Mr. Speaker, if I recall correctly, the hon. member, when speaking earlier, did refer to the code of conduct that is in place with respect to the ministerial responsibilities. I believe that in his commentary he did mention that he thought possibly that code may even be more strict in some areas than the code that is before us.
I believe that standards are appropriate within any setting where standards are required to be addressed. They should be clear and well stated. In this case there is nothing wrong with setting out standards. Even if the standards were already adhered to, I still believe that the setting of that again is also adding to the ability of each and every one of us to talk to our constituents throughout the country and to clearly state that there is a watchdog and that we are being careful in the way in which we deal with the matters of public interest.
I do not see the concern of cynicism in this regard. I believe that standards ought to be broad standards and that they should encompass the entire constituency of the House. In that end, we are trying to simply maintain, for not only our individual guidance but also for the protection of the public, a system of rules that are meaningful. I think the report will go a long way toward helping reduce any concerns that anyone may have raised because of incidents that might have occurred at the ministerial level.