On Wednesday, September 22 from 2:00 to 3:00 PM EST, join the Federal, Ontario and City of Toronto Lobbying Commissioners for a panel discussion on the latest compliance, registration and regulatory developments for public affairs professionals.
What are the latest regulatory developments you should be aware of as a public affairs professional? Our upcoming Public Affairs Association of Canada (PAAC) Ontario Chapter webinar is an opportunity for you to ask questions and hear from the Toronto, Ontario, and Federal lobbying commissioners on relevant regulatory lobbying matters. The Lobby Commissioners will also be providing an annual update at this PAAC Ontario webinar.
Questions? If there are questions that you would like asked of the commissioners during the webinar, please e-mail Alex Greco (agreco89@gmail.com).
Panelists:
Nancy Bélanger, Federal Lobbying Commissioner
Nancy Bélanger was appointed by both houses of Parliament under the Lobbying Act (the Act) as Commissioner of Lobbying on December 30, 2017, for a seven-year term.
As an independent Agent of Parliament, Commissioner Bélanger is responsible for administering and enforcing the Act. The Commissioner's mandate is to maintain a registry of lobbyists to increase the transparency of lobbying activities, foster greater awareness of the Act through education and outreach, and enforce compliance with the Act and the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct.
Nancy Bélanger holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Master of Laws from the University of Ottawa, and is a member in good standing of the Law Society of Upper Canada.
She joined the federal Public Service in 1993 as a Law Clerk with the Federal Court of Canada.
Nancy Bélanger has held positions with the Department of Justice and was Executive Officer to the Chief Justice of the Federal Court. She was also a Senior Legal Advisor with the Immigration and Refugee Board.
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.
Honourable J. David Wake, Ontario Lobbying Commissioner
The Honourable J. David Wake was appointed Integrity Commissioner on February 1,2016 for a five-year term. He was re-appointed by the Legislative Assembly for a second five-year term beginning on February 1, 2021.
Commissioner Wake was previously Associate Chief Justice of the Ontario Court of Justice from 1999 to 2005, after which he returned to presiding duties in Brampton and then in Ottawa. In 2013, Commissioner Wake was appointed Vice-Chair person of the new federal Social Security Tribunal for Employment Insurance, Canada Pension Plan and Old Age Security appeals.
Commissioner Wake was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1974 and practised law in Ottawa for20 years, principally in litigation. He attended McGill University (B.A. 1969),Queen’s University (LL.B. 1972) and articled at Humphrey, Locke, Ecclestone& Kane. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1992. He was co-chair of the Ontario Conference of Judges’ Law Reform/Court Reform Committee. He was an instructor in criminal law for many years at the Bar Admission Course. Among his duties as Associate Chief Justice was the chairmanship of the Ontario Court of Justice Education Secretariat, which oversees and develops educational programs for all judges of the court. He was a member of the Ontario Judicial Council from 1999 to 2005 and executive director of the Canadian Council of Chief Judges from 2004 to 2009.
Commissioner Wake is a co-author of the Annotated Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and a Contributing Writer and Reviewer of Ontario Courtroom Procedure, 2007. He assisted in the planning and development of a national program for newly-appointed judges and has presented at this program since its inception in 2004. He has lectured at seminars and conferences organized for the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of Upper Canada, the Crown Trial Advocacy Program, Seneca College, Queen's University and the University of Ottawa. He has lectured extensively internationally as part of legal assistance projects in the Czech and Slovak Republics, Bosnia, Mexico and Ukraine.
Cristina De Caprio, City of Toronto Lobbyist Registrar
Cristina De Caprio was appointed as Lobbyist Registrar for the City of Toronto in 2016,where she has since been responsible for the City’s lobbyist registry and ethics.
Cristina De Caprio holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Western Ontario(1992) and was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1994. She practised law in the areas of wills, estates and family law.
Ms. De Caprio is an experienced registrar with significant leadership roles in regulatory organizations including the College of Traditional Chinese Medicine Practitioners and Acupuncturists of Ontario, the College of Chiropractors of Ontario and the College of Denturists of Ontario. She is also a frequent public speaker on regulatory issues.
Ms. De Caprio has a variety of leadership experience in the non-profit sector, having led gift planning for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and the Canadian Cancer Society.
Ms. De Caprio enjoys serving her professional and local community and has volunteered with numerous professional associations, charitable organizations and local schools.
Moderator
Alex Greco, President, Public Affairs Association of Canada, Ontario Chapter
Alex Greco is the Director of Manufacturing Policy at Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), Canada’s largest trade and industry association, and the voice of manufacturing and global business in Canada. Alex is the lead on all relevant files related to environment policies and regulations that impacts the competitiveness, investment and growth of manufacturing and exporting in Canada. He is also responsible for government relations activities in Ontario.
Prior to joining CME, Alex was the Public Affairs Manager for GS1 Canada where he secured government partnerships and funding for industry projects, raised the organization’s profile with government and industry stakeholders, advanced a public affairs plan on multiple policy issues, and sat on a number of internal and external committees to advance key organizational objectives.
Before GS1 Canada, Alex was also the Executive Assistant to a Toronto City Councillor where he obtained significant media and public relations experience. Prior to this role, Alex was a Policy Analyst at the Ontario Office of the Official Opposition where he advanced significant research initiatives and developed his communication, policy, and outreach skills. In the spring of 2012, Alex was a Policy Intern for Toronto Election Services and was responsible for preparing a report that analyzed online voting in the City of Toronto and how it could be implemented in future elections.
At present, he is the President of the York Mills Gardens Community Association and a director on the St. Michael’s College Alumni Association Board of Directors. Alex has volunteered on various political campaigns where he has been an advisor to candidates, organized political fundraisers and performed public policy research. Alex has also contributed to various other organizations, including the University of Toronto Alumni Association and the North York Harvest Food Bank.
Alex earned both his Honours Bachelor of Arts (H.B.A) in political science and criminology and Masters of Arts (M.A.) in political science from the University of Toronto. He brings with him valuable government and communication experience built on the responsibility of driving strategy and execution of all public affairs components for key initiatives. Alex can be contacted at alex.greco@cme-mec.ca.
Tickets
Members: No Charge
Non-Members: $20.00
