Doctors, teachers and bankers were the most active lobbyists in Ottawa in September, federal records show.

Almost 3,700 lobbying communications were reported last month on behalf of over 1,000 organizations. Seven of the groups reported 20 communications or more.

Topping the list was the Canadian Medical Association (CMA), whose in-house and consultant lobbyists reported a total of 35 contacts with federal officials.

CMA president Dr. Bolu Ogunyemi told the IJF in an interview his group wants to ensure that health remains a priority for federal lawmakers.

“You can’t have a strong economy without healthy Canadians,” he said.

He pointed to a range of proposed laws the CMA is interested in, including the First Nations Clean Water Act and the Senate’s Connected Care for Canadians Act.

In particular, he identified the social media safety bill proposed in June as a priority, pointing to both research and his own personal experience suggesting social media use can be linked to increased rates of anxiety, depression and suicidal ideation among Canadian youth.

CMA lobbying reports indicate another one of the organization’s concerns is patient privacy.

In June, the government tabled Bill C-36, the Protecting Privacy and Consumer Data Act, to update federal privacy laws for the digital age.

“With AI playing a larger role in life in general and in healthcare delivery, including in virtual health, in medical records, and automated decision making systems, I think we're going to need to make sure our guidelines and privacy can keep up,” Ogunyemi said.

He called for stronger guardrails in privacy and social media safety laws, especially regarding youth, and emphasized any laws must include consequences and accountability for violations.

The second-most active lobbyist last month, the B.C. Teachers’ Federation (BCTF), lobbied 34 times according to reports — one fewer than the CMA.

Those communications focused on Bill C-39, a proposed omnibus bill called the Building Canada Strong Act, which promises to speed up approvals for major projects. The BCTF’s concerns are with a specific part of the bill dealing with labour laws.

BCTF president Carole Gordon told the IJF in an interview that her group sent letters to every B.C. MP to push back on Labour Code amendments in the bill that could limit the ability of federally regulated workers to strike.

The amendment to the law could give a single minister the power to unilaterally end a strike without debate, she said, which “changes the power dynamic at a bargaining table.”

When employers “know that they can count on the government to bail the company out during a strike, it can impact how those employers will come to the table with their offers,” Gordon said.

While teachers are a provincially regulated profession and would not be directly affected by the change, Gordon said BCTF is voicing its opposition in solidarity with federal workers.

She also said there’s a concern that if the federal government makes the changes, “governments across the country, the provincial governments, can take and will take their lead.”

“There is a desire, in many places, to curtail the powers that workers have,” Gordon said.

The Canadian Labour Congress, which says it represents 3.3 million workers across dozens of national and international unions in Canada, also criticized the move in an Oct. 8 statement.

The Canadian Bankers Association reported 30 communications in September, most regarding consultation on the federal budget.

ControlAI, a U.K. based organization focused on AI risk, reported 25 contacts, all of them about “artificial superintelligence, loss of control and other risks posed by artificial intelligence systems.”

ControlAI’s Canadian campaign has gotten support from former and current Liberal, Conservative and Bloc Quebecois MPs — including former cabinet minister Stephen Guilbeault — as well as affiliated and independent Senators.

ControlAI’s Canadian representative Samuel Buteau said he has “briefed over 100 Canadian lawmakers about the risk from superintelligence and the need to prohibit the development of superintelligence internationally.”

“Canada should enact legislation that prohibits the development of superintelligence, while backing all valid AI applications. Internationally, Canada should lead the effort to halt that race to superintelligence," Buteau’s statement said.

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