There’s been a lobbyist explosion in Ottawa. Hold onto your wallet.

Over 8,000 registered lobbyists are plying their trade according to data from the office of the Lobbying Commissioner. They’re giving their bold ties, big cuff-links and spiffy shoes a real workout.

In May – the latest full month of data – registered lobbyists reported almost 2,400 communications with MPs, Senators, Ministers and bureaucrats.

It’s the biggest number of lobbyist interactions in any month ever recorded, almost double the number in May during any year under the previous government.

And it wasn’t just May. Every month so far this year has set a record for lobbying.

Now don’t get me wrong. Lobbying is legal and industry associations, trade groups, charities and unions have every right to express their opinions, options and concerns to government.

In fact, their input is an important part of the policy-making process.

As if to underscore the point, at the top of the May lobbyist list was the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

As part of their MS Awareness Month they were talking to MPs about a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. Good job.

But after that, you may not like some of the names on this list as much.

It includes people who want to cut your paycheque, push up fees and kick environmental challenges down the road.

After the MS Society, the next biggest lobbyist push came from an association of cable TV companies.

They talked to 43 MPs about their woes with the CRTC and the effect of Netflix and other video-on-demand providers on their business.

In third came Merit Canada, who talked with 42 MPs, Senators and Minister’s staffers. Merit believes the federal Fair Wages and Hours of Labour Act should be repealed. That would make it harder for workers to bargain collectively.

Close behind was the Mining Association of Canada. They talked with politicians and bureaucrats about the Endangered Species Act and other environmental laws and regulations. You know why.

Next was the right-wing Canadian Federation of Independent Business, known for its strident ideology of free market fundamentalism and anti-unionism. Among other things, the CFIB wants to derail increases to Canada Pension Plan benefits.

But perhaps the deepest and most concerning part of the lobbyist surge is how it could connect to recent Ottawa rumblings about putting public assets up for sale.

Like their sister party in Ontario, the Ottawa Liberals are openly discussing “asset recycling”. That’s Liberal-speak for privatization.

It’s true investors will pay the government to buy the asset. And that money can be used to reduce the government’s debt.

But they’re just shifting their debt onto you.

You could be paying new or higher fees, rates and tolls so private investors can get their investment back – plus a return – for the airport, electricity grid or high-occupancy highway lanes they buy.

It doesn’t make sense economically. Even if public infrastructure needs to be financed, a government can always borrow money more cheaply than private investors. Paying a new layer of investors adds costs.

But it does make sense politically. Privatization lobbyists are fantastic political cheerleaders.

And as the Ontario Liberal government has shown, their clients are also wonderfully generous donors.

With a hungry army of 8,000 lobbyists out there, a government that wants to be loved by everyone can buy a lot of friends with your money.