The Commissioner’s Office helps Members and public office holders learn what they must—and must not—do to avoid conflicts of interest. It also guides them on how to meet any reporting requirements.
- It publishes educational tools called information notices and advisory opinions. These explain how some provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act and the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons work, and how the Commissioner has interpreted them.
- It gives presentations to offices and organizations that include people who are subject to the Act.
- It offers educational sessions to Members and their staff (staff are not subject to the Code, but can help their Member comply with it), and to public office holders.
- It meets with the caucuses (groups of Members from the same political party) of recognized parties in the House of Commons, and independent Members.
- It sends an annual letter to public office holders without reporting obligations, reminding them of the Act’s rules.
- It shares information about the Act and the Code with people interested in conflict of interest. They include ethics practitioners, academics, journalists, and members of the public.
The Commissioner has a specific mandate under section 32 of the Code to educate Members and the public about the Code and the Commissioner’s role. There is nothing similar in the Act, but the Commissioner’s Office educates people about it as well.