N.S. lobbyist watchdog questions Chrétien
Former prime minister Jean Chrétien did not comment on his response to the registrar's office. Registrar sends letter to former prime minister after citizen complaint
HALIFAX— A Nova Scotia official has sent a letter to Jean Chrétien asking him whether he lobbied the premier regarding a container port proposal in Cape Breton — but there’s no requirement the former prime minister even reply.
Hayley Clarke, the province’s registrar of lobbyists, said in an interview Thursday she sent the letter to Chrétien’s Ottawa office at the beginning of the month, after receiving a complaint from a citizen about the meeting. However, Clarke says she can only provide Chrétien with information about how Nova Scotia’s Lobbyists Registration Act works, and has no legal authority to push the matter much further.
“We’ve advised him we’ve received a complaint. We’ve provided some information about our act and asked him to follow up,” she said. There’s a request he answer by the end of this month, but it’s not a binding requirement, she said.
The law does stipulate a fine of not more than $25,000 for a first offence for anyone who lobbies without registering first, but — unlike Ontario — Nova Scotia’s legislation doesn’t provide the registrar with investigative powers to determine if unregistered lobbying occurred. Ultimately, it’s up to police to investigate illegal lobbying as a criminal matter, said Clarke.
The issue of Chrétien’s activities in the province arose on March 21, after he met with Liberal Premier Stephen McNeil and Transport Minister Geoff MacLellan. McNeil has repeatedly denied that any lobbying took place during the hour-long meeting, held at Chrétien’s request in the premier’s office.
The day before the Halifax meeting, Chrétien had attended a conference in Sydney in his capacity as a paid international adviser to Sydney Harbour Investment Partners, which has been looking for international investors for its project. When asked if the province should invest in the project, he replied, “I hope so.” Chrétien did not respond to requests for comment on his response to the letter from the registrar’s office.
John McCracken, the retired union activist who launched the complaint, said in an email that he will await the results of Chretien’s response to the letter before deciding to ask for a criminal investigation.