In terms of grey areas, I identified a few. My colleagues referred to them earlier.
I looked at the definitions of “family” and “friend,” the activities that we can do and the sources of the gifts. I asked the Ethics Commissioner many questions about the last item and I'm still not convinced that I've understood all the sources.
We're allowed gifts under $30. However, there may be times when the total value of the gifts exceeds that amount, even if the gifts are from different people, but from the same source.
I honestly don't think that this type of situation would happen to me. That said, imagine that a member has a definition in mind when they think of someone whom they don't necessarily consider a friend or a family member. I think that Mr. Barrett was talking about this earlier. Imagine that the definition provided by the Ethics Commissioner shows that the person is considered a friend or family member and the member's reputation is tarnished.
Has there ever been a case where ambiguity in the definitions has resulted in disciplinary action against a member, even if that member didn't act in bad faith?