Any day now, a bill that has been the subject of especially heavy lobbying will become law, legalizing betting on a sports game. Sports leagues pushed politicians for it, because they think it means big money for professional teams. Last fall, in the midst of the pandemic, the Liberal government decided to back it, too.
But do we know everyone who lobbied the government to get it done? Did Larry Tanenbaum, the individual with the biggest interest in Canada’s biggest teams – including the Toronto Raptors, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Toronto FC – speak to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, or his aides, to advocate for the bill?
We don’t know. They won’t say. Neither Mr. Trudeau’s press secretary nor the spokesperson for Maple Leaf Sports – the sports powerhouse of which Mr. Tanenbaum is chair and 25-per-cent shareholder – will answer the question.
That underlines a major loophole in Canada’s lobbying laws. They’re supposed to require moneyed interests to report when they are lobbying to change Canada’s laws or policies. But there’s a big loophole.
