Information & Ethics Committee on June 14th, 2007

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

No, no—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Vincent, the question can be asked and answered, but just to clarify, no minister of the Crown gives directives to officers of Parliament.

You're free to comment on that.

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

I've never had difficulty in my career expressing my advice to anybody, including the minister for whom I worked, when I thought what he was about to do was not a good idea, either for legal reasons or for ethical reasons or for policy reasons of any sort. That is part of the function of a public servant, to give the best advice to a minister.

I was never a yes man to a minister, but in the final analysis one always, if it was legal and if there was no ethical problem, complied with whatever it was the government wanted to do.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you.

Mr. Dhaliwal.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Congratulations, Ms. Dawson, on this new portfolio that you have. I was going through your resumé, and it's very impressive. Particularly I would like to point out one piece of the most important document in Canadian history, and that is the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, on which you were the leader. Congratulations. When I look at this Canada, the Canada that enshrines the diversity, the equality, the individual rights, in fact this is why I chose it to be my Canada 22 years ago.

Congratulations on that. I know the person who believes in those principles is very fair and can think and can analyze situations. Even though the government never acknowledged the 25th anniversary, it's good to have a person of your calibre in this position. That's a very positive step forward.

When you were speaking, you talked about bringing a clarity to the Conflict of Interest Act. Could you outline some of the ideas that you might have to bring that clarity?

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

I'm very reluctant to outline any specific ideas at this stage, because I don't feel adequately briefed. I don't feel that I've studied it sufficiently to make any particular proposals. I also would want to develop any proposals I would have by consulting with a variety of different people, including parliamentarians.

I just have not come up with a platform of exactly what my position is on different parts of this act at this stage. But I do say that there isn't a huge amount of breadth in the act itself; it's rules that have to be complied with. Around the edges, I'm just not 100% sure where one needs to go, and I need to consider that very carefully.

[Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal, Newton—North Delta, BC]

Thank you. Congratulations and good luck. I look forward to working with you in the future.

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Mr. Stanton.

[Bruce Stanton, Conservative, Simcoe North, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I move that the nomination of Mary Elizabeth Dawson as Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner of Canada be concurred in, and that the chair report this to the House.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

That concludes our discussion.

Ms. Dawson, there is one more hurdle for you to cover, and that is in Parliament. I wish you well. I thank you very much on behalf of the committee for coming and listening to our questions and making your presentation. I wish you well.

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

Thank you very much.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, David Tilson]

Thank you.

The meeting is adjourned until Tuesday at 9 o'clock.