Organizations in British Columbia will benefit from simplified reporting requirements when lobbying government.

Amendments to the Lobbyists Transparency Act (LTA), passed in April 2024, will officially come into force on May 27, 2025. The changes were informed by concerns from smaller organizations, such as non-profits, about the administrative burden they bear when complying with the act’s reporting requirements. These amendments will apply to all organizations covered by the act.

The LTA requires individuals and organizations that engage in lobbying activities and meet specific criteria to register their efforts in an online public registry, ensuring citizens can see who is attempting to influence government decisions. The changes to the act are not intended to curb transparency, but to make compliance more manageable.

The amendments remove the requirement to report funding requested from a government body, reduce the reporting frequency for funding received from monthly to every three months, and clarify reporting requirements for organizations that lobby as part of an informal group.

These changes were designed to help smaller organizations more easily comply with the law and express their views, needs and concerns through open lines of communication with government.

Separately, a parliamentary committee must undertake a review of the act every five years and submit a report with recommendations for future reform within one year of beginning its review. A committee is expected to be appointed for this purpose in the coming weeks. Information about the work of this committee and potential opportunities to engage in its work will be available on the legislative assembly’s website following its appointment and initial meetings.

Learn More:

To learn more about the online lobbyists registry, visit: https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/

To learn more about parliamentary committees, visit: https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees