CODES OF CONDUCT
The Canadian Parliament in Ottawa.
Code should be strengthened and improved to reflect changing realities and public expectations. In particular, it was determined that a clearer and more transparent process for conducting an inquiry into an alleged breach of the Code needed to be established, while greater depth needed to be given to the principles detailing acceptable behaviour.
After all, the Code had been established under that same Act that created the Senate Ethics Officer; nine years later, the integrity system the Code articulated had matured to a point where it needed to be broadened to reflect a more comprehensive public awareness of what modern professional conduct and ethics for parliamentarians should entail. After months of deliberation and consultation between the Standing Committee on
Conflict of Interest for Senators, the Senate Ethics Officer and Parliamentary counsel, the Senate adopted several key amendments in early 2014. The new Code now opens with the following statement: “Senators shall give precedence to their parliamentary duties and functions over any other duty or activity, consistent with their summons to the Senate, which commands them to lay aside all difficulties and excuses to perform their parliamentary duties and functions.”
This principle now stands front and centre, guiding Senators’ interpretation of the Code and providing a day-to-day reminder of the oath each of us took upon being summoned to the Senate. Senators were also now required to file annual statements of compliance with the SEO, confirming that they have read the Code and that, to
the best of their knowledge, they are in compliance with it. This preventive enforcement mechanism reflects the emerging norm in ethics regimes, including in Britain’s House of Lords and among senior public servants. It ensures that the Code remains current in Senator’s minds, as a source of guidance in their deliberations on matters of parliamentary ethics and behaviour. It also provides useful reassurance to the public. This was reinforced by a new, streamlined process for determining whether a Senator has not complied with his or her obligations. The new process consists of a preliminary review followed, if necessary, by an inquiry by the Senate Ethics Officer. Conducted at arm’s length from the Committee, this investigative process ensures that Senators themselves are no longer involved in
“The new Code now opens with: ‘Senators shall give precedence to their parliamentary duties and functions over any other duty or activity, consistent with their summons to the Senate, which commands them to lay aside all difficulties and excuses to perform their parliamentary duties and functions.’ ”
The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Two | 113
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76