Lobbying czar calls for federal investment after 10 years of stagnant funding
OTTAWA — Canada’s lobbying czar says she needs more funding to meet the growing demands of her office and to properly modernize the country’s lobbyist registry.
The federal lobbying commissioner’s office has not received an increase to its annual budget of $4.5 million since it was first created 10 years ago.
Commissioner Nancy Belanger said she believes more must be done to increase education and outreach efforts to ensure all lobbyists and public office holders understand lobbying rules and to maintain a high level of transparency for the public — but she needs more money to do it.
“We will not be able to sustain the level of demands on our staff right now and (on) the registry,” Belanger said in an interview.