Behind closed doors: The 12 most powerful lobbyists in Ottawa

To see the 2014 Maclean’s Power List, naming the 50 most important Canadians, click here.

There are close to 800 lobbyists for hire to bend the ears of MPs, senators and other federal public office holders on behalf of their clients, an 85 per cent jump since the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying starting keeping tabs in 2005. To find out who’s been busiest in the last 12 months (ending Nov. 14), we asked Canadians for Responsible Advocacy, a lobbyist watchdog launched in April, to crunch the numbers. Below are the lobbyists who had the most contact with officials, and their top three clients.

1. Matthew Triemstra, National Public Relations
Total meetings*: 70
Clients: Pacific NorthWest LNG, Progress Energy Canada, SupremeX

2. Isabel Metcalfe, Public Affairs Counsel
Total meetings: 50
Clients: Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network, Canadian Actors’ Equity Association

3. Daniel Brock, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Total meetings: 48
Clients: Munich Life Management Co., RGA Life Reinsurance Co. of Canada, Swiss Reinsurance Co.

4. Wendy Noble, Sussex Strategy Group
Total meetings: 41
Clients: Small Guys Tobacco Group, UPS Canada, Amalgamated Transit Union Canada

5. Nanci Woods, The Capital Hill Group
Total meetings: 38
Clients: Seabridge Gold, Conference for Advanced Life Underwriting, Genzyme Canada

6. Natalie Dash, Campbell Strategies
Total meetings: 35
Clients: Thalidomide Victims Association of Canada, Trustpoint Innovation Technologies, the National Benefit Authority Corp.

7. William Pristanski, Prospectus Associates
Total meetings: 33
Clients: Tata Consultancy Services Canada, Resolute Forest Products, Ericsson Canada

8. Robert Serpe, McLaughlin Advisory
Total meetings: 28
Clients: D+H Limited Partnership, Canadian Tire Corp., Genworth Financial

9. Marc Desmarais, Sussex Strategy Group
Total meetings: 27
Clients: Small Guys Tobacco Group, Amalgamated Transit Union Canada, Celestica

T- 10. Ron McLaughlin, Chapman/McLaughlin Advisory
Total meetings: 26
Clients: Genworth Financial, D+H Limited Partnership, Canadian Tire

T- 10. Elizabeth Roscoe, Hill+Knowlton Strategies
Total meetings: 26
Clients: Berkshire Hathaway Energy Company, TMX Group, BlackBerry

T- 10. Bruce Drysdale, Drysdale Forstner Hamilton Public Affairs
Total meetings: 26
Clients: Catalyst Capital Group, the Energy and Minerals Group, Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation

*Number of communications reports, filed with the federal lobbyist registry