As a reporting public office holder, you may be solicited by third parties with offers of outside employment. In this video, I will explain the Conflict of Interest Act's rules and reporting requirements regarding receiving or accepting firm offers of outside employment.
First, the term "outside employment" refers to employment that falls outside the scope of the Act's substantive conflict of interest rules. It includes:
employment with federal public sector entities or with a political party;
appointments to boards of directors;
partnerships;
positions that create an employer/employee relationship, and
most service contracts.
The Conflict of Interest Act's conflict of interest rules prohibit public office holders from being influenced in the exercise of an official power, duty or function by plans for, or offers of, outside employment.
Therefore, when you receive or accept a firm offer of outside employment—that is to say, any serious offer, whether written or verbal—you are required by law to disclose this information to our Office. You must do so within seven days of receiving an offer and within seven days of accepting an offer. You should not wait until a letter of offer or agreement is formally signed and executed to disclose the offer, even if there are still some matters open to negotiation between you and your future employer.
If you fail to disclose an offer or acceptance of outside employment within the seven-day deadline, you could be subject to an administrative monetary penalty of up to $500.
If you are considering accepting an offer, your advisor will review your disclosure and provide advice on the permissibility of accepting it in light of your current or post-employment obligations.
Keep in mind that although it is not mandatory to disclose an offer of outside employment that you receive after you leave public office, it is recommended that you contact our Office for guidance on complying with your post-employment obligations under the Act.
For more information on this or any other subject, please consult our website.
