TORONTO, Oct. 18 /CNW/ - The government's new Accountability Act covering lobbyists could hobble smaller interest groups, including medical research advocates and charities, in their ability to make their case to government, Canada's top public affairs professional association fears. In a presentation to a Senate Committee, Elaine Flis, President of the Public Affairs Association of Canada (PAAC), warned that new and onerous rules on lobbying may not be affordable to smaller interests.

"The Act should spell out rules that apply equally to corporations, NGOs, charities and unions, but which will not have the effect of curtailing advocacy on behalf of the latter organizations," Flis told the Committee on Wednesday. "

Requirements which larger companies can afford and small organizations cannot unfairly punish the smaller." Making democracy work PAAC speaks for those working in areas of public affairs, corporate social responsibility, corporate communications and regulatory compliance, as well as government relations - which is commonly called lobbying. Lobbyists help groups make their case to government. "

Government can be so complex as to frustrate attempts by many of these groups to be heard," Flis said, which is why non-governmental organizations (NGOs) unions, charities and other less-well-funded organizations need their services.

"Government relations professionals help make democracy work as it should."

News headlines in recent years caused many to think of lobbyists as people who press the interests of big business upon the government. This is the reason the Harper government campaigned in part on a promise to "crack down" on them. Yet most public affairs professionals are scrupulously ethical, and PAAC has its own code of conduct, written into its Statement of Ethical Principles, designed to encourage best practices.

Now PAAC fears that the Accountability Act, in its haste to crack down on those newsworthy few who broke the rules, could hurt smaller interests which also need to be heard by government. Must avoid 'collateral damage' Flis told the Committee that PAAC supports the spirit of the Accountability Act.

"We understand that it addresses the same spirit of ethics and accountability which we have long supported in our industry and written into our own ethical code," she said. "We would like to see it fine-tuned so as to hit the right targets, and not cause collateral damage."

<< Other suggestions Flis made to the Committee: - Contravention of the Lobbyists Code of Conduct should be an offence; - Obstructing the Commissioner of Lobbying should be an offence; - Contravening a prohibition imposed by the Commissioner should be an offence. >>

Those changes would amount to a true crackdown on bad practices, but PAAC professionals can live with them. "True, a very few lobbyists have done unethical things and hit the headlines as a result. But ethical lobbyists help citizens and interest groups make their case in a democratic fashion," said Flis. "Let us not pinch off such necessary government relations in our haste to get at the rare bad actors in the business."

The Public Affairs Association of Canada is a non-profit professional organization representing a broad range of public affairs professionals from the private and public sectors. Their Statement of Ethical Principles can be found on their web site at:

http://www.publicaffairs.ca/whoweare/ethics.shtml << The Public Affairs Association of Canada 100 Adelaide Street West, Suite 705, Toronto, Ontario, M5H 1S3 T: 416-367-2223 / F: 416-367-3778 / E: info@publicaffairs.ca / www.publicaffairs.ca >>

For further information: Elaine Flis, President, Public Affairs Association of Canada, (416) 258-2264