Mr. Chairman, perhaps I'm going to surprise my Conservative friends, but I'd like to make this part of Bill C-2 a little less harsh. Subclause 35(1) states:
35.(1) No former reporting public office holder shall enter into a contract of service with, accept an appointment to a board of directors of [...]
We think there may be exceptional provisions. I used an example the other day. I did it pleasantly, but it was thought that that was not the case. We wouldn't want, for example, a former Minister of Justice with a clean record not to be able to work at a tribunal after his employment. On an exceptional basis, the Commissioner should be able to exempt a former public office holder upon request, but providing the name, conditions of the exemption and the reasons for his decision. That may occur once in 10 years.
I'm going to give you another example, which doesn't apply to Ottawa. Would this mean that a doctor who is a Minister of Health subsequently be unable to practise at a hospital? He wouldn't have been a lobbyist, he wouldn't have been corrupted, or anything like that. We want to ensure that, in some cases, the Commissioner can exempt former public office holders from this restriction, but on certain conditions.