In Canada, the first thing the Conservatives did upon getting elected was to set up the lobbyist registry. The thinking here is that a little sunlight on the on lobbyists — who they are, who they work for, who they used to work for — and their relationship with politicians will go a long way to making sure that the public interest is never betrayed by either a lobbyist or a politician wants to engage in some mutual back-scratching. The Conservatives eventually required lobbyists to file “monthly communication reports”, which lists any meeting a registered lobbyist or a registered organization has with a minister, his or her senior political staff or other so-called designated public office holders.
So, for example, we are able to know that, on June 29, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz met with a representative of the registered lobbyist organization the Grain Growers of Canada. (Ritz and the GGC would both like to dismantle the monopsony of the Canadian Wheat Board). Reporters check these databases from time to time and notice trends or certain meetings which might spur further questions. Sunlight. A wonderful thing.
In the United Kingdom today, Prime Minister David Cameron announced a new type of registry today, a response to the growing phone hacking scandal that is not only threatening News Corp. but also Cameron's Conservative-led coalition government. Here's what he said:
I will be consulting the Cabinet Secretary on an amendment to the Ministerial Code to require Ministers to record all meetings with newspaper and other media proprietors, senior editors and executives – regardless of the nature of the meeting.
Permanent Secretaries and Special Advisers will also be required to record such meetings.
And this information should be published quarterly.
It is a first for our country, and alongside the other steps we are taking, will help make the UK government one of the most transparent in the world.
Cameron is doing this, presumably, because one of the issues that has emerged out of the phone hacking scandal is that politicians and the British press have had, in many instances, too cozy a relationship. Cameron believes a little sunlight on that relationship will be a good thing. (Question for my UK readers: Does the UK government required lobbyists to be registered and report monthly communications?)
In Canada, I should note, media organizations can be greated like ordinary, everyday lobbyists and must disclose their meetings if a media owner or proprietor wishes to meet with a minister for some reason other than the regular newsgathering/journalism process. Quebecor, the parent of Sun Media, is registered to lobby and you can review Quebecor's disclosure of meetings with “designated public office holders” to see what our executives have been up to.