Registering the Lobbyists: Lessons from Canada

Abstract

Professional lobbying has been a growth area in recent years in countries like Britain and Canada. One reaction has been calls for the registration of lobbyists, but few countries have experience of registration. The longest and most extensive experience is found in the United States, but systemic differences mean that little attention has been paid in parliamentary systems to that experience. Concern about the hidden world of the professional lobbyist rather than evidence of significant abuse led to calls for the registration of lobbyists. Canada introduced registration in 1989 and a British proposal currently lies on the table. Canadian experience provides an opportunity to examine registration within a parliamentary context and to consider the merits of the proposed British scheme.