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?

• As a condition of employment, all public servants must adhere to the Directive on Conflict of Interest and the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector.
• They must identify and address any situations of real, apparent or potential conflict of interest.
• Further to this, all employees must now 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 in due course.
• 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 is a condition 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 Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat continues to strengthen the federal public sector conflict of interest regime by modernizing policy instruments and by enhancing guidance and tools for employees, managers, executives and deputy heads. TBS promotes an ethical leadership and culture that supports the Values and Ethics Code for the Public Sector by providing organizations with policy advice, practical resources, and communities of practice that help embed public sector values into everyday behaviours and organizational practices.

The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (PSIC) has written to the President regarding the funding pressures faced by her office. Funding requests from the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner follow an established process consistent with its position within the portfolio of the President of the Treasury Board. When the PSIC identifies a need for additional funding, a request is submitted directly to the President of the Treasury Board for consideration. Treasury Board Secretariat officials do not have a formal role in managing or advancing such funding requests on behalf of portfolio organizations. If the President supports the request, a signed letter of support accompanies the transmission of the request to the Minister of Finance. Officials from the PSIC then engage directly with the Department of Finance, which is responsible for determining next steps with respect to the request, including whether and how it may be considered in future budgetary or estimates processes.

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