Duff ConacherNovember 02, 2011 18:54 EST

The article fails to note that Barry Campbell soon returned to Ottawa as a lobbyist after the 1997 election, as many former MPs do to use their contacts in government to attract clients who pay them to help them gain access to policy-makers through those contacts.

In fact, one of Barry Campbell's lobbying situations was done in summer-fall 1999, around the same time as he was overseeing the organization of a fundraising event for junior Cabinet minister Jim Peterson, an event that raised about $70,000 for Peterson's riding association.

In March 2009, with that situation placed before it in the case Democracy Watch v. Barry Campbell et al, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled that the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct prohibits lobbyists from doing such favours for politicians whose departments they are lobbying. See the case ruling at:
http://decisions.fca-caf.gc.ca/en/2009/2009fca79/2009fca79.html

See background about the situation, and case, at:
http://www.dwatch.ca/camp/RelsNov1209.html