Speech (committee meeting)

{
    "time": "2020-08-11 16:40:00",
    "attribution": {
        "en": "Ms. Mary Dawson (As an Individual)",
        "fr": "Mme Mary Dawson (\u00e0 titre personnel)"
    },
    "content": {
        "en": "<p data-HoCid=\"6259156\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Thank you very much. I don't know that it will take 10 minutes, but I have put a few comments together. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259157\" data-originallang=\"en\">Thank you for your invitation to appear before the committee. I have great respect for the institution of Parliament in its various aspects, so I have accepted your invitation. I hope I can be of assistance in responding to your questions.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259158\" data-originallang=\"en\">I was the first commissioner appointed under the Conflict of Interest Act when it came into force in July 2007. I held that position for 10 and a half years. I have now been retired for two and a half years. It doesn't seem that long.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259159\" data-originallang=\"en\">The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner administers both the Conflict of Interest Act and the members\u2019 code. These two instruments are quite similar, but they differ in some of their detailed provisions. I believe the focus today will be on the act.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259160\" data-originallang=\"en\">The public office holders covered by the act include ministers and parliamentary secretaries, both of whom are also covered by the members\u2019 code, as well as ministerial staff and advisers and deputy ministers. The act also applies to most Governor in Council appointees, with a few exceptions, such as officers and staff of the Senate, House of Commons and Library of Parliament, and judges.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259161\" data-originallang=\"en\">The main activities of the conflict of interest office include giving advice, providing outreach and education, receiving information from public office holders, some of which is made public, and carrying out examinations in relation to alleged contraventions of the act. As commissioner, I felt that the most important activity of the office was assisting public officer holders in avoiding contraventions through its advisory and educational role.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259162\" data-originallang=\"en\">Those public officer holders who are full time or who are on an annual salary\u2014in the act, these people are referred to as \u201creporting\u201d public office holders\u2014are required to provide the commissioner with personal information at specified times throughout their tenure. When they are appointed, they must, for example, report their assets, liabilities, previous income and previous employment. They must update this information annually. A summary of this information is reported publicly.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259163\" data-originallang=\"en\">Every new reporting public office holder is assigned a member of the staff of the office as an adviser to meet with and discuss their disclosures and work through any potential conflict of interest issues. This initial adviser normally remains a contact point for advice on any matter of concern or any other information relating to the conflict of interest regime. Together, they may need to work out appropriate measures to ensure compliance with the act. This could include such compliance measures as conflict of interest screens or dealing with the divestment of certain controlled assets, such as publicly traded securities, that could be affected by government decisions.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259164\" data-originallang=\"en\">The other important activity of the office is carrying out investigations of possible contraventions of the act. When an investigation is formally launched, it is called an examination. There's a lot of confusion in the use of those two terms in the media, I have found. An examination may result from a formal complaint made by a member of Parliament or by a senator if he or she identifies the relevant rule or rules in the act and has set out reasonable grounds to believe there has been a contravention, or the commissioner may self-initiate an examination if he or she has reason to believe there has been a contravention of the act. Examinations are carried out in private. A court reporter takes notes of all the proceedings. The commissioner has the power of a court to summon witnesses and to order the production of documents.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259165\" data-originallang=\"en\">I hope this brief overview of the activities of the Conflict of Interest Act while I was a commissioner was of some assistance.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259166\" data-originallang=\"en\">I will make one final observation relating to the provision that describes when a conflict of interest can occur. Section 4 is the \u201cConflict of interest\u201d section, and it reads as follows: \u201cFor the purposes of this Act, a public office holder is in a conflict of interest when he or she exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity\u201d\u2014I underline \u201cprovides an opportunity\u201d\u2014\u201cto further his or her private interests or those of his or her relatives or friends or to improperly further another person\u2019s private interests.\u201d</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259167\" data-originallang=\"en\">Now, looking at that definition, a conflict of interest occurs if the exercise of a power, duty or function merely provides an opportunity to further a private interest. It's not necessary that the opportunity be acted upon so as to actually attempt to further a private interest, or that a private interest actually be furthered, nor would any intent to further a private interest be required to meet this definition.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259168\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Many, but not all, of the more important compliance rules in the act are built around the concept of conflict of interest, and the description of that concept will be relevant in determining whether any of those substantive rules have been contravened. The meat and potatoes of the actual contravention are contained elsewhere.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259169\" data-originallang=\"en\">I have one final comment. It may be that this committee may wish to consider potential amendments to the Conflict of Interest Act once it has completed its proceedings. The one mandatory review of the act that was required under the act, and there was only one required, took place in 2013-14, but no amendments resulted from that review. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259170\" data-originallang=\"en\">In case it would be of interest, I do refer you to the submission, dated January 30, 2013, that I made to this very standing committee in connection with that review. That submission included 75 suggestions for improvements that I thought might be considered for amendment to the act. Some were editorial but others were more substantial. I summarized a few of my key suggestions in my final annual report as commissioner for 2016-17, which was published in June 2017. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259171\" data-originallang=\"en\">There was at least one other suggestion I have made that was not included in those submissions, and that is the exception for friends that's found in the gift provision, section 11. I do not believe it should be left in section 11 as an absolute exception, because the words of section 11 do the trick in any event, I believe. I think the exception for friends should be removed from that section. </p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259172\" data-originallang=\"en\">However, having mentioned the 75 suggestions for amendments, I should add that I think the act is generally pretty good. By way of example, while I was commissioner, I received a number of delegations from various countries, all of whom were trying to learn from our act and from how we administered our regime, and were looking for advice for amendments to their legislation or, in fact, new legislation, in some cases.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259173\" data-originallang=\"en\">Thank you for your attention. I hope I can answer your questions.</p>",
        "fr": "<p data-HoCid=\"6259156\" data-originallang=\"en\">Merci beaucoup. Je ne sais pas si j\u2019aurai besoin de 10 minutes, mais j\u2019ai pr\u00e9par\u00e9 quelques commentaires.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259157\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Je vous remercie de m\u2019avoir invit\u00e9e \u00e0 compara\u00eetre devant votre comit\u00e9. C\u2019est parce que j\u2019ai beaucoup de respect pour le Parlement et ses diff\u00e9rentes facettes que j\u2019ai accept\u00e9 votre invitation. J\u2019esp\u00e8re pouvoir vous \u00eatre utile en r\u00e9pondant \u00e0 vos questions.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259158\" data-originallang=\"en\"> J\u2019ai \u00e9t\u00e9 la premi\u00e8re commissaire \u00e0 \u00eatre nomm\u00e9e en vertu de la Loi sur les conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats. Celle-ci est entr\u00e9e en vigueur en juillet 2007. J\u2019ai occup\u00e9 ces fonctions pendant 10 ans et demi. J\u2019ai pris ma retraite il y a deux ans et demi. J\u2019ai l\u2019impression que c\u2019\u00e9tait hier.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259159\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Le Commissariat aux conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats et \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9thique administre la Loi sur les conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats et le Code r\u00e9gissant les conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats des d\u00e9put\u00e9s. Ces deux documents se ressemblent beaucoup, \u00e0 l\u2019exception de certaines dispositions. Aujourd\u2019hui, nous allons parler principalement de la Loi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259160\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Les titulaires de charge publique assujettis \u00e0 la Loi sont notamment les ministres et les secr\u00e9taires parlementaires, qui sont aussi assujettis au Code r\u00e9gissant les conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats des d\u00e9put\u00e9s. La Loi s\u2019applique \u00e9galement \u00e0 la plupart des personnes, \u00e0 quelques exceptions pr\u00e8s, nomm\u00e9es par le gouverneur en conseil, comme les hauts fonctionnaires et les employ\u00e9s du S\u00e9nat, de la Chambre des communes et de la Biblioth\u00e8que du Parlement, ainsi que les juges.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259161\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Le Commissariat aux conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats et \u00e0 l\u2019\u00e9thique a pour r\u00f4le de donner des conseils, d\u2019informer, de recevoir des informations provenant de titulaires de charge publique, certaines de ces informations \u00e9tant rendues publiques, et de mener des enqu\u00eates en cas de contraventions pr\u00e9sum\u00e9es de la Loi. Lorsque j\u2019\u00e9tais commissaire, j\u2019estimais que notre r\u00f4le le plus important \u00e9tait de conseiller les titulaires de charge publique afin qu\u2019ils ne se retrouvent pas en contravention de la Loi.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259162\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Les titulaires de charge publique qui exercent leurs fonctions \u00e0 plein temps ou qui touchent un salaire annuel \u2014 dans la Loi, on les appelle des titulaires de charges publiques \u00ab principaux \u00bb \u2014 sont tenus de fournir des informations personnelles au commissaire, \u00e0 intervalles r\u00e9guliers, pendant toute la dur\u00e9e de leur mandat. Par exemple, lorsqu\u2019ils sont nomm\u00e9s, ils doivent d\u00e9clarer tous leurs biens, leur passif, leur r\u00e9mun\u00e9ration ant\u00e9rieure et leur emploi ant\u00e9rieur. Chaque ann\u00e9e, ils doivent actualiser ces informations, dont un r\u00e9sum\u00e9 est rendu public.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259163\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Chaque nouveau titulaire de charge publique est rattach\u00e9 \u00e0 un employ\u00e9 du commissariat qui le conseille sur les divulgations \u00e0 faire et qui l\u2019aide \u00e0 \u00e9viter tout conflit d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats. Cet employ\u00e9 devient normalement sa personne-ressource lorsqu\u2019il a besoin de conseils ou d\u2019informations sur le r\u00e9gime des conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats. Ensemble, ils doivent parfois prendre des mesures pr\u00e9cises pour garantir l\u2019observation de la Loi, par exemple interposer des \u00e9crans, se dessaisir de certains biens contr\u00f4l\u00e9s, comme des titres cot\u00e9s en Bourse, qui pourraient \u00eatre affect\u00e9s par des d\u00e9cisions gouvernementales.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259164\" data-originallang=\"en\"> L\u2019autre r\u00f4le important du commissariat consiste \u00e0 mener des enqu\u00eates en cas d\u2019infraction pr\u00e9sum\u00e9e de la Loi. Lorsque l\u2019enqu\u00eate est officiellement lanc\u00e9e, elle devient une \u00e9tude. Les m\u00e9dias ont tendance \u00e0 confondre ces deux termes. Une \u00e9tude peut \u00eatre le r\u00e9sultat d\u2019une plainte officielle d\u00e9pos\u00e9e par un d\u00e9put\u00e9 ou par un s\u00e9nateur qui a de bonnes raisons de croire qu\u2019une ou plusieurs r\u00e8gles de la Loi ont \u00e9t\u00e9 viol\u00e9es; elle peut aussi \u00eatre d\u00e9clench\u00e9e par le commissaire si celui-ci a de bonnes raisons de croire qu\u2019il y a eu infraction \u00e0 la Loi. Les \u00e9tudes sont r\u00e9alis\u00e9es \u00e0 huis clos. Un st\u00e9nographe prend en notes toutes les d\u00e9lib\u00e9rations. Le commissaire a le pouvoir de convoquer des t\u00e9moins et d\u2019ordonner la remise de documents.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259165\" data-originallang=\"en\"> J\u2019esp\u00e8re que ce bref aper\u00e7u de la Loi sur les conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats et du r\u00f4le du commissaire vous sera utile.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259166\" data-originallang=\"en\"> J\u2019aimerais, pour terminer, vous dire quelques mots au sujet de la disposition qui d\u00e9crit une situation de conflit d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats. Il s\u2019agit de l\u2019article 4, \u00ab Conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats \u00bb, qui dispose que \u00ab Pour l\u2019application de la pr\u00e9sente loi, un titulaire de charge publique se trouve en situation de conflit d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats lorsqu\u2019il exerce un pouvoir officiel ou une fonction officielle qui lui fournit la possibilit\u00e9 \u00bb \u2014 et je souligne \u00ab fournit la possibilit\u00e9 \u00bb \u2014 \u00ab de favoriser son int\u00e9r\u00eat personnel ou celui d\u2019un parent ou d\u2019un ami ou de favoriser de fa\u00e7on irr\u00e9guli\u00e8re celui de toute autre personne \u00bb.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259167\" data-originallang=\"en\"> D\u2019apr\u00e8s cette d\u00e9finition, il y a conflit d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats si l\u2019exercice d\u2019un pouvoir ou d\u2019une fonction fournit ne serait-ce que la possibilit\u00e9 de favoriser des int\u00e9r\u00eats priv\u00e9s. Il n\u2019est pas n\u00e9cessaire que cette possibilit\u00e9 ait \u00e9t\u00e9 r\u00e9ellement exploit\u00e9e pour favoriser des int\u00e9r\u00eats priv\u00e9s, ou que des int\u00e9r\u00eats priv\u00e9s aient \u00e9t\u00e9 r\u00e9ellement favoris\u00e9s, ni m\u00eame qu\u2019il y ait eu l\u2019intention de favoriser des int\u00e9r\u00eats priv\u00e9s.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259168\" data-originallang=\"en\">La plupart, sinon toutes, des principales mesures d\u2019observation pr\u00e9vues par la Loi s\u2019articulent autour du concept du conflit d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats, et la description de ce concept sert \u00e0 d\u00e9terminer si certaines de ces principales mesures d\u2019observation ont \u00e9t\u00e9 viol\u00e9es. La contravention en soi est d\u00e9finie ailleurs.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259169\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Il se peut, et ce sera ma derni\u00e8re remarque, que votre comit\u00e9 envisage d\u2019apporter des modifications \u00e0 la Loi sur les conflits d\u2019int\u00e9r\u00eats, une fois qu\u2019il aura termin\u00e9 son \u00e9tude. Le seul examen obligatoire pr\u00e9vu par la Loi a eu lieu en 2013-2014, mais il n\u2019a pas donn\u00e9 lieu \u00e0 des amendements.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259170\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Si cela vous int\u00e9resse, je vous conseille de relire la d\u00e9claration que j\u2019ai faite le 30 janvier 2013 devant ce m\u00eame comit\u00e9, \u00e0 propos de cet examen. J\u2019ai alors propos\u00e9 75 recommandations pour am\u00e9liorer la Loi. Certaines concernaient le libell\u00e9, d\u2019autres \u00e9taient plus substantielles. J\u2019ai r\u00e9sum\u00e9 les principales recommandations dans mon dernier rapport annuel de commissaire, pour l\u2019ann\u00e9e 2016-2017, qui a \u00e9t\u00e9 publi\u00e9 en juin 2017.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259171\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Il y a aussi une autre recommandation qui ne faisait pas partie de celles dont je viens de parler, et qui concerne l\u2019exception pr\u00e9vue pour les amis, \u00e0 l\u2019article 11 sur les cadeaux et autres avantages. Cette exception ne devrait pas figurer \u00e0 l\u2019article 11, car le libell\u00e9 de cet article est suffisant, \u00e0 mon avis. Autrement dit, j\u2019estime que l\u2019exception concernant les amis devrait \u00eatre supprim\u00e9e de cet article.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259172\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Cela dit, m\u00eame si j\u2019ai fait 75 recommandations pour la modifier, j\u2019estime que la Loi est dans l\u2019ensemble tout \u00e0 fait ad\u00e9quate. Par exemple, quand j\u2019\u00e9tais commissaire, j\u2019ai eu l\u2019occasion de recevoir un certain nombre de d\u00e9l\u00e9gations issues de diff\u00e9rents pays, et l\u2019objet de leur visite \u00e9tait toujours de se renseigner sur notre loi et sur la fa\u00e7on dont nous l\u2019appliquions, afin de modifier la leur en cons\u00e9quence ou d\u2019en adopter une nouvelle.</p>\n<p data-HoCid=\"6259173\" data-originallang=\"en\"> Je vous remercie de votre attention. J\u2019esp\u00e8re \u00eatre en mesure de r\u00e9pondre \u00e0 vos questions.</p>"
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