Information & Ethics committee  Aspects of the Accountability Act have changed how the government functions in some very fundamental ways. In particular, I would suggest that the accounting officer regime and reminding deputy ministers of their role in the management of their organizations has had the desired i

Information & Ethics committee  I wouldn't say that it's my job to advise the Prime Minister on specific situations that may arise in terms of how to apply the principles in accountable government; it's certainly my job to advise the Prime Minister in terms of the writing of accountable government. If asked, ce

Information & Ethics committee  Ultimately, Mr. Chairman, the members of the committee will judge whether I have credibility or not. I give the best answers that I can. Do I think it affects my credibility? No. I think I'm answering as one would expect a public servant to answer questions that are asking a publ

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  When it comes to the specifics of the cheques, I'm not particularly in a position to comment on those areas. I'm not an expert on the government's communications policy or the federal identity program, and as I mentioned before, I think these questions were fairly fully canvassed

Information & Ethics committee  Again, I'm not the expert on the policies around communications and advertising. I think those are questions that are better put to the secretary of the Treasury Board.

Information & Ethics committee  I don't know.

Information & Ethics committee  It's stricter certainly in the sense that you've gone from a code to a set of laws, and I guess in the writing down of those laws, one has to be more specific in the terminology that is used than you would be in a code. In other words, a code can have some inherent flexibility

Information & Ethics committee  It's certainly different, particularly in the sense that in establishing the office, the statute defines investigatory powers that are more encompassing than for any of the predecessors.

Information & Ethics committee  The 2008 edition is new from the 2007 edition, but the differences between those two editions are fairly minor.

Information & Ethics committee  There are far more substantive differences in the editions of 2006 and 2007, in that 2006 predates the Federal Accountability Act. The 2006 edition was issued by the Prime Minister upon coming into office in February. The 2007 edition is post the passing of the Federal Accounta

Information & Ethics committee  Most of the Westminster countries take what some commentators would call an integrity-based approach to ethics and conflict of interest, in that it's done through a series of guidelines and guidance documents. The United States, which does not have a Westminster system, is prob

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  I certainly don't see any reason why Parliament can't establish whatever standing committees it wishes, to conduct whatever business it wishes, so long as it doesn't offend the constitutional division.

Information & Ethics committee  I'm sorry, the...?