Once a month, we partner up with LobbyIQ to update our readers on recent movements in the federal lobbying landscape in Ottawa. We provide separate coverage for each channel, defined by the most relevant industries, organizations, institutions, and subject matters.

📊 Key Takeaways — Healthcare, 2026-03

• Overall, lobbying across this channel's industries totalled 117 meetings in March 2026, compared to a 12-month average of 121.5 (-4%). This represents a roughly in line.
• The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY, The Centre for Sexuality.
• The organizations with the most notable decreases include: Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Dental Association.
• The individual most lobbied by Medical professional associations was Shalene Curtis-Micallef at Health Canada (HC).

📰 Real-World Implications — Healthcare, 2026-03

Charity Surge Reflects Policy Momentum on Pharmacare and Drug Access

The dramatic increase in lobbying by health care charities and organizations—especially the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canadian Cancer Society—signals intensive advocacy as the federal government's national pharmacare legislation enters its roll-out phase. These groups are now focused on ensuring broader drug access for cardiovascular, cancer, and chronic illnesses beyond diabetes and contraception, as called for in recent government bills and sector statements.

📎 Heart & Stroke cheers federal government’s historic victory with passage of Canada’s first national pharmacare legislation · Canadian Cancer Society: Advocacy wins improving lives (March 2026) · Canada’s pharmacare bill is now law. What this means for you

Lower Lobbying by Medical Associations Signals Shift to Policy Navigation

The sharp decline in meetings by organizations like the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) likely reflects strategic recalibration as medical groups now respond to provincial reforms (e.g., Alberta’s Bill 11 on 'dual practice') and seek to influence federal implementation of pharmacare, rather than advocating for new policy. These groups are reacting to an evolving legislative environment, focusing more on regulatory response than aggressive proposal-pushing.

📎 Health-Care Advocacy Groups Speak Out Against Alberta’s Bill 11 – March 2026 · ‘No patient care should be affected by their ability to pay’: Canadian Medical Association president

Event-Driven Peaks: Advocacy Reacts to Funding and Coverage Announcements

Spikes in meetings by disease-specific groups (e.g., Heart & Stroke, Canadian Cancer Society) correlate with provincial expansions in cancer screening and new investments in cardiovascular research. This irregular, event-driven lobbying likely aims to capitalize on announcements and budget cycles to push for inclusion in coverage lists and pilot program expansion.

📎 Canadian Cancer Society: Advocacy wins improving lives (March 2026) · News releases - Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

Regulatory Changes Make Lobbying Easier, Raising Transparency and Volume

A reduction in the federal lobbying threshold, effective January 2026, means organizations must now register and disclose lobbying activity after only 8 hours of engagement in 4 weeks. This has driven a measurable increase in declared activity, but also added compliance costs, disproportionately affecting charities and health organizations ramping up advocacy in response to new policy mandates.

📎 Departmental plan 2026–27; | Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada · Canada Charity Law Changes in 2026: What Registered Charities Need to Know

Focus Shifts to Parliament as Advocacy Intensifies on Implementation

Lobby meetings clustered in the House of Commons underscore how federal MPs are now crucial targets for groups wanting to influence national rollouts—especially for inclusion in the pharmacare formulary, cancer screening, and public health funding priorities. The House is a key arena as implementation details are ironed out province by province.

📎 National Pharmacare (Plan NP) - Province of British Columbia · Canada’s pharmacare bill is now law. What this means for you

Section A: Lobbying Activity by Industry

This section compares, by NAICS industry, the lobbying activity in Ottawa last month to its historical average.

Overall, lobbying across this channel's industries totalled 117 meetings in March 2026, compared to a 12-month average of 121.5 (-4%). This represents a roughly in line.

Pharmacies and personal care retailers had no lobbying meetings this month, a stark departure from its 12-month average of 2.8.

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing experienced a notable increase in lobbying activity — 4 meetings vs. a 12-month average of 3.1 (+30%).

Medical professional associations saw a notable decline in lobbying activity — 27 meetings vs. a 12-month average of 42.9 (-37%).

Health care charities and organizations experienced a notable increase in lobbying activity — 63 meetings vs. a 12-month average of 48.4 (+30%).

↳ Compared to the same month in prior years (avg 29.7), this is a significant surge (+112%).

Section B: Lobbying by Industry for the Past Year

To contextualize, we show each industry's lobbying activity over the past 12 months. The combined view from Section A and B shows you whether recent differences are persistent trends or a break from the norm.

Top Industry Residual Trends for 2026-03

Medical professional associations ended March 2026 with a residual of -22.9, well below its expected trend.

↳ Medical professional associations has shown a broadly upward trend in lobbying residuals over the past year.

↳ Medical professional associations displayed high volatility in its lobbying pattern, suggesting irregular or event-driven activity.

↳ Health care charities and organizations has shown a broadly upward trend in lobbying residuals over the past year.

↳ Health care charities and organizations displayed high volatility in its lobbying pattern, suggesting irregular or event-driven activity.

↳ Residential care services displayed high volatility in its lobbying pattern, suggesting irregular or event-driven activity.

Section C: Lobbying Activity by Organization

In this section, we see the organizations with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity.

The organizations with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY, The Centre for Sexuality.

↳ Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada: 15 meetings vs. 4.2 average (+253%).

↳ CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY: 10 meetings vs. 5 average (+100%).

↳ The Centre for Sexuality: 5 meetings vs. 0.8 average (+500%).

The organizations with the most notable decreases include: Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Dental Association.

↳ Canadian Medical Association: 9 meetings vs. 15.8 average (-43%).

↳ Canadian Dental Association: 2 meetings vs. 8 average (-75%).

Section D: Lobbying of Government Institutions in the Past Month

Every time an organization lobbies, there is a government official representing a government institution at the other side of the table. This section shows the industry-institutions pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity. Below that, we show the corresponding organization-institution pairs.

Industries → Government Institutions

Organizations → Government Institutions

Notable industry → institution pairs this month:

↳ Health care charities and o... → House of Commons: 34 meetings (notable increase vs. avg 24.9, +36%).

↳ Medical professional associ... → House of Commons: 11 meetings (significant decline vs. avg 24.3, -55%).

Notable organization → institution pairs this month:

↳ Heart and Stroke Foundation... → House of Commons: 10 meetings (significant surge vs. avg 2.9, +243%).

↳ Canadian Medical Association → House of Commons: 6 meetings (notable decline vs. avg 7.8, -23%).

↳ CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY → House of Commons: 5 meetings (significant surge vs. avg 1.9, +161%).

Section E: Industry and Organization Lobbying by Subject in the Past Month

All lobbying activity is tagged with a "subject matter". This section shows the industry-subject pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month, defined by either unusually high or unusually low lobbying activity, and below it the organization-subject pairs with the most unusual lobbying behavior last month.

Industries → Subjects

Organizations → Subjects

Notable industry → subject pairs this month:

↳ Health care charities and o... → Health: 63 meetings (notable increase vs. avg 46.8, +35%).

↳ Charitable organizations → Health: 62 meetings (significant surge vs. avg 25.8, +141%).

Notable organization → subject pairs this month:

↳ Agnico Eagle Mines Limited → Health: 21 meetings (significant surge vs. avg 10, +110%).

↳ Easter Seals Canada → Health: 17 meetings (significant surge vs. avg 3.6, +374%).

↳ Heart and Stroke Foundation... → Health: 15 meetings (significant surge vs. avg 4.2, +253%).

Section F: Last Month's Most Lobbied Politicians and Civil Servants

This section presents a list of the politicians and civil servants who took the most meetings with key industry players last month.

Most Lobbied Individuals by Sector

Most Lobbied Individuals by Organization

The individual most lobbied by Medical professional associations was Shalene Curtis-Micallef at Health Canada (HC).