Democracy Watch is alleging that a pro-Israeli Canadian organization violated the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct even though the commissioner of lobbying did not rule against them.A press release from Democracy Watch called Commissioner of Lobbying Nancy Bélanger a "dedicated lapdog" who allowed the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) violate the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct twice in the past year, based on her testimony before the House Ethics Committee earlier in the week.Following questioning by NDP MP Matthew Green on Tuesday, Bélanger revealed the allowance of CIJA’s sponsored travel trip July 16 to 24, 2023 given to six MPs from the new $40 limit on any gift and hospitality (and $200 annual limit) in the new Lobbyists Code that came into effect July 1, 2023. The new limits essentially prohibit lobbyists from giving sponsored travel as a gift to any public office holder.As disclosed in the 2023 annual report on sponsored travel by MPs, the following seven MPs went on the trip with their total costs of $134,255.13 paid by CIJA..Before July 2023, CIJA regularly paid for MPs to go on their sponsored travel trips, including trips that a total of 14 Bloc, Conservative and Liberal MPs went on in January 2023 or March 2023, as listed in the 2023 travel report.Bélanger did not rule against CIJA even though, according to her, the CIJA invited all seven MPs to a lobbying reception on January 30, 2024, which MP Scott Aitchison attended. Bélanger had told CIJA that they were prohibited under the Lobbyists Code from lobbying the MPs for two years after giving them a separate gift trip.Click here to see Bélanger discuss how she has let CIJA violate the Lobbyists’ Code twice from the 12:34:22 mark to 12:37:30 mark of the video of the hearing.Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch, condemned the commissioner's inaction.“In addition to her past rulings that let off lobbyists who clearly violated the lobbying ethics code, Commissioner of Lobbying Bélanger has again confirmed that she is a dedicated lapdog by letting off the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs even though they violated the ethics code twice,” Conacher said.Bélanger confirmed in her testimony that she is reviewing the activities of lobbyists registered under lobbying firm Forecheck Strategies, which has several interconnections with the lobbying firm of Jenni Byrne, who is one of the top advisors to Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre and also advised him during his party leadership campaign.Democracy Watch filed a complaint recently alleging violations of the Lobbyists’ Code by the Forecheck lobbyists who placed Mr. Poilievre in an appearance of a conflict of interest by lobbying his staff and 13 of his Shadow Cabinet ministers.Click here to see Commissioner Bélanger discussing her review of the Forecheck matter from the 12:22:35 mark to the 12:26:25 mark of the video of the hearing and again from the 12:45:10 mark to 12:49:50 mark.Democracy Watch has been campaigning since the MP Code and Senate Code were enacted in 2004/05 for a ban on sponsored travel.“Sponsored travel worth thousands of dollars is, like political donations and loans worth thousands, a form of legalized bribery and it should have been banned long ago,” said Conacher.“Studies conducted by psychologists worldwide have found that even small gifts influence decisions.”In a March 2023 letter to Bélanger, the House Ethics Committee tried to convince her to exempt sponsored travel from the new gift limits in the new Lobbyists’ Code. However, the Committee reversed its position and passed a motion at the end of January calling on the Procedure and House Affairs Committee (PROC) and Board of Internal Economy to work together to delete the exemption in the MP Code that allows for sponsored travel.When PROC reviewed the MP Code in spring 2023 behind closed doors, it ignored the sponsored travel loophole and 9 other loopholes in the Code, as it has in every review of the Code since 2004.Several organizations that try to influence MPs (such as the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Canada) are not required to register as lobbyists because of huge loopholes in the Lobbying Act, and so are not covered by the new gift limits in the Lobbyists’ Code. As a result, the only way to stop potential influence from sponsored travel to MPs is to ban it entirely.Western Standard approached the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the office of the Commissioner for Lobbying for comment but did not hear back before article submission.
