Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  I want to point out one thing, which is that accountable government, under a different title and a different form, was in existence from 1993 to 2005. As I said, it dates back to 1974, and it has been in place in various forms. There are changes that are made by various prime ministers when they come into office.

Information & Ethics committee  There is a document called Guidance for Deputy Ministers, as well as a guide for heads of agencies. Those lay out some of the principles of the Westminster system that speak to them. In particular around political activities, there's legislation that governs public servants. In terms of ethics, there is also the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Service.

Information & Ethics committee  Sure. They're all available on the PCO website; it's not a problem.

Information & Ethics committee  For ministers, I'm not aware of a specific certification that they sign. Again, there's a difference between the position of ministers and GIC appointees. Those who are appointed by the Governor in Council have certain rights under contract law. A certification, and so on, is an important process point that you have to take if you want to make it clear that under the conditions of the contract of their appointment there is an obligation to follow these ethical standards and guidelines.

Information & Ethics committee  I know and I'm getting there. I'm sorry for taking a while to get there. It's just that the distinction is important because there's a necessity to do it from a process perspective for GIC appointees that does not exist for ministers, because ministers have no position of contract.

Information & Ethics committee  It is part of their oath of office. As they're sworn in as a privy councillor, part of the oath speaks to upholding the highest values of public integrity.

Information & Ethics committee  I think there are a couple of things about accountable government. It does play to a multitude of audiences in the sense that not only is it important for ministers and ministers of state to understand how the system of government basically works, it's also important for deputy ministers and other senior appointees to understand how that system works.

Information & Ethics committee  On the laws and expression of the will of Parliament, we're working through the implementation of that law, and I'm certainly not aware of significant issues or problems in terms of the administration of the Lobbying Act.

Information & Ethics committee  The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner has the responsibility to investigate complaints—either self-initiated or brought forward by members of Parliament or senators, either in their own right or on behalf of a member of the public—with respect to whether a public office holder has gotten himself into a conflict of interest.

Information & Ethics committee  No, I don't think so. Accountable Government has had various titles over the years, but it's a document that was first produced in 1974 by Prime Minister Trudeau. It gets updated every time there is a change in prime ministers, and occasionally in between, when certain things change in the landscape.

Information & Ethics committee  No, I don't think so. In a Westminster system, the collective responsibility of ministers to cabinet and the consensus decision-making process are absolutely fundamental. One could argue that it's the defining characteristic of a Westminster system. It's what differentiates that system from a republican government in which you have various levels of government that all have power and collide, so as to end up either in deadlock or in some compromise.

Information & Ethics committee  With respect to the first question on the role of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner in relation to ethical matters, there are a couple of things to point out. One is that certainly the commissioner has a role to play in terms of conflict of interest, which is a subset of ethics.

Information & Ethics committee  The Lobbying Act is clear in that the burden is placed on those who are engaging in lobbying activities to register. The act provides for investigatory powers by the Commissioner of Lobbying to investigate situations where it comes to light that someone who should have been registered has not registered.

Information & Ethics committee  The Commissioner of Lobbying clearly has the authority to investigate if someone is engaging in lobbying activities who is not registered when they should be registered. The law does not create penalties for public office holders who meet with people who should be registered but haven't.