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 201 meetings in February 2026, up from a 12-month average of 117.5.
• The biggest moves were in Health care charities and organizations and Medical professional associations.
• Canadian Medical Association, ONTARIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION were more active than usual.

Section A: The Themes Hidden in February 2026 Data

Canada Health Act Update Spurs Lobbying on Expanded Primary Care

A major expansion of federally mandated coverage, which now includes nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and midwives, is set to launch in April 2026. This policy shift comes amid a surge in lobbying by the Canadian Medical Association with the House of Commons and Finance Canada, as well as the Ontario Medical Association with Health Canada, and The College of Family Physicians of Canada with the House of Commons in February, with stakeholders pressing to shape how access and funding are rolled out at the provincial level. The move is positioned to address the ongoing physician shortage and broaden primary care access.

📎 Canada Health Act Update April 2026 | The Health Insider · Public health plans to cover primary care by nurse practitioners and ...

Workforce Stability Tops Lobbyists’ Policy Agenda

Healthcare groups, including the Canadian Medical Association in meetings with Health Canada and Global Affairs Canada, are prioritizing recruitment and retention strategies for health professionals, reflecting a pivotal year for workforce policy in Canada. Lobbyists have pressed for an integrated approach—expedited credentialing of internationally educated professionals, expanded scopes of practice, and administrative burden reduction—to address ongoing shortages and burnout. This sustained attention is seen as both a response and a contributor to the spike in lobbying activity.

📎 Canada’s Health System and Evolving Patient Needs - Hospital News

Funding Uncertainty Drives Pre-Budget Advocacy

Concerns about future reductions in federal health transfer payments have galvanized hospitals and medical associations, including the Canadian Medical Association and the Ontario Hospital Association, to intensify their calls for stable funding heading into the 2026 federal budget cycle. This advocacy push revolves around securing commitments for pharmacare, mental health, and broader healthcare delivery capacity, as signaled by sector-wide unease following the spring economic update, and has been prominently brought to the attention of the House of Commons.

📎 The health-care programs on the chopping block - Canadian Affairs

Team-Based Care and Access Highlighted by Allied Professions

Lobbying by the Canadian Medical Association with the House of Commons and Health Canada, as well as by other professional associations and advocacy groups, has focused on integrating a broader set of healthcare providers, such as dental hygienists and midwives, into publicly funded and team-based models. These efforts coincide with the rollout of new federal policies and reflect ongoing concerns about rural and underserved communities’ access to primary care.

📎 Canada Health Act Update April 2026 | The Health Insider

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 201 meetings in February 2026, up from a 12-month average of 118. The most active industry was Health care charities and organizations, while Medical professional associations rose above its recent baseline.

The industries with the most notable increases in lobbying this month include Pharmacies and personal care retailers logged 4 meetings, up from an average of 3, Health care services logged 20 meetings, up from an average of 8, Hospitals logged 27 meetings, up from an average of 10, Residential care services logged 8 meetings, up from an average of 6, Medical professional associations logged 64 meetings, up from an average of 42, and Health care charities and organizations logged 76 meetings, up from an average of 46.

Medical equipment and supplies manufacturing had 2 meetings, down from an average of 3.

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 2026-02

↳ Hospitals has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

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

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

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

↳ Medical professional associations has been on a broadly upward trajectory in lobbying over the past year.

↳ Medical professional associations 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 Medical Association, ONTARIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION, Women's Health Coalition of Canada, National Council of Indigenous Midwives, and Canadian Men's Health Foundation.

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:

↳ Medical professional associations → House of Commons: 33 meetings (avg 24, +38%).

↳ Health care charities and organizations → House of Commons: 30 meetings (avg 23, +30%).

↳ Health care charities and organizations → Health Canada (HC): 24 meetings (avg 13, +83%).

The busiest organization → institution corridors this month:

↳ Canadian Medical Association → House of Commons: 20 meetings (avg 7, +176%).

↳ ONTARIO HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION → House of Commons: 9 meetings (avg 1, +731%).

↳ Canadian Medical Association → Health Canada (HC): 8 meetings (avg 3, +191%).

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:

↳ Pharmaceutical and medicine manufacturing → Health: 81 meetings (avg 55, +47%).

↳ Health care charities and organizations → Health: 77 meetings (avg 44, +74%).

↳ Medical professional associations → Health: 64 meetings (avg 42, +52%).

The busiest organization → subject corridors this month:

↳ Canadian Medical Association → Health: 41 meetings (avg 16, +165%).

↳ Canadian Medical Association → Federal-Provincial Relations: 26 meetings (avg 11, +135%).

↳ Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions → Health: 25 meetings (avg 4, +456%).

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 → Maggie Chi (House of Commons), Medical professional associations → Brendan Hanley (House of Commons) and Medical professional associations → Fares Al Soud (House of Commons).

Among the individuals with the most notable meeting activity (by organization) this month were Canadian Medical Association → Tony Ince (Senate of Canada), Canadian Medical Association → Jagsharan Singh Mahal (House of Commons) and Canadian Medical Association → billy Morin (House of Commons).