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

• Lobbying activity totalled 158 meetings in July 2026, down from a 12-month average of 176.8.
• The biggest moves were in Medical professional associations and Hospitals.
• Canadian Dental Association, Inclusion Canada were more active than usual.

Section A: The Themes Hidden in July 2026 Data

Expansion of Canada Health Act Spurs Lobbying from Hospitals and Dental Groups

The federal reinterpretation of the Canada Health Act, effective April 2026, extended coverage to services from nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and midwives, amplifying lobbying from organizations such as the Canadian Dental Association and the Canadian Medical Association, both of which held extensive meetings with the House of Commons in July. Many health sector organizations are now focused on adapting to service integration and regulatory changes, coinciding with increased activity around workforce and administrative modernization, as the Canadian Association of Radiologists also contributed to discussions on health human resources strategy with parliamentary interlocutors.

📎 Updates to the new interpretation of the Canada Health Act | Insights ...

Trust and Innovation Themes Underpin Charities’ Event-Driven Policy Engagement

Lobbying activity by health charities and hospitals, including the Canadian Medical Association and HealthCareCAN in discussions with the House of Commons, and Children's Healthcare Canada in meetings with Health Canada, reached well above baseline in July, coinciding with ‘the year of trust’ in Canadian healthcare. The focus on system modernization, equity, technology, and administrative relief mirrors new federal efforts to address public skepticism through reforms and investments.

📎 Canadian Healthcare in 2026: Key Trends & Challenges

Section B: Lobbying Activity by Industry

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

Lobbying activity across this channel totalled 158 meetings in July 2026, down from a 12-month average of 177. The most active industry was Health care charities and organizations, while Medical professional associations fell below its recent baseline.

The industries with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include Hospitals logged 19 meetings, up from an average of 14, and Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing logged 8 meetings, up from an average of 5.

On the quieter side, Pharmacies and personal care retailers had 2 meetings, down from an average of 3, Health care services had 6 meetings, down from an average of 10, Residential care services had 4 meetings, down from an average of 8, and Medical professional associations had 40 meetings, down from an average of 54.

Section C: 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 B and C shows you whether recent differences are persistent trends or a break from the norm.

Top Industry Residual Trends for 2026-07

Health care charities and organizations saw lobbying run notably above expected levels in July 2026.

↳ Health care charities and organizations has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Health care charities and organizations displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Medical professional associations has been trending downward in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Medical professional associations displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Hospitals displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

↳ Residential care services displayed high volatility, suggesting irregular or event-driven engagement.

Section D: 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 Canadian Dental Association, Inclusion Canada, HealthCareCAN, and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.

On the quieter side, Canadian Medical Association pulled back from its usual pace.

Section E: 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

The busiest industry → institution corridors this month:

↳ Health care charities and organizations → House of Commons: 33 meetings (avg 44, -26%).

↳ Health care charities and organizations → Health Canada (HC): 13 meetings (avg 17, -22%).

The busiest organization → institution corridors this month:

↳ Canadian Dental Association → House of Commons: 16 meetings (avg 8, +113%).

Section F: 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

The busiest industry → subject corridors this month:

↳ Medical professional associations → Health: 40 meetings (avg 54, -25%).

The busiest organization → subject corridors this month:

↳ Pharmascience Inc. → Health: 33 meetings (avg 12, +181%).

↳ CANADIAN HEALTH FOOD ASSOCIATION → Health: 18 meetings (avg 3, +440%).

↳ Canadian Dental Association → Health: 16 meetings (avg 9, +83%).

Section G: 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

Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by sector) this month were Medical professional associations → Raquel Dancho (House of Commons), Health care charities and organizations → Raquel Dancho (House of Commons) and Health care charities and organizations → Sonia Sidhu (House of Commons).

Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by organization) this month were The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) → Brian MacKay (Canadian Heritage (PCH)), Celiac Canada → Sonia Sidhu (House of Commons) and Canadian Medical Association → Lori Idlout (House of Commons).