Statutory responsibilities under the Lobbyists Registration Act

In the spring of 2014 the legislature passed the Lobbyists Registration Act. The purpose of the Act is to recognize that free and open access to government is an important matter of public interest, lobbying public office holders is a legitimate activity when appropriately conducted, it is desirable that public office holders and the public be able to know who is attempting to influence government and a system for registering paid lobbyist should not impede access to government.

The Act requires consultant lobbyists and in-house lobbyists to submit returns to the Registrar of Lobbyists. Under the Act, the Ombud is the Registrar of Lobbyists. He is required to create and maintain a registry of lobbyists and make it available for public inspection, including electronically through the Internet.

This act had not yet been proclaimed. The Ombud’s office is working on creating the registry and the forms that will assist in compiling the appropriate information.
 
If you have questions, please contact our Office at 1-888-465-1100 for more information.