This has been fascinating, Mr. MacDonald. I think the issue of your saying that ethics is a situation is very profound because whenever government gets in trouble, they really demand that we have to be coming into the room as the body hits the ground and the smoke is leaving the gun. Even then, they say, “Well, you didn't actually see it happen, so you're not sure.” So we have to trust in the act.
The part of the act I'm interested in is section 6, about the public office holders recusing themselves and making a decision whether they “reasonably should know that, in the making the decision, he or she would be a conflict of interest.” It's the “reasonably knowing” part.
The situation we're in is Mr. Bill Morneau was flown to some very exotic places by WE, to the tune of at least $40,000; and I think he paid back more than $51,000, so maybe it's close to $100,000, when the gift limit is $200. His daughter gets hired by WE, as he's making announcements in his riding about WE getting contracts.
Mr. MacDonald, would you say that would meet the test that someone should reasonably know that those kinds of gifts would put him in a conflict of interest?