Question Period Note: Integrity of the Public Service (Non-partisanship, Values & Ethics, Conflicts of Interest)

What is the government doing to strengthen public service integrity in the wake of issues such as ArriveCAN?

• As a condition of employment, all public servants must adhere to the Directive on Conflict of Interest.
• They must identify and address any situations of real, apparent or potential conflict of interest.
• As of October 2024, all employees must resubmit a conflict- of-interest attestation annually.
• A review of the Directive on Conflict of Interest is also underway and the results will be communicated soon.
• We have one of the best public services in the world and we will continue to seek opportunities to maintain the highest levels of integrity and public trust.

The avoidance, prevention, and resolution of conflicts of interest are among the key ethical responsibilities of public servants and are essential to maintaining public trust. Because of the authority, influence, or power that public servants may exercise in their official responsibilities, they must resist any offers to exchange advantages for the exercise of that authority, influence, or power, and the appearance of having done so.
The Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector sets a high standard of ethical behaviour. Public servants must carry out their duties in a non-partisan and impartial manner, avoiding the appearance of a conflict of interest, ensuring that the public interest is protected, and providing decision makers with all of the information, analysis and advice they need in a candid and impartial manner. Public servants must be non-partisan in their work and serve each duly elected government loyally.

The Directive on Conflict of Interest provides direction to public servants on how to identify, prevent and resolve conflicts of interest. Compliance with the Code of Values and Ethics and the Directive on Conflict of Interest conditions of employment and breaches of either are subject to discipline up to and including termination of employment. The Deputy Head of each organization is responsible for the systems used in their organizations for reporting on conflicts of interest, and for supporting a positive culture of values and ethics.

The Parliamentary and media focus on ArriveCAN has led to a heightened interest in values and ethics and particularly Conflict-of-Interest declarations made by public servants in relation to contractual relationships with the Government of Canada.

On March 20, 2024, the former President of the Treasury Board and former Minister of Public Services and Procurement Canada announced a series of actions and commitments to enhance effective management of government procurement. One of the actions has been a review of the Directive on Conflict of Interest to clarify the responsibilities of employees who engage in contracting with the government.
The Office of the Comptroller General has also taken several actions in the past year to enhance integrity in procurement. These actions include:

• Release of an update to the Manager’s Guide: Key Considerations when procuring professional service with guidance to help managers make decisions that demonstrate a prudent use of tax dollars.
• Added new requirements to the Directive on the Management of Procurement to strengthen accountabilities. New requirements are related to values and ethics, documentation and reporting, and a requirement to integrate PSPC’s Code of Conduct for Procurement into all government procurements.
• Undertook a horizontal audit across several large departments to assess governance, decision-making, and controls associated with professional services contracts. Audit results were published in March 2025.

• Published a Guide to Mitigating Conflict of Interest in Procurement that highlights conflict of interest requirements in relevant laws and policies including reporting and monitoring, documentation, supplier obligations, and reporting fraud and wrongdoing.

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