Information & Ethics committee  We want to confirm that with the evaluation. The reason we feel it has been quite successful is based on a couple of things: informal feedback from those agents who have had the opportunity to appear before the panel, as well as, I would suggest, the time that was required to get to some fruitful and positive outcomes.

Information & Ethics committee  Of the previous panel?

Information & Ethics committee  I may have that here.

Information & Ethics committee  Sure. We'd be happy to get that back to you.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, sir, that would be a correct interpretation. This is somewhat of a novel undertaking for the Government of Canada. There are a number of other jurisdictions that have models that are somewhat, though not precisely, the same, but it is new to us. It's for that reason, the newness of it, that we've initiated a pilot before going to a permanent structure, because we did not want to presume at the outset that we would get it perfectly right on the first go.

Information & Ethics committee  The initiative, the conception of the initiative, and some of the analysis and research that went on were led by the secretariat, yes, sir, but I'd be wrong to say that it's fully and utterly within the sphere of control and influence of the secretariat, because obviously there are many players, not the least of whom are the parliamentarians who have agreed to sit on the panel.

Information & Ethics committee  No. To my knowledge, it is not predetermined.

Information & Ethics committee  There have not been criticisms to date, but we have identified in the work of last year, in discussions with agents, two potential areas, at a minimum, that we might take a look at. One has to do with the synchronicity between the panel process and the fiscal cycle, the estimates cycle.

Information & Ethics committee  My understanding, Mr. Chair, and I'm learning as I go here, is that the makeup of the panel is determined through a somewhat collaborative process. It begins with contact with the office of the House leader, who in turn contacts counterparts, and then it's up to the whip in each party to identify potential members.

Information & Ethics committee  I have perhaps a partial explanation for it. Certainly when the government first took office, as we know, their top priority was the Federal Accountability Act. That took a tremendous amount of effort at the front end, and concentration. But even during that period, the President of the Treasury Board, in introducing the action plan related to the proposed Accountability Act, signalled his interest in re-establishment of the policy.

Information & Ethics committee  Yes, sir. In fact, the Ethics Commissioner is set up differently from a machinery point of view. Hard-coded into the legislation is the fact that the funding considerations of that body will be considered by the Board of Internal Economy, which is a separate track from the one that's envisaged by the panel.

Information & Ethics committee  It's very definitely my feeling that this process is working very well. I would never want to presume the outcome of the considerations of people that go beyond myself, but certainly the experience and the advice the secretariat is offering is that the panel is working very well.

Information & Ethics committee  Thank you. Mr. Chair and honourable members, I'd like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to appear before the standing committee today to discuss the new funding and oversight mechanism for officers of Parliament. Accompanying me today is Ms. Carol Bradley, Executive Director in the Government Operations Sector, and Ms.