Evidence of meeting #86 for Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was friend.
A video is available from Parliament.
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
Even if the distinction is gotten rid of, if you own 100% of your assets in one entity and you put it in a blind trust, what do you suppose is in your blind trust? You know.
12:35 p.m.
NDP
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
You need additional measures. The act has the powers in sections 29 and 30 to establish those, and that's what our office has done.
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Thank you. That's helpful.
As the committee pursues strengthening the act, I hope, because it needs some strengthening, anything that has 70, 80, or 89 recommendations from the watchdog sounds to me like an act that could use some—
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
Some of them are tiddly little things, but some of them are really important.
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Yes, not all are equivalent, but just the sheer number should strike most Canadians. Canadians are going to look back at this and ask, “Are the rules sufficient right now, in 2018, to keep ethical behaviour as the norm?”
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
But you know, they're not bad. The fact of the matter is that compared to the rest of the world, we're pretty good. Also, the other thing is that people are pretty good generally. This stuff can get blown out of proportion. Generally, people want to do the right thing.
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Sure, but the reason we have rules is that when people do the wrong thing intentionally—
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
Yes, and we need watchdogs, not for the good people doing the good things—
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
We need the watchdogs and the rules for people—even the good ones—when they're doing the wrong things.
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
Actually, we need them for everybody so that they know what the rules are.
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
Yes, and some people will say, “Look, I know I'm good, so I don't need to worry about these rules.”
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
No, you can't legislate out stupid. We've tried.
I want to know about when the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister's Office saw the findings, because you said they didn't see the conclusions until you reported this. Is that right?
12:35 p.m.
NDP
Nathan Cullen NDP Skeena—Bulkley Valley, BC
When were the findings seen? I'm looking through the findings. They're all pointing in one direction. When were the findings shown to the Prime Minister's office?
12:35 p.m.
As an Individual
When I showed the facts.... Sorry; what do you mean by “findings”?