Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. As far as Quebec is concerned, there are provisions in the code that govern the holding of multiple offices. When we talk about the members of the executive council, we are talking about an exclusive function. They cannot hold other offices, but MNAs can, and this is regulated.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you. In Quebec, the immediate family of an elected official is also defined quite restrictively. It is limited to the spouse, dependent children and dependent children of the spouse. From our side, this does not seem to be a problem when it comes to the code, since the article provides that one cannot favour one's family members.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  From our side too, the guidelines remain until we choose or feel it necessary to change them.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I think the preventative code process that has been put in place means that you cannot ask for advice on a situation that does not directly concern you or is purely hypothetical. Advice is confidential, obviously. The objective is to give advice on a real situation.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you. For our part, there is nothing in the Code of Ethics and Conduct of the Members of the National Assembly that prevents an elected official from speaking about an investigation request that they have submitted to the commissioner. Unlike the federal government, our code does not provide for a 15‑day deadline for examining a request.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I do have the authority to issue and publish guidelines on topics that I consider relevant, because there are a lot of questions on that in particular. In my case, it is expressly provided for in the Code of Ethics and Conduct of the Members of the National Assembly.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. I, too, will gladly answer these questions in writing. We also have guidelines that deal with letters of support. Like Ontario, we do not have a definition of the word “friend”. It is treated like the term “other person”, but I would be happy to discuss this and the rules governing gifts.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  In the National Assembly, we have interns from the Bonenfant Foundation, whose internship is similar to what you describe. However, the funding for these internships is through a foundation. So it's not really an issue on our side.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Madam Chair, members of the committee and fellow commissioners, before I begin, I would like to thank the committee for its invitation to participate in this consultation. The exercise that you have recently embarked upon is of great importance for our democratic institutions if they are to be in tune with the reality in which they operate.