Procedure and House Affairs committee  There's no jurisdiction to deal with a situation after someone has left their elected office. With respect to work that they may have done beforehand, it may present itself in the form of a conflict in terms of relationships people have had and whether somebody is lobbying them for something.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through you, Madam Chair, the definition of “family” in the Members' Integrity Act is the nuclear family, which is the spouse, minor children and any other adult who is related to the person or his or her spouse, shares a residence with the person and is primarily dependent on the person or spouse for financial support.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through you, Madam Chair, the simple answer is, no, they continue. They're not affected by an election. They don't change until they get changed.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through you, Madam Chair, yes, I do. That's not specified in the act, and I therefore take it that I'm not prohibited from publishing guidelines. I have published guidelines on all of the topics, including gifts and letters of support, and they're on our website. Members and their staff have frequently commented to me on how helpful they are.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Going back to the legislative intern program, the one in Ontario is excellent. In fact, I've hired two of the legislative interns to my office to perform various functions. Yes, I have information I can give you on all of the topics you've just outlined. We have guidelines for letters of support.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Through the chair, Mr. Duncan, there is a legislative intern program where legislative interns are assigned to members. I speak to them every year. They come to my office, but I have no involvement with them beyond that.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Thank you for inviting me here today. In my opening statement, I'll provide you with a brief overview of certain features of the Members' Integrity Act, which is the Ontario legislation that sets out the ethical obligations for members of provincial Parliament. I will also comment briefly on some of the issues this committee will be considering in its review of the conflict of interest code.