The committee met to receive briefings from the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and the Information Commissioner on their respective mandates and the legislation they administer. Appearing were Konrad von Finckenstein, Commissioner, along with Lyne Robinson-Dalpé and Melanie Rushworth from the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, and Caroline Maynard, Information Commissioner.
Konrad von Finckenstein outlined the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's role in administering the Conflict of Interest Act for public office holders and the Conflict of Interest Code for members of Parliament. He proposed six legislative changes: allowing the lobbying commissioner to temporarily act if the ethics commissioner is absent; adding the notion of "apparent" conflict of interest to the act; designating certain assets like exchange-traded funds as exempt; allowing public office holders to participate in matters affecting friends or relatives if those interests are shared with a broad class; permitting the commissioner to approve outside activities like university teaching; and raising maximum administrative monetary penalties. He disagreed with suggestions that mandatory divestment and independent reinvestment should replace blind trusts, arguing that would discourage qualified people from entering public service and create tax liabilities.
Lyne Robinson-Dalpé clarified that the Conflict of Interest Act's five-year review occurred only once after its 2007 adoption, with no resulting changes, and that the act has not been comprehensively reviewed since. She read a proposed definition for "apparent conflict of interest" from the Oliphant commission, which would cover situations where a reasonably well-informed person could perceive a conflict.
Caroline Maynard described the Access to Information Act as outdated and the system supporting it as unfit for modern information management, with institutions often failing to meet their legal obligations. She noted that nearly 30% of access requests missed legislated timelines, and that her office had been forced to seek eight writs of mandamus against institutions that ignored her legally binding orders without challenging them in court, with the Department of National Defence being the most frequent offender. She recommended expanding the act to cover ministers' offices, the Prime Minister's Office, and private entities delivering government services, and allowing her office to review cabinet confidences to ensure exemptions are properly applied. She also called for limits on consultation times between institutions and for better information management, including potential use of artificial intelligence, though she stressed that proper information management must come first.
The committee did not debate any motions or procedural matters during this meeting.
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