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Dalton McGuinty's new gig raises questions about lobbying rules

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Dalton McGuinty’s new job is causing a stir on both social and traditional media.

According to the Canadian Press, the former Ontario premier has registered as a lobbyist for Desire2Learn, a company that produces educational software. He will now, presumably, lobby his former colleagues and underlings on behalf of his new employer.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Ontario Liberals defended McGuinty’s new ‘career path.’

"Treasury Board President Deb Matthews says McGuinty waited 18 months after leaving the premier’s office to become a registered lobbyist, when the rules state he only had to wait 12 months," notes the CP report.

"She says what’s important is the principle of transparency, and as long as people know McGuinty is a lobbyist, his transactions with government will get the appropriate scrutiny."

Matthews is right in Ontario, politicians including the premier are prohibited from lobbying for “contracts or benefits” for themselves or others for one year after they leave politics.

Clearly McGuinty isn’t breaking any rules.

And certainly there are other politicians who have joined the sometimes lucrative lobbying industry.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Don Boudria, for example, is a lobbyist working for Hill & Knowlten Strategies while former Conservative cabinet minister Chuck Strahl’s consulting company had registered as a lobbyist in British Columbia for Enbridge Inc.

[ Related: Is Dalton McGuinty redeemed? ]

But there are unique concerns about McGuinty’s new job and lobbying rules in Ontario.

NewsTalk 1010 host Ryan Doyle says it has a “stinky” and “slimy” feel to it.

"When you talk about former premiers and prime ministers, it’s highly unethical for them to go into the lobbying business. It looks weird, they are now going to be sitting in the room with former people that served underneath them. Imagine how that meeting is going to go," he said on the Sun News Network.

"I think the rules themselves need to be looked at. Maybe we say it’s got to be a five year (bar). Then you’re not sitting with [your former] colleagues."

What Doyle is proposing is the current law in Ottawa: Federally, any public office holder (ie: an elected politician, senator, parliamentary staffer etc..) is prohibited from carrying on federal lobbying activities for a period of five years.

Then, when they do, their activities are recorded in the registry of lobbyists.

[ Related: Dalton McGuinty, ex-Ontario premier, registers as government lobbyist ]

One observer, however says that whether it’s one year or five years it doesn’t make a difference unless governments close the many loopholes that exist.

"Essentially, it is legal for a former Prime Minister, premier or cabinet minister to lobby the government the day after they leave office," Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch told Yahoo Canada News.

"Right now it is legal across Canada to lobby in secret without registering and disclosing your lobbying. All you have to do is lobby for free while charging your clients only for the strategic advice you give them."

Conacher says that he’d like to stricter rules and steep fines for politicians who break the law “to stop this unethical and undemocratic revolving door.”

"The laws across the country should prohibit former senior politicians, senior government officials, senior cabinet appointees and senior political staff from communicating with any government politician, government official, opposition politician or political staff person for 5 years concerning the decisions that they make," he said.

What do you think? Are you uncomfortable with any ex premier or prime minister lobbying his or her former colleagues?

Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

(Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press)

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