Calls to the leading lobby firms reveal that just about all them have taken time off to get their favorite candidate or party elected. Most are helping out the Liberals. Michael Robinson, at Earnscliffe Strategy Group, negotiated the rules for the leaders debates and helped prepare Mr. Chretien for them. And the Capital Hill Group's Kim Doran is helping out the party in eastern Ontario. With the exception of Paul Zed, none of these consultants have de-listed themselves as active lobbyists representing clients' concerns with the government.
Lobbyists are, almost by definition, political animals.
Most were in government before they landed softly in the industry, and many maintain party ties. So it's not surprising that they are on the hustings at election time. The fact that many of the people they are lobbying are either on the campaign trail or in a holding pattern until after the election also makes their writ-period workload lighter, allowing them more time to work on the campaign. Lobbyists used to try to influence politicians. Lobbyists are also becoming more financially involved in the election effort.