Procedure and House Affairs Committee on Dec. 4th, 2008

[Tom Lukiwski, Conservative, Regina—Lumsden—Lake Centre, SK]

Then perhaps if Mr. Albrecht wants to make the motion, whether we vote it up or down, at least we'll deal with it today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Is there unanimous consent to move to that motion? Great.

I'll call the question on the adoption of the forms.

(Motion agreed to)

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

Let's not get too excited yet.

Shall I report this to the House? The House will still have to adopt this report in order for the forms to be official.

Those in favour of my reporting it to the House? Any opposed?

[Some hon. members]

Agreed.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

That's carried.

I'm happy to entertain discussion on the educational activities or on the gifts while we still have Madam Dawson here. I think we should start a speaking list for that.

Mr. Guimond, you were on the list, so carry on.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Considering that the committee could shut down fairly soon, I'd like to know if committee members would all agree to allow a photographer from a local newspaper in my riding to take two or three photos of the committee at work. That would be nice, since we are all still on good terms.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

It would need unanimous consent, but I would also like to respectfully ask the witnesses if it is all right with them too.

Do I have unanimous consent for Mr. Guimond's question of taking a couple of pictures for a local newspaper back in his riding? Would the witnesses be okay with that?

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

Certainly.

[The Chair, Conservative, Joe Preston]

All right.

Mr. Cuzner.

[Rodger Cuzner, Liberal, Cape Breton—Canso, NS]

Regarding the request, was it the committee in action or the committee inaction? I don't mean to split hairs, but it was the interpretation.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

I don't want to delay the proceedings unduly, all the more so since we may be shutting down very soon.

I'd like to know how you assess the monetary value of a gift. Suppose Air Canada officials invite me to attend a hockey game at the Corel Centre and give me two or four tickets to seats in the corporate box. It's important to understand that these tickets are not available for sale to the general public. In years past, before I was elected to the House, I received tickets like this and there was no price listed on the ticket. How do you assess the monetary value of a gift like this?

I have another question and it concerns contracts with the Government of Canada. I've already had lengthy discussions with your predecessor, Mr. Shapiro, about how to interpret the advertising Members do for companies. In my opinion, Members who do so put themselves in a compromising position. I recall that Judge Ruffo, a youth court justice in Quebec, was strongly reprimanded by the Conseil de la Magistrature for appearing in a VIA Rail ad. The judge was seen riding in total comfort in a VIA Rail train. We're talking about a judge. Was Judge Ruffo authorized to enter into a contract with VIA Rail?

It's no secret here that my question concerns the independent Member for Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, Mr. André Arthur. This member has done some commercial advertising for Chrysler. As Members, are we authorized to advertise for one company at the expense of another? Can we use our position to extol the virtues of one product at the expense of another? Is this in keeping with our code of ethics?

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

I'll ask Gail Lidstone to answer that question.

[Gail Lidstone, Manager, Advisory, & Compliance, Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner]

I will start by addressing the issue of VIA Rail contracts. Members may not enter into contracts with the federal government, unless the Commissioner finds that there is no conflict of interest. In the case of VIA Rail, it may or may not be acceptable, depending on the specific details of the contract.

As for private sector companies...

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Excuse me for interrupting you. In other words, if, because of my duties as an MP, I regularly ride the train between Montreal and Ottawa and VIA Rail wants me to extol the virtues of train travel in a commercial, whether I'm paid or not for my services, as an MP, I'm not authorized to get involved because VIA Rail is Crown corporation. Did I understand you correctly?

[Gail Lidstone]

It may not be a good idea to enter into a contract, particularly if you are a member of the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities and VIA Rail officials could be summoned to testify .

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

I see. Take the case of Mr. Arthur, who served on the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology and appeared in a commercial for Maison Chrysler Charlesbourg. I can send you copies of the commercial. It runs so often that I'm tired of seeing it.

[Gail Lidstone]

I'm not comfortable discussing the details of another Member's case, particularly in this forum.

In accordance with section 7 of the code, certain activities are sanctioned. For instance, a Member can engage in employment or in the practice of a profession or carry on a business. There are two other categories as well. I'm not trying to be vague, but as I said, it is important to take into account a number of factors.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

You don't want to be vague, but you are in fact being vague.

[Gail Lidstone]

I admit it, but it's because your question concerns one Member in particular.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Let me put my question differently then. Can I do a commercial for an automobile dealership, whether or not I'm paid for my services? Can you answer that question with a simple yes or no?

[Gail Lidstone]

Are you a member of the Transport Committee?

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

No. I served on that committee for seven years, but I'm no longer a member. However, should we be looking at doing a commercial for an automobile dealership from a transportation standpoint, or from the standpoint of the automobile industry? Does that affect your question?

[Gail Lidstone]

No. You are correct in that it concerns the industry as well. I don't have the list of all of the committees handy. I'd have to do a bit of research. It is difficult to say whether that would be acceptable or not. It's always important to ask a number of questions.

[Mary Elizabeth Dawson]

The issues are always complex. We have to read every section of the code to determine exactly which provisions apply. It is very difficult to answer specific questions. We need some time to think about our answer.

[Michel Guimond, Bloc, Montmorency—Charlevoix—Haute-Côte-Nord, QC]

Could you take that time? It's just that several companies want me to appear in their commercials because I have a very nice voice and I'm quite handsome. I have a list of requests, so I'd very much like an answer. In any event, committee members know that I'm a very modest person.

I'll wait just a moment, because when we crack jokes in French, we find that committee members burst out laughing 20 seconds after the fact, despite our highly qualified interpreters.

So then, I would appreciate it if you would submit this hypothetical case to the clerk. I appreciate that you cannot give me an answer right now, but I still would like one.