In addition to annual, investigation and other reports, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner occasionally issues other documents related to the administration of the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.
Statutory Review of the Act
Section 67 of the Conflict of Interest Act sets out a requirement for a comprehensive review of the Act’s provisions and operation to be undertaken within five years after its coming into force. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics conducted the review, which began in January 2013.
- On January 30, 2013, the Commissioner provided the Committee with a written submission outlining her recommendations for changes to the Act.
- The Commissioner appeared before the Committee four times during the review, to answer questions and provide clarification on the substance of the Commissioner's recommendations. Click on the following links to view the opening statements for the February 11, 2013 and March 18, 2013 appearances.
- On February 5, 2014, the Committee presented its report on the Statutory Review of the Conflict of Interest Act to the House of Commons.
- The government’s response to the Committee’s report was presented to the House of Commons on June 5, 2014.
Review of the Code
Section 33 of the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons requires the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs to conduct a comprehensive review of the Code’s provisions and operation every five years. As the previous review had been conducted in 2007, the Committee launched a review in May 2012. The Committee suspended its study shortly thereafter.
In February 2015 the Committee began a new review of the Code. In support of the new review, the Commissioner provided a new written submission at the Committee’s request, and appeared before it on February 19, 2015 to discuss recommendations and answer questions. Click on the following link to view the opening statement.
For reference, readers may also click to view the Commissioner’s earlier submission, which was discussed with the Committee during an appearance on May 31, 2012.
On June 11, 2015, the Committee presented to the House of Commons a report concluding its review of the Code. The report was concurred in by the House of Commons on June 18, and the Committee's recommended amendments to the Code came into effect on October 20, 2015. The changes to the Code reflect 10 of the recommendations made by the Commissioner in written submissions to the Committee. In its report, the Committee also recommended that the House of Commons concur in a new Request for an Inquiry form, which the Commissioner had previously submitted to it for approval. 