Ethics Commissioner

The Office of the Ethics Commissioner opened on April 1, 1992.  The Office has two staff.

All Members of the Legislative Assembly are required to file annual statements with the Ethics Commissioner (called Members' Disclosure Statemements), listing all income, assets, liabilities, and financial interests for the Member, the Member's spouse, minor children, and private corporations controlled by them.  A public statement is prepared by the Ethics Commissioner's Office and is available for public viewing at the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly (8th Floor, Legislature Annex, Edmonton).

Members may seek the written advice of the Ethics Commissioner regarding Members' obligations under the Conflicts of Interest Act.  All advice given to MLAs is confidential.

Any person may request an investigation by the Ethics Commissioner into an alleged breach of the Act by the MLA.  The request for an investigation must be in writing and cannot be anonymous.  The Commissioner may refuse to conduct an investigation if the Commissioner believes the request frivolous or vexatious or if there are no grounds or insufficient grounds for an investigation.  Investigation reports are made public through the Office of the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.

Senior officials of the province (deputy minister-level positions) also file disclosure statements with the Commissioner.  No public disclosure statements are prepared.

Annual and investigation reports are submitted to the Legislative Assembly through the Speaker.

The Legislative Assembly is the final authority for determining discipline, if any, for Members of the Legislative Assembly and is the final decision-maker with respect to any recommendations made by the Ethics Commissioner as a result of an investigation.