Bob Dechert at the Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

And thank you, Mr. Wild, for your remarks.

You mentioned in your opening comments that a key component of the Federal Accountability Act was to strengthen conflict of interest rules for ministers and other public office holders. You said:

By enshrining conflict of interest rules for ministers and other public office holders in legislation and entrusting its administration to an independent officer of Parliament, Canada became the only Westminster country to have created a statutory regime for ministers in this area.

I thought that was quite interesting. Could you tell us what other countries with similar systems of government do, if they don't do what we do? For example, what is done in the U.K., and how would you compare Canada to the U.K. and other Westminster-type countries in that regard?