I think it is a fundamental principle. I think the Prime Minister and various prime ministers have identified it in the guidelines Accountable Government as a fundamental principle for ministers and ministers of state. I think it is preferable to set out those principles or those provisions in law rather than to leave them in guidelines.
The principle of non-interference or perceived non-interference in judicial matters certainly goes back a number of decades in Canada, and there have been serious consequences for ministers of various political parties who have run afoul of that provision.
That is why I think it should be expressly articulated in the Conflict of Interest Act.