Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I wanted to draw the committee's attention to one point.
Several witnesses have expressed their concerns over the fact that this bill would really apply to all employees, regardless of their positions in the line structure and regardless of their responsibilities within a given agency. I want to share what they said. Since I unfortunately received it in English only, I will therefore share it in that language.
The Auditor General wrote this.
The Bill applies to all employees, no matter what duties they carry out. The Committee may wish to consider whether the objectives of the Bill could still be met by restricting its application to those senior managers and employees with authority, influence, and supervision over the work of the Office.
The letter we received from agents of Parliament reads as follows:
Finally, the coverage of this Bill is very broad. It applies to all employees at all levels. The Committee may want to consider whether the Bill should be limited to employees with decision making power or in positions of influence.
In addition, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Mary Dawson, stated the following:
Finally, the Bill is very broad and applies equally to all employees, regardless of level or whether they are in a position to make or influence decisions.
Consequently, we can see from the letter signed by all agents of Parliament that this is what they all request, that this apply only to persons who are in a position of influence and who really have decision-making responsibilities. They are concerned that this may affect all employees.
I am of the view that this amendment in fact directly addresses the concerns raised by the witnesses who are directly affected by this bill.
I therefore believe it is our duty to consider and adopt it.
Thank you.