Tag

Ethics Commissioner

2 articles

LegislationJune 23, 20266 min read
Canada Has a Set of Watchdogs Who Answer to Parliament, Not the Government. Here's Who They Are and What They Can Actually Do.
Canada's federal accountability system relies on a set of independent watchdogs commonly called the Officers of Parliament (and related agents and commissioners). Their defining feature is independence from the government: they are appointed through processes involving Parliament, report to Parliament rather than to a minister, and have security of tenure designed to insulate them from political pressure. The core group includes the Auditor General (audits how government spends money and whether programs deliver value), the Parliamentary Budget Officer (independent analysis of the nation's finances and the cost of proposals), the Chief Electoral Officer (administers elections), the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner (enforces the conflict-of-interest rules for ministers and MPs), the Commissioner of Lobbying (administers the lobbying registry and code), the Information Commissioner (oversees access-to-information rights), the Privacy Commissioner (oversees how government and, in part, the private sector handle personal data), the Commissioner of Official Languages, and the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (whistleblower protection). Their powers vary — some can compel documents and testimony, some can levy findings of wrongdoing, some can order release of records — but they share a structural limit: most can investigate, audit, and report publicly, but cannot themselves punish, fine, or compel the government to change course. Their power is the power of disclosure: putting findings on the public record so Parliament, the press, and voters can act on them. That is precisely the lever this site is built around.
AccountabilityApril 19, 20265 min read
Chris d’Entremont Won by 533 Votes as a Conservative. Six Months Later, He Was a Liberal — and Democracy Watch Filed an Ethics Complaint.
On November 4, 2025 — the morning of the federal budget — Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont became the first Conservative to cross to Mark Carney’s Liberals, six months after winning re-election by 533 votes on the Conservative ticket. Within ten days, the watchdog group Democracy Watch filed a formal complaint with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, arguing that d’Entremont’s loss of his Deputy Speaker salary top-up created a financial motive that warranted investigation under the Conflict of Interest Code. The Commissioner declined to investigate.

Canada Has a Set of Watchdogs Who Answer to Parliament, Not the Government. Here's Who They Are and What They Can Actually Do.

Canada's federal accountability system relies on a set of independent watchdogs commonly called the Officers of Parliament (and related agents and commissioners). Their defining feature is independence from the government: they are appointed through processes involving Parliament, report to Parliament rather than to a minister, and have security of tenure designed to insulate them from political pressure. The core group includes the Auditor General (audits how government spends money and whether programs deliver value), the Parliamentary Budget Officer (independent analysis of the nation's finances and the cost of proposals), the Chief Electoral Officer (administers elections), the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner (enforces the conflict-of-interest rules for ministers and MPs), the Commissioner of Lobbying (administers the lobbying registry and code), the Information Commissioner (oversees access-to-information rights), the Privacy Commissioner (oversees how government and, in part, the private sector handle personal data), the Commissioner of Official Languages, and the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (whistleblower protection). Their powers vary — some can compel documents and testimony, some can levy findings of wrongdoing, some can order release of records — but they share a structural limit: most can investigate, audit, and report publicly, but cannot themselves punish, fine, or compel the government to change course. Their power is the power of disclosure: putting findings on the public record so Parliament, the press, and voters can act on them. That is precisely the lever this site is built around.

Chris d’Entremont Won by 533 Votes as a Conservative. Six Months Later, He Was a Liberal — and Democracy Watch Filed an Ethics Complaint.

On November 4, 2025 — the morning of the federal budget — Conservative MP Chris d’Entremont became the first Conservative to cross to Mark Carney’s Liberals, six months after winning re-election by 533 votes on the Conservative ticket. Within ten days, the watchdog group Democracy Watch filed a formal complaint with the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, arguing that d’Entremont’s loss of his Deputy Speaker salary top-up created a financial motive that warranted investigation under the Conflict of Interest Code. The Commissioner declined to investigate.