Indeed. Our regulatory regime governing the conduct of elected officials includes a code for MPs and rules for public office holders.
Don't you think that separate rules should be created specifically for the prime minister? My second question will of course be about using an ethics screen.
Let me explain. The prime minister is the supreme authority of a council of ministers. When he deems that one of his ministers is in an apparent conflict of interest and that this will be problematic, he does not typically have to recuse that minister. It will be resolved. If the minister is recused, it is clearly the prime minister who decides who will be at the table.
A certain moral authority is incumbent on the prime minister, and yet the prime minister is not responsible to any moral authority. It is therefore up to his subordinates such as the Clerk of the Privy Council or chief of staff to tell the prime minister to recuse himself or to apply an ethics screen. To my mind, therefore, an ethics screen is a concept or term and does not appear to be operational right now. I have trouble understanding how it is managed.
Have you, Mr. McLaughlin and Mr. Stark, ever applied an ethics screen? Do you agree that separate rules should be created? The person who holds the highest office in the land must have exemplary conduct and be fully transparent.