Madam Speaker, my understanding was always that the Minister of Finance, as is expected of all parliamentarians, worked with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to ensure that the rules that govern all of us in the House were respected, which he did when he took office, right after the election.
My understanding is also that recommendations that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner might make were respected, as any parliamentarian can be expected to respect the determinations and recommendations of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner when she examines a parliamentarian’s situation and makes recommendations, and that those recommendations are enough not only to comply with the law, but also to avoid any appearance of conflict of interest, which the minister did immediately after taking office. He has always implemented the recommendations that he has received from the commissioner.
Last week, he announced that he would go even further, and I would remind my honourable colleague, whom I hold in high regard, that the minister would place all his assets in a blind trust, and the he would dispose of all shares that he and his family may hold in Morneau Shepell. I think that the idea is to ensure that we always work with the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, an institution responsible for safeguarding the integrity of this Parliament.
For me, that is where I always knew the finance minister was. He is a man of great integrity who has dedicated himself to public service for the last two years and achieved remarkable results for Canadians, as I noted in my speech.