Enforcing the Act and Code

​​​​​​​​​​While prevention is the major focus of the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, the Commissioner also applies the enforcement provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons as necessary.

There are several means of enforcing the Act. The Commissioner can impose administrative monetary penalties and issue compliance orders. The Commissioner can also launch formal investigations of possible contraventions of the Act. Such investigations typically result in a report to the Prime Minister that is also made public.

The Commissioner can investigate possible contraventions of the Code. The Commissioner is not empowered to impose sanctions under the Code, but may recommend sanctions in investigation reports​ when a contravention of the Code has been found.