NEWS RELEASE
Ottawa, March 30, 2023
Interim Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Martine Richard has released the List of Sponsored Travel 2022 under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons. It was tabled today in the House of Commons.
The list is an annual compilation of domestic and international sponsored trips accepted by Members of Parliament for themselves and their guests. Sponsored travel is any travel worth more than $200 that is not fully paid by the government, a political party, a recognized parliamentary association or by the Members. Within 60 days after the end of a sponsored trip, Members must disclose it to the Office. The information about the travel is then posted on the public registry.
In 2022, Members accepted 55 sponsored trips, with a combined declared value of $422,015.79.
The 2022 List includes an addendum reflecting a correction to the List of Sponsored Travel 2021.
QUOTES FROM INTERIM COMMISSIONER MARTINE RICHARD
“It appears that sponsored travel by Members has started to return to pre-pandemic levels. After accepting just seven sponsored trips for themselves and their guests in each of the previous two years, Members accepted 55 such trips in 2022.”
“Individual sponsored trips are publicly declared throughout the year and added to the public registry maintained by the Office. This list further supports transparency by giving Parliament and Canadians a more complete picture of sponsored travel by Members of Parliament.”
Additional Facts
Sponsored trips are not considered gifts under the Code so its gift rule does not apply to them. That rule prohibits Members from accepting gifts or other benefits that might reasonably be seen to have been given to influence them. However, all benefits (including gifts) received during sponsored trips must be disclosed in a Public Statement of Sponsored Travel by Members.
Subsection 15(3) of the Code requires the Commissioner to prepare an annual List of Sponsored Travel and submit it to the Speaker of the House of Commons by March 31. The first list published by the Office was for the 2007 calendar year. From 2007 to 2019, Members accepted an average of 83 sponsored trips a year. Because of pandemic travel restrictions, the number of trips dropped to seven in both 2020 and 2021.
Ministers and parliamentary secretaries are prohibited from accepting sponsored travel by the Prime Minister's guidance document, Open and Accountable Government. Under the Conflict of Interest Act, with which they must also comply, such travel would be considered a gift or other advantage and would therefore be subject to the Act's acceptability test for gifts and other advantages.
The Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner was created under the Federal Accountability Act. The Commissioner applies the Conflict of Interest Act for public office holders and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.
The List of Sponsored Travel 2022 is available in HTML and PDF formats and, upon request, as an Excel spreadsheet.
For more information, please call 613-995-0721 or email us.
