Parliamentarians: lobbyists or instruments of lobbyists?

• Author: Cherry, Normand

Normand Cherry represents Saint-Laurent in the Quebec National Assembly.

A committee of the Quebec National Assembly is presently considering the registration of lobbyists and the regulation of lobbying. This task inevitably involves questions of definition. Are trade unions lobbies? Are parliamentarians lobbyists or instruments of lobbyists? These issues were discussed at a symposium organized by Le Courier parlementaire in Montreal on May 22, 1997. In this article, based on a presentation at the symposium, the author reflects on some of these questions based on his experience as a trade unionist, a member of the Assembly and a former Minister.

My views are no doubt influenced by my long association with the union movement. I was a Canadair employee for 35 years and President of Local 712 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) from 1969 to 1989. When I was elected to the Quebec Legislature and named to Cabinet in 1989, I found myself on the other side of the fence. This allows me to speak about lobbying from a number of different perspectives.

Strictly speaking, unions are not lobbyists. They are interest groups that do their own lobbying, using their own resources, without intermediaries. When a group of workers, a union or a labour confederation wants to exert pressure on a minister or the government, it must make itself heard from the outside.

I remember many times in my capacity as union representative I tried to influence government policy. For example, when the federal government put Canadair up for sale, it did not ensure that the process was carried out properly. I was called upon on behalf of the employees-and practically on behalf of the company, (which could hardly criticize its sole shareholder) to make representations to the government.

The same thing happened again when the federal government was reluctant to give the F-18 maintenance contract to Canadair (then owned by Bombardier and which was in danger of losing its advantage to Bristol Aerospace Ltd), and again in a matter in which my union's interests were less at stake when I intervened to have the Space Agency located in Montreal.

One each occasion, I asked to meet with my MNA, who was also Premier of Quebec. I asked him to intervene to protect a Quebec industry that happened to be the main industry in his constituency.

When I became Minister of Labour I had to reposition myself, with regard to lobbyists, who had ceased being my...