WATCH: The B.C. government has introduced legislation that would restrict lobbying efforts by former politicians and their employees.
The province is tightening the rules around political lobbying.
On Monday, the NDP announced a bill that bans former senior office holders and their senior staff from lobbying the government for two years after leaving their position.
The province also says the bill is part of a broader review and that more changes could come in the year ahead.
“We felt it was particularly urgent in terms of public confidence to address what many saw as a revolving door between senior government roles and the lobbying industry in British Columbia,” said Chris Eby, B.C.’s attorney general. “We felt that we needed to act to address that urgently to close that loophole.”
The Green Party says it supports the new measure and would like to see more in the future.
“I think it’s important that when a lobbyist is talking and communicating with a decision maker, that we know when they are, what they’re talking about, how many times they’re talking about them, and so these are things that I think we can be looking at and advancing in the coming weeks and months,” said Adam Olsen, B.C. Green caucus spokesperson for trust in government.
The bill also includes a possibility for an exemption to the two-year period if it is deemed to be in the public interest.
Penalties under the Lobbyists Registration Act remain the same.
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