First of all we think that increased transparency is always good and that an absolute prohibition isn't always necessary to achieve transparency. This committee recommended a complete ban on gifts to public office holders under the Lobbying Act, and the government seemed to agree in its response to your report.
Our primary concern is that this needs to be handled very carefully, because the definition of gifts, although there is something of a definition in the guideline documents that support the act, extends to charitable fundraisers and gala dinners. I suppose on that basis, you, as elected members, might find yourselves politically compromised by attending the Canadian Women in Communications dinner, for example. It's coming up. That's why I thought of that.
If there's going to be some level of prohibition on gifts that a lobbyist can offer a public office holder, then I think first of all that level should be the same as the level that triggers disclosure on your part. As much as we can synchronize the rules on what can be given, and what has to be disclosed or forfeited, those should be the same. Most importantly, it has to be at a level that you, as elected members, are comfortable with. I think that's the starting point for that discussion. We can give you a reaction, but I think the starting point has to be whether you, as elected members, are comfortable with a lunch. Is a lunch going to influence you unduly? Is a dinner going to influence you unduly? Is a snow globe? I've been in your office, and I've seen the box of snow globes. You still didn't agree with us on that issue, so I don't think the snow globe is where we need to draw the line.