Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Wernick, the definition of “private interest” in section 2 of the Conflict of Interest Act does not include “an interest in a decision or matter that is of general application”.
Earlier, I asked you how many times you had to advise the Prime Minister to leave the room. Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch said that this exclusion means that the act does not apply to 99% of the decisions and actions of the most powerful people in the government. They only have to recuse themselves 1% of the time.
Given the fact that the world is changing and that we should at least cover a perceived conflict of interest, do you think we should expand this notion of private interest to a general interest provision?