October 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Kyle Wyndham-West, PhD Student (McMaster University)
During October, Amazon filed 13 communications reports ranging from the subject matters of industry, science and technology, small business, government procurement, national security, economic development, taxation and finance, and telecommunications.
During the month, Amazon made the news for developments in their internal procedures. One of the major announcements the company made was their use of robots to aid employees in fulfillment centers. In addition to this they also implemented new delivery systems that utilized grab n’ go procedures for no contact shopping. Lastly, the company has also rolled out new passkey systems that shifted the ways individuals could log in to their accounts.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-10-12 | Arun Alexander, Deputy Head of Mission to the Embassy of Canada to the United States of AmericaGlobal Affairs Canada (GAC) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-10-16 | Scott Jones, PresidentShared Services Canada (SSC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-10-17 | Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small BusinessInnovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Small Business | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-10-25 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy MinisterOffice of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Andrea Johnston, Assistant Deputy MinisterInnovation Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Eric Dagenais, Senior Assistant Deputy MinisterAssistant Deputy Minister’s Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-10-25 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy MinisterOffice of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Government Procurement, Science and Technology | ConsultantLobbyist: DAVID ANGUS, The Capital Hill Group Inc. |
| 2023-10-25 | Eric Dagenais, Senior Assistant Deputy MinisterInnovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy MinisterInnovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Andrea Johnston, Assistant Deputy MinisterInnovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-10-26 | Dane Lloyd, Member of ParliamentHouse of Commons | Government Procurement, National Security/Security, Economic Development, Telecommunications | ConsultantLobbyist: Mark Johnson, PAA Advisory | Conseils |
| 2023-10-26 | Dane Lloyd, Member of ParliamentSturgeon River – Parkland, House of Commons | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-10-26 | Sébastien Lemire, Member of ParliamentHouse of Commons | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-10-26 | Sébastien Lemire, Member of ParliamentHouse of Commons | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-10-27 | Trevor McGowan, Associate Assistant Deputy MinisterTax Policy, Finance Canada (FIN) | Taxation and Finance | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-10-31 | James Bezan, Member of ParliamentHouse of Commons | Science and Technology, Industry, National Security/Security, Defence | ConsultantLobbyist: GORAN SAMUEL PESIC, SAMUEL ASSOCIATES |
| 2023-10-31 | James Bezan, Member of ParliamentSelkirk—Interlake—Eastman, House of Commons | Defence | Eric Gales |
September 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Kyle Wyndham-West, PhD Student (McMaster University)
In the month of September Amazon recorded six communications reports with the subject matter of Industry, Arts and Culture and Small Business.
Within Canada, the company has announced a recent ad-based revenue stream change to their streaming service Prime Video, this would force ads on users without an upgraded subscription service. Amazon has also announced an expansion of their Alexa service to include generative AI.
While there were a number of communications with the Canadian government it is also important to note the regulatory problems the company is facing in the US. Across the border Amazon has received a lawsuit from the FTC with an Anti-trust trial taking focus on the ecommerce giant maintaining alleged monopoly power.
Additionally, Amazon has extended its satellite network to a variety of telecom giants to be able to use for their own business matters.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-09-08 | Andy Fillmore, Member of Parliament | House of Commons | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-09-13 | Corinne Havard, Senior Policy Advisor | National Defence (DND) | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-09-19 | Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament | House of Commons | Arts and Culture | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-09-27 | Kyle Seeback, Member of Parliament | House of Commons | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-09-28 | Zachary Nixon, Director of Operations | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)Angad Dhillon, Chief of Staff, Minister of Small Business | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED)Kendra Wilcox, Director of Policy and Stakeholder Relations | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Small Business | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-09-28 | Greg Fergus, Member of Parliament | House of CommonsMatthew Jones, Assistant Deputy Minister, Healthy Environments Consumer Safety Branch | Health Canada (HC) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
August 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Kyle Wyndham-West, PhD Student (McMaster University)
Throughout August Amazon recorded 11 communications with the Registry of Lobbyists on the topics “Research and Development”, “Science and Technology”, “Economic Development”, “Industry”, “Taxation and Finance”, “National Security/Security”, “Government Procurement”, and “Research and Development”. In August Amazon also launched a new Telehealth service and announced a new robotic fulfillment center opening in Southern-Ontario.
There were also reports of new Amazon fees that targeted sellers who intended to ship goods themselves instead of through Amazon fulfillment services. On the tail end of this with recent news, this September, of anti-trust, and monopoly accusations by the Federal Trade Agreement in the United States of America, there is no doubt that there will be further discussions surrounding this topic in the coming months.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matter | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-08-28 | Darren Hall, Policy Advisor, Opposition Leader’s Office | House of Commons David Murray, Director of Policy, Opposition Leader’s Office | House of Commons | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-08-23 | Caroline Séguin, Director of Strategic Initiatives | Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Tania Belisle-Leclerc, Director of Policy | Global Affairs Canada (GAC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-08-23 | Tania Belisle – Leclerc, Director of Policy, Minister’s Office | Global Affairs Canada (GAC) Caroline Séguin, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Minister’s Office | Global Affairs Canada (GAC) | Science and TechnologyNational Security/SecurityGovernment ProcurementResearch and Development | Mark Johnson, PAA Advisory | Conseils |
| 2023-08-15 | Jason Lenz, Analyst/Economist | Finance Canada (FIN) | Taxation and Finance | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-08-15 | Trevor McGowan, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister | Finance Canada (FIN) | Taxation and Finance | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-08-14 | Nipun Vats, Associate Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Research and Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-08-14 | Nipun Vats, Associate Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Fernando Minna, The Capital Hill Group |
| 2023-08-10 | Jaxson Khan, Senior Policy Advisor | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Research and Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-08-09 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-08-09 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Mary Gregory, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-08-08 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Research and DevelopmentScience and TechnologyEconomic DevelopmentIndustry | Mark Johnson, PAA Advisory | Conseils |
July 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Brad McNeil, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
This blog post gives an update on Amazon’s lobbying activities for the month of July 2023. Using data from Amazon’s Registry of Lobbyists profile and news articles, the lobbying activities of Amazon Web Services Canada (AWS) and Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC (ACFS) will be documented below. Amazon Corporate LLC did not submit any lobbying communication reports with the Registry of Lobbyist for the month of July.
Amazon Web Services Canada
In July 2023, Amazon Web Services (AWS) logged nine lobbying communication reports with the Registry of Lobbyists. Five of those meetings were about “science and technology”, and five were related to “government procurement.” This month, AWS also lobbied about “economic development” on two occasions. AWS’s profile with the Registry of Lobbyists notes that the company is interested in working “with government to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce.” Lobbying meetings about “science and technology” and economic development” may be related to AWS’s aim to support Canada’s digital economy and tech workforce. On July 10, 2023, announced its partnership with Momentum, a “community organization committed to providing relevant skills-based training programs to help build an inclusive local economy” to bring a free tech training course to Calgary. The training course teaches fiber optic fusion splicing. As noted by Global newswire, Fibre optic cable workers posses skills that are “increasingly needed to build out the world’s data and communication networks including 5G and data centers.” This training course is part of Amazon’s commitment to their 2020 pledge to train 29 million people around the world in tech and cloud computing by 2025. The fibre optic course is the “second major skills training initiative AWS is bringing to Calgary after announcing a $4.3 billion investment over the next 15 years with the AWS Canada West Region (Calgary) to open late 2023/early 2024.”
AWS also lobbied about government procurement this July. As noted in previous blog posts, AWS frequently seeks “government contracts with multiple government departments and institutions with regards to Amazon Cloud based solutions and related support services.” In 2023, AWS has signed 39 government contracts with various government departments valued over $10,000.
Amazon Web Services’ July Communication Reports
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-07-05 | Michelle Rempel Garner, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-07-05 | Michelle Rempel Garner, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Government Procurement, Science and Technology | David Angus (Consultant) |
| 2023-07-14 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister | Office of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Mary Gregory, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-07-14 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister | Office of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Government Procurement | Fernando Minna (Consultant) |
| 2023-07-14 | Ian Foucher, Chief of Staff | Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Jaxson Khan, Senior Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-07-14 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister | Office of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-07-14 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister | Office of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Government Procurement | Fernando Minna (Consultant) |
| 2023-07-14 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister | Office of the Associate Deputy Minister, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Government Procurement, Science and Technology | David Angus (Consultant) |
| 2023-07-17 | Costas Theophilos, Director General, Partnerships and Strategic Services Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Government Procurement, Science and Technology | David Angus (Consultant) |
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC
In July 2023, Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services (ACFS) registered only 2 communications reports with the Registry of Lobbyists. This month ACFS lobbied about “economic development” and “taxation and finance.” It is difficult to get a sense of what specifically ACFS may have been lobbying about in these meetings. As noted in previous monthly updates for ACFS, their Registry of Lobbyist profile does not give a strong indication about the policies or programs they may be actively lobbying government departments about. Like AWS, ACFS notes that they work with government to “promote Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce”, and also to “facilitate the process of selling goods and services online, and delivering them to consumers.”
It is possible that ACFS’s lobbying about taxation and finance is related to Canada’s refusal to approve the Organization of Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OCED) extension of a ban against a global digital services tax aimed at big tech corporations. While 130 nations agreed to extend the ban, Canada aims to implement a new digital service tax that was conceived two years ago. The new digital services tax would “impose a 3-per-cent levy on Canadian revenue from digital services exceeding $20-million that is earned by companies with at least $1.1-billion in global revenue.” Canada’s refusal to extend the OCED ban can be explained by Canada’s desire to implement a new digital services tax. Currently, Canada does not have a digital services tax in operation. Many other countries in the OCED have a preexisting digital services tax in operation while the OCED ban is extended. It is possible that ACFS’s lobbying related to taxation and finance may be related to Canada’s plan to implement its new digital services act.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services July Communication Reports
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer | |
| 2023-07-10 | Jasraj Singh Hallan, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Jasmin Begagic | |
| 2023-07-13 | Anthony Laporte, Director | Strategy and Outreach, Finance Canada (FIN) | Taxation and Finance | Jasmin Begagic |
June 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Brad McNeil, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
Amazon Web Services
In June 2023, Amazon Web Services (AWS) logged four communication reports with the Registry of Lobbyists. Three of these meetings were about “industry” while the other was about “economic development”. AWS is a subsidiary or Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individual consumers, corporations, and governments on a pay as you go basis. As noted in previous Amazon monthly updates, AWS focuses on securing government contracts for its cloud services. Additionally, AWS seeks to “influence policy direction related to cloud based services”. On June 28, 2023, Adam Selipsky, CEO of Amazon Web Services, noted that AWS expects to invest $21 billion in Canada by 2037.
In June 2023, AWS signed two government contracts valued over $10,000. On June 13, AWS signed a contract valued at $452,000.00 with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for work related to license and maintenance fees for client software. On June 6, AWS signed a contract valued at $57,487.50 with Parks Canada for work related to information technology managed services.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-06-29 | Raquel Dancho, Member of Parliament | Kildonan—St. Paul, Manitoba, House of Commons | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-06-28 | Francis Bilodeau, Associate Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Sciences and Economic Development | Minister’s Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Jaxson Khan, Senior Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-06-15 | Costas Theophilos, Director General, Partnerships and Strategic Services Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Government Procurement, Science and Technology | David Angus (Consultant) |
| 2023-06-12 | Matt Davies, Chief Technology Officer Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Government Procurement, Science and Technology | David Angus (Consultant) |
| 2023-06-08 | Benoit Long, Special Advisor | Office of the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council & Associate Secretary to the Cabinet, Privy Council Office (PCO) | Government Procurement | Fernando Minna (Consultant) |
| 2023-06-07 | Samir Chhabra, Director General | Marketplace Framework Policy Branch, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-06-06 | Tony Van Bynen, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-06-06 | Tony Van Bynen, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Science and Technology, Economic Development, Industry, Research and Development | Skye Scruton (Consultant) |
| 2023-06-05 | Tony Van Bynen, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Science and Technology, Industry, Research and Development, Economic Development | Naresh Raghubeer (Consultant) |
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC
In June 2023, Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services (ACFS) logged four lobbying communication reports with the Registry of Lobbyists. Two meetings were about “industry” while the others were about “environment” and “economic development”. As noted in previous ACFS monthly updates, it is difficult to get a sense of what ACFS may be lobbying about in their meetings with government officials because ACFS’s Registry of Lobbyists profile does not offer much detail about the topics they lobby about. Although ACFS lobbies about 21 different subject matters, the company only lists two points under subject matter details; AFS notes that the company works with government to “facilitate the process of selling goods and services online, and delivering them to consumers”, and also “to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce”.
On the labour front, while AFS aims to ensure a high-skilled tech workforce, it may be noted that towards the end of June an Unifor union drive campaign was established outside an Amazon facility in New Westminister, BC. The campaign was supported by Unifor, “Canada’s largest union in the private sector”. Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor’s Western Regional Director, notes “Amazon workers are frustrated with issues like workload, health and safety… They are tired of not being respected. We are going to bring a union to (Canadian) Amazon workers.”
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-06-29 | Dominic Cormier, Chief of Staff Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) | Environment | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-06-28 | Genevieve Hinse, Chief of Staff Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Economic Development | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-06-27 | Lionel-Fritz Adimi, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-06-01 | Eric Dagenais, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister | Assistant Deputy Minister’s Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
Amazon Corporate LLC
Amazon Corporate Limited Liability Company (LLC) is another subsidiary of Amazon which allows the company to reduce its overall tax liability in Canada. In June 2023, Amazon LLC registered two lobbying communication reports with the Registry of Lobbyists on the topics of “transportation, economic development” and “industry, economic development”.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-06-28 | Eric Amyot, Policy Advisor | Office of the Minister , Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Dominic Cormier, Chief of Staff | Office of the Minister , Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) | Transportation, Economic Development | Eric Lamoureux (Consultant) |
| 2023-06-28 | Genevieve Hinse, Chief of Staff | Office of the Minister, Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Industry, Economic Development | Eric Lamoureux (Consultant) |
May 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Brad McNeil, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
Amazon Web Services
In May 2023, Amazon Web Services (AWS) lobbied five times with various government departments. Two meetings were on the topic of “economic development” and three were about “industry”. Amazon Web Services’ Registry of Lobbyists profile notes that the company is interested in working with “government to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce.” AWS is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides “on-demand cloud computing services for individuals companies and governments on a metered, pay-as-you-go basis.” As described by Nicole Foster, Director of Public Policy at AWS, AWS is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud service provider. So far, Amazon has signed 30 government contracts valued over $10,000 in 2023.
The following table presents AWS’s lobbying communication reports logged in the month of May 2023.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-05-24 | Sony Perron, President Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-05-24 | Vidya Shankarnarayan, Assistant Deputy Minister Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) | Science and Technology | Fernando Minna (Consultant) |
| 2023-05-16 | Rick Perkins, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2023-05-16 | Rick Perkins, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Science and Technology | Fernando Minna (Consultant) |
| 2023-05-15 | Brad Vis, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-05-15 | Rick Perkins, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-05-15 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Boyan Gerasimov, Director of Policy Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Eric Gales |
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC
In May 2023, Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services (ACFS) logged three communications reports with the Registry of Lobbyists. These meetings were on three separate topics: “economic development”, “industry”, and “broadcasting”. As noted in a previous monthly blog post, ACFS does not list much information about the subject matter that they lobby about. ACFS merely notes that they “Work with government to facilitate the process of selling goods and services online, and delivering them to consumers”, and “work with government to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce”. This lack of information about the subject matter of their lobbying makes it difficult to interpret what ACFS may have been lobbying about in May 2023. However, it seems likely that ACFS’s meeting about Broadcasting with Vicky Eatrides of the CRTC was about Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. The Online Streaming Act, which received royal assent on April 27, 2023, updates Canada’s Broadcasting Act to account for online streaming giants like Amazon which hosts its own streaming service Amazon Prime. As of 2021, Amazon Prime Video has a viewership of 12.2 million in Canada. Bill C-11 requires streaming services like Amazon and Netflix to “contribute to Canadian content and make it accessible to users in Canada — or face steep penalties”.
The following table presents ACFS’s lobbying communication reports logged in the month of May 2023.
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-05-25 | Christopher Cinqmars-Viau, Senior Policy Advisor Finance Canada (FIN) | Economic Development | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-05-24 | Iqwinder Gaheer, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-05-02 | Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
March and April 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Brad McNeil, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
This monthly lobbying report follows Amazon’s lobbying activities through the months of March and April 2023. The lobbying activities of Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, Amazon Web Services, and Amazon Corporate LLC are discussed in three separate sections. Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services is a subsidiary of Amazon which involves the shipping and delivering services offered by Amazon. Amazon Web Services is a subsidiary of Amazon that “provides on-demand cloud computing services for individuals, companies and governments on a metred, pay-as-you-go basis”. Amazon Corporate Limited Liability Company (LLC) is another subsidiary of Amazon which allows the company to reduce its overall tax liability.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services: March and April 2023
In March and April 2023, Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services (ACFS) logged eight lobbying communications reports. During this period, ACFS lobbied about “industry” and “broadcasting” each on three separate occasions. As reflected in the charts for March and April, they also lobbied about “telecommunications” and “economic development”. Although lobbyists are required to provide details about the subject matter they lobby about, ACFS does not provide much additional context about these topics in their registry of lobbyist profile. ACFS merely notes that they “Work with government to facilitate the process of selling goods and services online, and delivering them to consumers”, and “work with government to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce”. A lack of details about lobbying subject matter makes it difficult to interpret what specific issues and positions ACFS lobbies about. However, it is likely that ACFS’s lobbying about broadcasting continues to be about their position on Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, which received royal assent on April 27, 2023. See this blog post for more information on Amazon’s position and recent activities related to Bill C-11.
The following tables present ACFS’s lobbying communication reports for the months of March and April 2023.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services: March 2023
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-03-07 | Julie Dabrusin, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-03-09 | Lionel Fritz Adimi, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-03-15 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-03-16 | Ron Ahluwalia, Director Of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-03-23 | Eric Dagenais, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister | Assistant Deputy Minister’s Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Telecommunications | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-03-31 | Vicky Eatrides, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) Scott Shortliffe, Executive Director | Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services: April 2023
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-04-14 | Scott Shortliffe, Executive Director | Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-04-24 | Ryan Williams, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Jasmin Begagic |
Amazon Web Services: March and April 2023
This section presents Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) lobbying activities using filed communication reports for the months of March and April 2023. Following the tables presenting AWS’s lobbying, this section also lists all government contracts AWS signed with various government departments valued over $10,000.
From March to April 2023, AWS logged 18 lobbying communication reports. In March, AWS filed 6 communication reports on various topics which can be viewed in the table found below. In April, AWS filed 12 communication reports, all on the topic of “national security/security.” AWS met with various government departments to discuss issues related to “national security/security”. Although tech corporations often lobby to influence the path of pending legislation, they may also lobby about the release of new web services. For example, in April, AWS lobbied the Canadian Center for Cyber Security (CCCS), and this “Canada’s authoritative source of cyber security expert guidance for Canadian government, industry, and the general public” Amazon notes that “on a periodic basis, CCCS assesses new or previously unassessed services and re-assesses the AWS services that were previously assessed to verify that they continue to meet the GC requirements.” CCCS prioritizes the assessment of new AWS services based on their availability in Canada, and customer demand for the AWS services. It may be that AWS was meeting with CCCS to discuss its new GaudDuty features. GaurdDuty is Amazon’s threat detection service. On April 24, 2023, AWS announced “three new Amazon GaurdDuty capabilities to help customers protect container, database, and serverless workloads.”
The following charts present AWS’s lobbying communication reports in March and April 2023.
Amazon Web Services: March 2023
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-03-07 | Ben Lobb, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Government Procurement | Eric Gales |
| 2023-03-14 | Sami Khoury, Head Canadian Center for Cyber Security Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-03-16 | Samir Chhabra, Director General Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Surdas Mohit, Acting Director Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales |
| 2023-03-16 | Mohummed Peer, Constituency Assistant House of Commons | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales |
| 2023-03-21 | Sony Perron, President Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-03-29 | Boyan Gerasimov, Director of Policy Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
Amazon Web Services: April 2023
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-04-11 | Bryan Larkin, Deputy Commissioner | Specialized Policing Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-11 | Scott Jones, Executive Vice President | President’s Office, Shared Services Canada (SSC) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-11 | Patrick Boucher, Assistant Deputy Minister | National and Cyber Security Branch, Public Safety Canada (PS) Tricia Geddes, Associate Deputy Minister Public Safety Canada (PS) Shawn Tupper, Deputy Minister Public Safety Canada (PS) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-11 | Patrick Boucher, Assistant Deputy Minister | National and Cyber Security Branch, Public Safety Canada (PS) Tricia Geddes, Associate Deputy Minister Public Safety Canada (PS) Shawn Tupper, Deputy Minister Public Safety Canada (PS) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-11 | Daniel Rogers, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet | Emergency Preparedness and COVID Recovery, Privy Council Office (PCO) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-12 | Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-12 | Rajiv Gupta, Associate Head | Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) Sami Khoury, Head | Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-24 | Rajiv Gupta, Associate Head | Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSEC) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-24 | Eric Dagenais, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister | Assistant Deputy Minister’s Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Boyan Gerasimov, Director of Policy Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-24 | Corinne Havard, Policy Advisor National Defence (DND) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-24 | Daniel Rogers, Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet | Emergency Preparedness and COVID Recovery, Privy Council Office (PCO) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2023-04-24 | Patrick Boucher, Assistant Deputy Minister | National and Cyber Security Branch, Public Safety Canada (PS) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
Amazon Web Services Contracts Signed Valued Over $10,000
AWS signed 14 contracts valued over $10,000 in March 2023. The total value of contracts signed in March is $6,248,656.20. The following table presents all government contracts valued over $10,000 signed by AWS in March 2023. Data about contracts signed in April remains unavailable, this data is published quarterly.
| Date | Value | Government Department | Work Description |
| Mar 3, 2023 | $357,984.00 | Shared Services Canada | Tuition fees and costs of attending courses including seminars not elsewhere specified |
| Mar 7, 2023 | $214,293.20 | Health Canada | Info Technology and Telecomm Consultants |
| Mar 8, 2023 | $350,661.60 | Natural Resources Canada | Information technology and telecommunications consultants |
| Mar 14, 2023 | $525,992.40 | Health Canada | Info Technology and Telecomm Consultants |
| Mar 17, 2023 | $50,000.00 | Environment and Climate Change Canada | Computer services (includes IT solutions/deliverables as well as IT managed |
| Mar 19, 2023 | $226,000.00 | National Research Council Canada | Computer services (includes IT solutions/deliverables as well as IT managed services) |
| Mar 21, 2023 | $299,450.00 | National Defence | Other professional services not elsewhere specified |
| Mar 21, 2023 | $564,954.80 | National Defence | Other professional services not elsewhere specified |
| Mar 28, 2023 | $818,210.40 | Natural Resources Canada | Computer services (includes IT solutions/deliverables as well as IT managed services) |
| Mar 28, 2023 | $316,965.00 | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada | Information technology and telecommunications consultants |
| Mar 28, 2023 | $316,965.00 | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada | Information technology and telecommunications consultants |
| Mar 29, 2023 | $389,624.00 | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada | License/Maintenance fees for Client Software |
| Mar 29, 2023 | $77,924.80 | Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada | License/Maintenance fees for Client Software |
| Mar 30, 2023 | $1,739,631.00 | Shared Services Canada | License/Maintenance fees for client software related to Distributed Computing Environment (DCE) |
Amazon Corporate LLC: April 2023
In April 2023, Amazon LLC lobbied on the subject matter of “Small Business, Taxation and Finance”. See this blog post for more information about Amazon’s interests regarding small businesses.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-04-12 | Christophe Cinqmars-Viau, Policy Advisor Finance Canada (FIN) | Small Business, Taxation and Finance | Steve Van Groningen, (Consultant) |
February 2023 Update: Amazon
By: Brad McNeil, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
This monthly lobbying report follows Amazon’s lobbying activities through the month of February 2023. It draws on news articles published during this lobbying period to contextualize Amazon’s lobbying efforts.
The first section traces Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services lobbying activities which were focused on Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, and small businesses. Bill C-11 passed in the Senate with amendments on February 2, 2023. Bill C-11 is aimed at streaming services like Amazon Prime which would become subjected to “Canadian content requirements and regulations comparable to traditional broadcasters.” Bill C-11 would require major streaming platforms to spend millions investing in producing and promoting Canadian content.
Amazon Web Services Canada’s lobbying activities appear to remain focussed on government procurement as they continue to seek government contracts for their cloud services.
Neither Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services nor Amazon Web Services registered lobbying communications reports for the month of January 2023.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC: February 2023 Lobbying Summary
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services did not report any lobbying communications during the months of December 2022 or January 2023. However, in February 2023, the company picked up where it had left off in November 2022, reporting five lobbying communications with various government officials. Three of the five meetings were about “broadcasting”. As noted in a previous monthly update blog post, Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services’ lobbying profile on the Registry of Lobbyist websitedoes not explain specifically what it lobbies about related to broadcasting. However, it is likely that Amazon’s lobbying about broadcasting is related to Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act, which passed with several amendments in the Senate on February 2, 2023. Bill C-11 updates Canada’s Broadcasting Act to account for online streaming giants like Amazon which hosts its own streaming service Amazon Prime. As of 2021, Amazon Prime Video has a viewership of 12.2 million in Canada. Bill C-11 requires streaming services like Netflix and Amazon to “contribute to Canadian content and make it accessible to users in Canada — or face steep penalties”.
Amazon’s position on Bill C-11 is similar to those of other major streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube. In August 2022, a trade group representing YouTube, Amazon, and Spotify, called the Digital Media Association (DiMA), submitted a letter to the Standing Committee in Transport and Communications on Bill C-11. DiMA called Bill C-11 an “antiquated approach to internet communications” which “attempts to impose a system of regulation that is designed for traditional broadcasters onto streaming services” . DiMA articulated this antiquated approach to broadcasting regulation in the digital era as an impediment for “innovative streaming services in an era of consumer choice, where, otherwise, there are no gatekeepers to content as there are in the broadcasting context.”
Although Canadian Heritage Minister, Pablo Rodriguez notes that there has been “been approximately 218 witnesses, 43 meetings, 119 briefs and 73 proposed amendments” about Bill C-11 between the House of Commons and the Senate, Amazon has not had representatives serve as a witnesses in either the House of Commons or Senate to discuss the Bill. Amazon’s involvement with DiMA suggests that Amazon has elected to work behind the scenes compared to other major streaming platforms who are lobbing more actively and publicly against Bill C-11.
Indeed, it appears as though Amazon is a part of a united front of American corporations who are lobbying against Bill C-11. Deputy United States trade representative Jayme White has expressed Washington’s concern that Bill C-11 unfairly targets American firms. Likewise, US trade representative Katherine Tai expressed the US’s “ongoing concerns with… pending legislation in the Canadian Parliament that could impact digital streaming services and online news sharing and discriminate against U.S businesses”. Canada argues that Bill C-11 does not infringe any of its trade obligations with the US. Michael Geist notes that these discussions between Canadian and U.S. officials suggests that Bill C-11 may be an item for discussion between Biden and Trudeau during Bidens upcoming visit to Canada in March. Canadian Lawyer Lawrence Herman has noted that this type of intervention by American politicians in Canada’s pending legislation reflects “a well-orchestrated lobbying effort by the major digital platforms”.
In February 2023, Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services also lobbied on the topics of “small business” and “economic development”. It is unclear exactly what Amazon lobbies about related to small businesses. However, on its website, Amazon Canada expresses the corporations commitment to small businesses, claiming they are the “backbone of the Canadian economy” because they create jobs and drive innovation. According to a 2022 Amazon Canada Impact Report released in December 2022, Amazon has grown more than 40,000 full and part time employees across Canada. In 2021, more than 41,000 third-party sellers from across Canada sold more than 100 million products on Amazon. Amazon also invests in tools and services to help small businesses reach more customers and protect their brands. For example, in 2021, Amazon “launched the Intellectual Property (IP) Accelerator in Canada, which directly connects Canadian Small Business owners with a curated network of local law firms charging reduced rates on key trademark protection services, giving SMBs access to expert legal and general IP advice that may otherwise be cost-prohibitive or hard to find”.
While Amazon displays a commitment to Canadian Small Businesses, it is important to note that in the past, this type of support has served as a shield from looming antitrust legislation. For example, in March 2022, POLITICO reported that in the United States, lobbyists for Amazon had “mobilized an army of small businesses as well as users who rely on their platforms to discourage Congress from passing bills aimed at curtailing their power”. Further, although Amazon supports small businesses, the Financial Post recently reported that “Amazon is taking half of each sale from its merchants”. Although Amazon provides a platform and resources for small businesses to compete in the global marketplace, Juozas Kaziukenas of the research firm Marketplace Pulse, notes that for small businesses, “it’s getting harder and harder to be profitable because they are spending more and more money on Amazon fees”. The following table presents Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services’ lobbying communications through the month of February 2023. This table was compiled using info from the Registry of Lobbyist website.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-02-02 | Ron Ahluwalia, Director Of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) Jude Welch, Chief of Staff Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-02-08 | James Maloney, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-02-09 | Husain Aboghodieh, Policy Advisor Global Affairs Canada (GAC) | Small Business | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-02-10 | Ron Ahluwalia, Director Of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Jasmin Begagic |
| 2023-02-16 | Sébastien Lemire, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Jasmin Begagic |
Amazon Web Services Canada, Inc.: February 2023 Lobbying Summary
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that “provides on-demand cloud computing services for individuals, companies and governments on a metred, pay-as-you-go basis”. As noted in an earlier company profile blog post, “according to the subject matter details provided in the lobbying registrations, nearly all of Amazon’s lobbying is in an effort to pursue Government contracts through their subsidiary Amazon Web Services’ cloud-based solutions software, and to influence policy decisions as they relate to cloud computing.”
Amazon Web Services remains focused on government procurement for their cloud services. Based on Amazon’s lobbying communication reports filed in February, the corporation may currently be seeking government procurement for cloud services for the Department of National Defence (DND). In February 2023, AWS met with two separate DND officials to discuss “government procurement” and “defence”. As noted in a previous company profile blog, in February 2022, Dave Perry of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute noted that it would soon be time for Canada to modernize the military’s systems and processors. It is possible that Amazon is aiming to secure contracts with the Canadian Government to supply these services. In February 2023, Amazon Web Services signed contracts worth $442,653.76 on February 14 with National Film Board for work related to the “Rental of computer equipment related to production and operations (P&O) environment – All servers, storage, printers, etc. (includes all related parts and peripherals)”. The subsidiary of Amazon also signed a contract on February 1 worth $97,406.00 with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada for work related to “license and Maintenance fees for Client Software”.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2023-02-03 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2023-02-03 | Elizabeth Anderson, Senior Special Assistant Global Affairs Canada (GAC) | Industry | Gales |
| 2023-02-07 | Rob Jamieson, Senior Policy Advisor Office of the Minister Public Safety, Public Safety Canada (PS) | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2023-02-16 | Corinne Havard, Policy Advisor National Defence (DND) | Government Procurement | Eric Gales |
| 2023-02-16 | Thomas Gagne, Director, Stakeholder Relations National Defence (DND) | Defence | Eric Gales |
November and December 2022 Update: Amazon
By: Brad McNeil, PhD Student (McMaster University)
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services, ULC: November Lobbying Summary
This monthly lobbying report follows Amazon’s lobbying activity through the months of November and December 2022. This blog post is structured to present Amazon’s November 2022 lobbying communications and activities first, followed by Amazon’s December 2022 lobbying communications and activities. Lastly, this blog post provides an overview of Amazon’s government contracts valued over $10,000 that were signed in the months of November and December 2022.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Amazon.com Sales and Amazon Foreign Holdings. Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services involve the sorting and distribution of customer orders in Canada. In the last month, AFS has lobbied Members of the Senate, Members of Parliament, Policy Advisors of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), and Policy Advisors of Canadian Heritage (PCH) on the subject of “Broadcasting” for a total of six registered lobbying communications. Sumegha Kuma, Director of Canadian Customer Fulfillment Operations for Amazon Canada, has also registered two communications reports on the topic of “Economic Development” with Members of Parliament. Amazon Canada Fulfilment’s lobbying registration notes that it aims to “Work with government to facilitate the process of selling goods and services online and delivering them to consumers” and “to promote and support Canada’s digital economy, including ensuring the availability of a high-skilled tech workforce.”
While Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services’ lobbying profiledoes not explain what it specifically lobbies about related to broadcasting, this lobbying activity is likely related to Bill C-11 as Amazon hosts its own streaming service Amazon Prime. As noted in a previous monthly update,As of 2021, Amazon Prime Video has a viewership of 12.2 million in Canada.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matter | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-11-02 | Leo Housakos, Senator Senate of Canada | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-07 | Julie Miville-Dechêne, Senator Senate of Canada | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-10 | Lionel Fritz Adimi, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-14 | Pierre Paul-Hus, Member of Parlliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-16 | Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-21 | Gérard Deltell, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-25 | Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage, Canadian Heritage (PCH) Ron Ahluwalia, Director Of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-11-30 | Peter Opdam, Senior Policy Advisor Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Intellectual Property | Sumegha Kumar |
Amazon Corporate LLC: November Lobbying Summary
Amazon Corporate LLC is a subsidiary of Amazon which filled two lobbying communication reports on the subject matters of “Broadcasting,” and “Arts and Culture” for November 2022. A lobbying consultant for Amazon Corporate LLC met with Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, and on another occasion with a Policy Advisor at the Prime Minister’s Office.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matter | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-11-07 | Julie Miville-Dechêne, Senator Senate of Canada | Broadcasting, Arts and Culture | Steve Van Groningen (consultant) |
| 2022-11-10 | Fritz-Lionel Adimi, Policy Advisor Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Broadcasting, Arts and Culture | Steve Van Groningen (Consultant) |
Amazon Web Services: November Lobbying Summary
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that “provides on-demand cloud computing services for individuals, companies and governments on a metred, pay-as-you-go basis”. AWS registered 17 communications reports in the month of November. Seven of these communications were on the topic of “Industry” with Members of Parliament and a Vice Chief of Defence Staff National Defence (DND). Another seven of the communications were about “Science and Technology” with Policy Advisors in various government departments such as Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC). Amazon Web Services also met with Members of Parliament to discuss “Privacy and Access to Information”. One communication report states that consultant Steve Van Groningen met a Policy Advisor of the Prime Minister’s Office to discuss “Broadcasting,” and “Arts and Culture.”
On December 14, 2022 Nicole Foster, AWS Inc’s Director of Global Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, and Canada Public Policy, served as a witness during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (ETHI). The meeting was about “Privacy Concerns in Relation to the ArriveCAN Application.
Introduced in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government’s ArriveCAN app served as a vaccination verification and COVID-19 screening tool for travellers crossing borders. Use of ArriveCAN became mandatory for travellers in February 2021. The app collects personal data identification data like names, telephone number, address, and also vaccination status, which is then used to help public health officials enforce the government’s quarantine rules.
Privacy concerns and controversies have loomed over the ArriveCAN app. In July 2022, the government acknowledged a glitch in the app which mistakenly sent more than 10,000 vaccinated travellers a quarantine requirement notice. It took the government 12 days to notify travellers of the error . There were also reports that the app was tracking location data without user’s knowledge.
Concerns were raised about how long the information is stored and how it is shared between different government agencies. In June 2020, federal Conservatives pushed for a formal review the potential misuse of data collected and stored by ArriveCAN. In response, the Privacy Commissioner confirmed that he had no concerns related to the ArriveCAN app, but launched a new investigation a month later when the Office of the Privacy Commissioner received a privacy complaint related to ArriveCAN.
Because the Canadian Government contracted the work on developing the app with tech companies, the technology behind the app is considered proprietary information. This has frustrated the government’s attempts to learn about how the software works. When the MP’s requested information about the contractors used to develop the app, the files provided by Canada Border Services Agency were heavily redacted.
In front of the ETHI standing committee, Foster answered questions related to AWS’s involvement in the development of ArriveCAN and the app’s privacy concerns. Foster could only give the ETHI a partial understanding of the services and contract totals that Amazon was involved in for the ArriveCAN project. When asked whether Foster was satisfied with the privacy framework of the ArriveCAN app, Foster noted that decisions related to the governance of privacy are decisions for the customer – in this case the government, to make. “Our job, really, is to provide the tools to enable the customer to govern data in the way they want to govern data.” When asked how much Amazon was paid for their contracted involvement in the ArriveCAN app, Foster noted, “In the case of all our customers, we protect customer confidentiality, so we would never proactively disclose that information without customer consent. It would really be up to our customers to choose to share that information.” Such partial responses evoked the frustration from members of the ETHI Committee who questioned whether Foster was the proper Amazon representative to speak on front of the Standing Committee. These frustrations related to privacy concerns and information about government contracts may signal what Amazon has lobbied about in lobbying communications.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matter | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-11-02 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-08 | Taki Sarantakis, President Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-10 | Caitlin Szymberski , Director of Policy Treasury Board Of Canada Secretariat (TBS) – Kylie Phillips, Policy Advisor Treasury Board Of Canada Secretariat (TBS) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-15 | Joel Lightbound, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Naresh Raghubeer |
| 2022-11-15 | SÉBASTIEN LEMIRE, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Naresh Raghubeer |
| 2022-11-16 | Mollie Royds, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-17 | Harry Orbach-Miller, Policy Advisor and Senior Coordinator Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-17 | Colin Lalonde, Director of Policy Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-19 | Frances Allen, Vice Chief of Defence Staff National Defence (DND) | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-21 | Simon Page, Assistant Deputy Minister Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-23 | Alexandre Boulerice, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-23 | Iqwinder Gaheer, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales |
| 2022-11-23 | Alexandre Boulerice, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Kevin Bosch (Consultant) |
| 2022-11-23 | Iqwinder Gaheer, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Kevin Bosch (Consultant) |
| 2022-11-23 | Alexandre Boulerice, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Naresh Raghubeer (Consultant) |
| 2022-11-23 | Iqwinder Gaheer, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Industry | Naresh Raghubeer (Consultant) |
Amazon Web Services: December Lobbying Summary
AWS registered three communication reports for the month of December 2022 about ‘Science and Technology’, ‘Industry’, and ‘Economic Development.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matter | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-12-05 | Colin Deacon, Senator Senate of Canada | Science and Technology | Eric Gales |
| 2022-12-06 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) Peter Opdam, Senior Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Industry | Eric Gales |
| 2022-12-12 | Paul Thompson, Deputy Minister Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Scott Jones, Associate Deputy Minister Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Government Procurement | Eric Gales |
Amazon’s Government Contracts Signed During November and December 2022
Amazon Web services signed three government contracts, each valued over $10,000 between the months on November and December 2022. This list was complied from content available on the Search Government Contracts over $10,000 site.
| Date of Contract | Value | Organization | Work Description |
| 2022-11-14 | $564,954.80 | Canada Revenue Agency | Computer services (includes IT solutions/deliverables as well as IT managed services |
| 2022-12-07 | $564,954.80 | National Defence | Information technology and telecommunications consultants |
| 2022-12-13 | $258,600.00 | Natural Resources Canada | Information technology and telecommunications consultants |
October 2022 Update: Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services
By: Helen Beny, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services is a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Amazon.com Sales and Amazon Foreign Holdings. In the last month, AFS has lobbied key offices, including the Canadian Heritage, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunication Commission (CRTC) and Finance Canada–all regarding “broadcasting”.
As of 2021, Amazon Prime Video has a viewership of 12.2 million in Canada. The increased discussion around Bill C-11 could help explain AFS’ lobbying efforts. Bill C-11 is in the Senate and has passed first reading.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services Lobbying Summary
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-09-26 | Ron Ahluwalia, Directory of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Canadian (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
| 2022 – 09-28 | Scott Shortliffe, Executive Director I Broadcasting Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
| 2022 – 09-29 | Anthony Laporte, Director I Strategy and Outreach, Finance Canada (FIN) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
| 2022-10-27 | Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar, President |
(Office of the Lobbying Commissioner 2022)
Amazon Web Services
In comparison, Amazon Web Services is interested in promoting the digital economy and is meeting with multiple departments regarding Amazon Cloud and cloud-based services. In the past month, Amazon has met with several offices regarding privacy and access to information, science, and technology.
| Communication Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-05 | Colin Deacon, Senator Senate of Canada | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022-10-05 | Leo Housakos, Senator Senate of Canada | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022-10-05 | Jaxson Khan, Policy Advisor Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022-10-05 | Mark Schaan, Senior Assistance Deputy Minister I Strategy and Innovation Policy Sector, Innovation, Science and economic Development Canada (ISED) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales, President |
| 2022 – 10 – 28 | Sony Perron, President Shared Services Canada (SSC) | Science and Technology | Eric Gales, President |
(Office of the Lobbying Commissioner 2022)
Amazon Corporate LLC
| Date | Lobbied | Subject Matters | Responsible Officer |
| 2022-10-05 | Léo Housakos, Senator Senate of Canada | Economic Development, Intellectual Property, Privacy and Access to Information, Research and Development, Science and Technology | Mark Johnson (Consultant) |
July and September 2022 Update: Amazon
By: Helen Beny, PhD Candidate (McMaster University)
Based on the data we have gathered from the Commissioner, in the past year, Amazon has logged over 90 registered communications with the Canadian government and many of them this past year are regarding industry and government procurement. Between July 16 and July 22, 2022, Amazon Web Services, under AWS Canada head Eric Gales, has lobbied the Canada School of Public Service; Immigration (President Taki Sarantakis; topic: economic development). The school offers a “Digital Academy” to teach public servants about a range of topics, including cloud computing and cybersecurity.
AWS also lobbied Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Kyle Nicholson, Director of Policy; topic: immigration), and the Treasury Board (Shirley Ivan, Senior ADM; topic: infrastructure). The Treasury Board is responsible for policies that apply across the federal government, including those related to cloud computing and artificial intelligence.
Amazon Web Services Lobbying Summary (July – September 2022)
| Communication Date | DPOH, Position Title | Government Institution | Subject Matters | Lobbyist |
| 2022-09-27 | Mollie Royds, Associate Assistant Deputy Minister Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Government Procurement | Eric Gales |
| 2022-09-16 | Greg Da Re, Regional Director | Invest in Canada, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2022-09-14 | Rob Jamieson, Senior Advisor Public Safety Canada (PS) | National Security/Security | Eric Gales |
| 2022-09-14 | Stephen Burt, Chief Data Officer Treasury Board Of Canada Secretariat (TBS) | Privacy and Access to Information | Eric Gales |
| 2022-09-08 | Zepporah Toh, Senior Director Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) | Government Procurement | Eric Gales |
| 2022-09-08 | Dan McKinney, Director National Defence (DND) | Defence | Eric Gales |
| 2022-08-16 | Taki Sarantakis, President Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
| 2022-08-10 | Brad Redekopp, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Immigration | Eric Gales |
| 2022-08-04 | Corinne Havard, Policy Advisor National Defence (DND) | National Security/Security, Defence | Eric Gales |
| 2022-07-22 | Shirley Ivan, Senior Assistant Deputy Minister Treasury Board Of Canada Secretariat (TBS) | Infrastructure | Eric Gales |
| 2022-07-22 | Kyle Nicholson, Director of Policy Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) | Immigration | Eric Gales |
| 2022-07-07 | Taki Sarantakis, President Canada School of Public Service (CSPS) | Economic Development | Eric Gales |
(Office of the Commissioner 2022)
Amazon Fulfillment Services (AFS) a subsidiary of Amazon, under Sumegha Kumar (President), lobbied the Members of Parliament Francis Drouin and Marie-France Lalonde on the topic of “employment and training.” AFS has built Amazon warehouses around the country, creating jobs and a physical presence for the company in Canada. They also lobbied Finance Canada (Tyler Meredith, Director of Economic Strategy and Planning: topic: taxation and finance). Amazon has become Canada’s largest online retailer and has found a way to limit the taxation of their profits by using their subsidiary AFS.
Amazon Canada Fulfillment Services Lobbying Summary (July – September 2022)
| Communication Date | DPOH, Position Title | Government Institution | Subject Matters | Lobbyist |
| 2022-09-29 | Anthony Laporte, Director | Strategy and Outreach, Finance Canada (FIN) | Taxation and Finance | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-09-28 | Scott Shortliffe, Executive Director | Broadcasting, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-09-26 | Ron Ahluwalia, Director Of Policy Canadian Heritage (PCH) Matthew Gray, Policy Advisor Canadian Heritage (PCH) | Broadcasting | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-09-23 | Samir Kassam, Senior Policy Advisor | Office of the Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development, Global Affairs Canada (GAC) | International Trade | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-08-25 | Doug Band, Director General | Trade and Anti Dumping Programs, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) | International Trade | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-08-25 | Fred Gaspar, Vice President | Commercial and Trade, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) | International Trade | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-08-09 | Claude DeBellefeuille, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Economic Development | Sumegha Kumar |
| 2022-07-11 | Tyler Meredith, Director of Economic Strategy and Planning Finance Canada (FIN) | Taxation and Finance | Sumegha Kumar |
(Office of the Commissioner 2022)
In August, under Amazon Corporate LLC, Mark Johnson lobbied Member of Parliament (Brad Redekopp; topic: employment and training, immigration, economic development, small business, and consumer issues). Last year, Amazon Canada announced their commitment to hire 15,000 full-time and part-time employees across Canada and the company’s expansion could help explain their immigration, economic development, and employment lobbying efforts.
Amazon Corporate LLC Lobbying Summary (July – September 2022)
| Communication Date | DPOH, Position Title | Government Institution | Subject Matters | Lobbyist |
| 2022-08-24 | Patricia Sibal, Policy Advisor Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) | International Trade | Steve Van Groningen |
| 2022-08-10 | Brad Redekopp, Member of Parliament House of Commons | Consumer Issues, Economic Development, Employment and Training, Immigration, Small Business | Mark Johnson |
(Office of the Commissioner 2022)