Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

The committee met to discuss the ongoing study of the Conflict of Interest Act, focusing on Prime Minister Mark Carney’s financial ties to Brookfield. Conservative members criticized Brookfield’s response to the committee’s request for information, arguing that the Prime Minister could waive confidentiality to clear up concerns about potential conflicts of interest. They noted that the Ethics Commissioner was unaware of several meetings between the Prime Minister and Brookfield officials, and raised concerns about provisions in Bill C-15 that they said could allow ministers to exempt entities from laws, potentially enabling secrecy. Liberal members defended the existing ethics regime, citing testimony from the Ethics Commissioner and officials that the system is robust and that the Prime Minister has properly divested assets and complied with conflict-of-interest screens.

The committee did not reach a resolution on the Brookfield matter. Instead, Liberal member Leslie Church moved a motion to undertake a new study on the use of AI in algorithmic pricing in Canada, proposing at least six meetings with witnesses including Ticketmaster, Air Canada, and Amazon. Conservative member Michael Cooper moved a separate motion to compel the Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation to appear before the committee by February 6, 2026, noting that 11 requests for his appearance had been ignored. The committee adjourned without voting on either motion.