion of what was to be in the report and that, in fact, that report would be submitted to the Ethics Commissioner, who then submits it in care of the Speaker to the Legislative Assembly. Perfectly appropriate.

I’m also glad to see that the disclosure of personal information section, which was the old section 18, has been eliminated. I think we have to be very careful, when we are collecting, using, or disclosing personal information, that there is consent that is attached to that. So if the disclosure has been removed from the act, fine. If it’s turned up in a different place, which is possible – I haven’t gone looking for it – I think we need to be careful with that.

I’m pleased to see what has been done with the act. I know my colleagues have brought forward their concerns and some of the things they were pleased to see. I’m looking forward to expanded debate in Committee of the Whole.

Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker.