July 8, 2024 - The Senate Ethics Officer (SEO) is pleased to inform that the Standing Committee on Ethics and Conflict of Interest for Senators (the CONF) has issued Directive 2024-01 Friendship Groups (section 5 and paragraphs 28(1)(c) and 31(1)(c)) pursuant to the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Code for Senators (the Code).
Pursuant to subsection 37(2) of the Code, CONF may, after consultations with the SEO, give general directives to the SEO concerning the interpretation, application and administration of the Code. The SEO is then required to interpret, apply and administer the Code in accordance with any such directive.
The directive states that “Participation in a friendship group does not constitute participation in an outside activity for the purposes of section 5 of the Code. A senator is therefore not required to disclose participation in a friendship group to the SEO under paragraph 28(1)(c), nor does that participation need to be disclosed in a senator’s public disclosure summary under paragraph 31(1)(c).”
Senators remain subject to any other applicable provisions of the Code in relation to their participation in friendship groups, including sections 8, 9, 10, 17 and 18.
This directive comes into effect on July 8, 2024. It can be found at: https://seo-cse.sencanada.ca/media/cm4auhel/directive-2024-01-friendship-groups-section-5-and-paragraphs-28-1-c-and-31-1-c.pdf