Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Daphne Meredith provided you with the overview and our response to the Auditor General's report. I'd now like to briefly add some elements from the perspective of a deputy head and an accounting officer.
The values and ethics code and the conflict of interest measures it contains set the overarching principles that apply to the public service as a whole. Based on these principles, every organization and every deputy head must take them into account and apply them to his or her organization to manage conflicts of interest. To do that, they must take their business lines, the variety of their stakeholders, and of course their mandate into consideration.
Determining when a conflict of interest exists can be quite complex. Conflicts can appear in several forms, and what constitutes a conflict of interest in one organization may not necessarily materialize in another.
I have been the deputy head of three organizations and in each one of these, I have led discussions with my management team and our employees on what constitutes a conflict of interest.
For example, at Canada Economic Development for the Quebec Regions, we promoted dialogue and put in place mechanisms so that employees could be totally comfortable to ask questions on conflict of interest and to disclose any conflict (real or potential) related to the grants and contributions we were reviewing and awarding.
The situation was different at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, where potential conflict issues could arise about fisheries management regulations. In this case, employees are not allowed to hold a fishing licence. All that to say that conflicts of interest vary depending on the nature and activities within a given department.
At the Treasury Board Secretariat, where I am currently posted, conflict of interest risk management is done through a broad approach, since our employees have access to key information via departmental submissions. Consequently, every deputy could provide examples of risks and issues that they have to pay attention to in their organization.
Because some of these cut across multiple organizations, one of the ways Ms. Meredith's team helps departments is to provide a forum to share best practices through the values and ethics network.
Ultimately, deputy heads are responsible for applying the code and imbedding its principles and practices in their organization and with their employees. In so doing, they have to identify the risks inherent to conflicts of interest—apparent, perceived, or real—and take steps to mitigate them by developing tools and guidance to support their employees. It is also the responsibility of the employee to manage and identify his or her conflicts.
We are available to answer your questions.
Thank you.