Prime Minister nominates new federal Lobbying Commissioner

Published on: November 30, 2017

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced the nomination of Nancy Bélanger as the next Commissioner of Lobbying.

Ms. Bélanger currently serves as Deputy Commissioner, Legal Services and Public Affairs, with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada. Her legal career with the federal Public Service spans more than two decades, including six years as General Counsel for the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. In the past decade, she has served in the offices of two Agents of Parliament. In 2007, she joined the senior management team as General Counsel at the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. In July 2013, she became General Counsel and Director of Legal Services for the Office of the Information Commissioner, a position she held until August 2017 when she became Deputy Commissioner, Legal Services and Public Affairs.

Ms. Bélanger’s nomination will need to be approved by both the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada. She is being nominated for a term of seven years.

GRIC has had a productive working relationship with Commissioner Karen Shepherd over the years, which we have greatly appreciated. We look forward to pursuing the same with Ms. Bélanger following approval of her nomination by Parliament.

We will continue to keep GRIC members updated as the nomination process unfolds.