Gallant government guarantees lobbyist registry by 2018

The Gallant government is now guaranteeing that a public lobbyist registry will be in place before the end of the Liberal mandate in 2018.

Cabinet minister Donald Arseneault made the promise during the weekly CBC political panel.

"I can guarantee you the Gallant government will proclaim that actand will put things in motion to see that happen in this mandate," he said.

"We have dedicated dollars to develop the IT system around itand we're currently working on the regulations as well."

The previous Progressive Conservative government of David Alward passed a law to set up a registry in 2014 but did not proclaim, or give legal force, to the statute before losing the election later that year.

Arseneault says the Tories didn't draft any of the regulations that would need to be in place before the registry could operate.

But Progressive Conservative MLA Brian Macdonald pointed out the Liberals have been in power for a year and a half.

"Here we are, quite a few months away from when that happened, and it hasn't happened," he said.

The law will require people who seek to influence government decisions to register publicly and to disclose who they represent and who in the government they are meeting with. Similar registries exist at the federal level and in most provinces.

In November 2014, not long after taking power, Premier Brian Gallant said he wanted to know what was holding up the registry.

Arseneault said Thursday the Liberals discovered that "There were no regulations, no IT development in the system. There's a lot more work that needs to be done other than just proclaiming the legislation."

But People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin didn't buy that explanation.

"The government would make this look like creating a lobbyist registry is like trying to put a man on the moon," he said.

Arseneault didn't say why the province couldn't simply adopt a system and a set of regulations already in use in another province.

Lack of registry in the spotlight

The lack of a registry was back in the spotlight this week after CBC News reported on meetings between Arseneault and representatives of TransCanada, the company seeking approval to build the Energy East pipeline.

One of the company officials was Maurice Robichaud, a former Liberal insider who organizes TransCanada's community outreach meetings.

He and Arseneault both say several meetings in 2015 were not attempts to influence policy and so were not lobbying.

The other was former Liberal executive member Justin Robichaud, who is listed in the federal registry as a lobbyist for TransCanada.

He was with Arseneault last summer at Larry's Gulch, the government-owned salmon lodge.

Arseneault saidthat gathering wasn't lobbying either, but was set up to allow several resource companies to hear the views of First Nations representatives.

"I'm trying to bring everyone together for the benefit of these good positive projects for the province of New Brunswick," Arseneault said.

Cardy: Publicin the dark

NDP Leader Dominic Cardy said that may be true, but the lack of transparency about who meets with ministers leaves the public in the dark.

"Some of that positivity is being diluted by the fact that you don't have a lobbyist registry so you're going to be subject to accusations. How are you supposed to be able to tell where that line is drawn?" Cardy said.

Green Party Leader David Coon saidgiven it took Nova Scotia 18 months from passing its law from putting its registry in place, "It should be a slam dunk to have this up and running by the fall."

But Arseneault would not be pinned down on a date, other than saying it will be before the next election.

The Liberal government of Shawn Graham first promised a lobbyist registry in 2007, but did not introduce legislation to create one. The PC opposition introduced one, but it never came to a final vote.

Alward's PC government also promised a registry and introduced a bill in 2011, only to put it on hold eight days later citing "some issue with the technology."

The PC bill was reintroduced in November 2013 and was passed in May 2014, in the final days of the last legislature session before the election campaign. It has been on the books since then.