Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  There are exceptions as well for gifts. In the case of a member of Parliament who has functions to attend, there's the exception if it might “reasonably be seen”, because this organization is dealing with you on a regular.... There is an exception for you to accept that gift, even if it can “reasonably be seen to have been given....”

Information & Ethics committee  Ministers.

Information & Ethics committee  We carry out our mandate in good faith. We use the information that is given to us to provide advice. If we are not informed of a situation, if an MP or a minister does not consult with us, we cannot provide advice. In that context, we don't necessarily know what situations are coming up.

Information & Ethics committee  Indeed.

Information & Ethics committee  The act says that it it is mandatory to disclose gifts or other advantages when their total value exceeds $200. However, there are exceptions. For example, a public office holder would not be obliged to communicate with the office of the commissioner if they receive a gift from their family worth $200 or more, because they are not obligated to make a disclosure in this situation.

Information & Ethics committee  In the past, after an election, we always reached out to caucuses to offer training to their members, and some of them did accept the invitation. We do go and make a presentation. Others decline. It's up to the caucuses to make that determination. For public office holders, we do not have such formal training organized.

Official Languages committee  Exactly.

Official Languages committee  In terms of investigations, it's never happened. For penalties, I believe it's happened once or twice.

Official Languages committee  No. As we said in our initial presentation, once the information is publicly disclosed, people don't want to see their name mentioned in the media.

Official Languages committee  I'm not an expert in official languages. However, when we administer our system, we follow a process of fairness in determining the penalty. We consider the history and situation as it is presented. There may have been violations, but they were proven. If an individual responsible for administering that system had the tools needed to strike a balance between a complaint and an offence and mitigate the result accordingly, that could be reasonable.

Official Languages committee  In our case, the commissioner issues reports. On our website, we have reports indicating that certain individuals have contravened rules under the Conflict of Interest Act.

Official Languages committee  No, it doesn't go to three or four times.

Official Languages committee  There may be cases where it happens twice. In those cases, the commissioner is of the opinion that the information must be publicly disclosed and that it's then up to Canadians to do something.

Official Languages committee  Indeed, it's to encourage compliance.