QUESTION PERIOD — Privy Council Office
Ethics Training
November 29, 2023
Leader, I am returning to the importance of ministerial accountability. My question concerns a report from the Ethics Commissioner released in February when yet another member of the Trudeau government broke the Conflict of Interest Act. Former commissioner Mario Dion recommended:
. . . that the government consider mandating all ministers and parliamentary secretaries to receive training from the Office. Mandating training does not require changes to the regimes; the government must simply decide if it wants to require such training, and the Office will deliver it.
Leader, since this report was released in February, have any cabinet ministers or parliamentary secretaries from the Trudeau government received this ethics training? If so, how many? If not, why not?
It is very important for senators, for elected officials — all those who hold public office and in whom citizens place their trust — to adhere to the highest standards of behaviour. That applies to us here and, of course, to ministers.
I can speak to this personally. As a member of the King’s Privy Council and a holder of public office, I am subject to — as all ministers are — additional ethics codes. I have every confidence that ministers of this and all previous governments have done their best to adhere to the highest standards of conduct expected, properly so, by Canadians of them — and so will, I expect, all future governments.
My question was regarding whether any cabinet minister or parliamentary secretary has undertaken that training. I would like that response when you can provide it.
In an interview with the National Post Mr. Dion said:
If Trudeau is not going to hold himself accountable, and the party is not going to hold him accountable, well, he kind of has to not hold them accountable in return. It’s kind of a quid pro quo with his own party members.
Leader, if the Prime Minister can break ethics laws and get away with it not once but twice, how can he hold any member of his government or party to account?
As all senators know from having gone through the exercise together, one does one’s best to comply with those standards, and sometimes the interpretations of those standards don’t always jibe with what ultimately is resolved. But once again, we have every right to expect our government and holders of public office, whether here or in the other place, to comply with those standards to which we are properly subject.
