Accountability and transparency highlighted in Office’s 2022-2023 annual reports

​​NEWS RELEASE

Ottawa, September 18, 2023

Preventing public office from being used for private gain and supporting transparency were at the heart of the Office's activities again last fiscal year. Details are in its 2022-2023 annual reports under the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons. They were tabled in Parliament today and posted online:

• 2022-2023 annual report under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons

• 2022-2023 annual report under the Conflict of Interest Act

The reports show how the Office carried out its mandate in key activity areas like direction and advice, education and outreach, and enforcement.

The Office continued to give public office holders and Members of the House of Commons proactive guidance on conflict of interest issues. As captured in the quarterly reports, it also responded to 3,350 requests for advice from regulatees. Of note, requests for advice under the Act about gifts more than tripled from the year before. The Office issued two advisory opinions under the Code.

The Office acted to better understand the needs of its audiences and to make its communications and outreach activities more effective. Even before the Code was amended in March 2023 to include mandatory training, the Office started reshaping how it reaches Members to provide education and training. Its efforts were guided, in part, by the results of an October 2022 survey of Members that achieved a response rate of 43%. During the last fiscal year, the Office reached over 300 regulatees through 24 targeted educational sessions and presentations.

It also took enforcement measures as needed. For example, it issued two examination reports under the Act: the Fergus Report and the Ng Report. It also reported on three referrals from the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner, none of which resulted in an examination. No investigation reports were released under the Code.

Quote from Inte​​rim Commissioner von Finckenstein

“Although released under my watch, everything reported in the annual reports was accomplished under previous leadership. During my interim appointment, I intend to focus on managing the Office in its important work and to help elected and appointed officials avoid conflicts of interest."

Additional Facts

• The Conflict of Interest Act applies to almost 2,950 individuals. They include:

• Almost 1,500 public office holders without reporting obligations such as part-time members of federal boards, commissions and tribunals and some part-time ministerial staff.

• Some 1,450 reporting public office holders such as ministers and parliamentary secretaries, ministerial staff and full-time Governor-in-Council appointees.

• The Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons applies to all 338 elected Members of Parliament. Members who are ministers or parliamentary secretaries are also subject to the Conflict of Interest Act.

• The Office maintains a searchable public registry. It contains all the information about individual regulatees that the Commissioner is authorized to make public. There were 80,500 public registry visits in 2022-2023, up almost a third from the year before.

• Quarterly statistical reports contain data on various activity areas. Data for the full fiscal year is in the annual reports.

• Financial reports and annual financial statements are published transparently on the website when available.

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For more information, please call 613-995-0721 or email us.​​​​​​​