New Labour in Government

Bell, Patrick

doi:10.1093/parlij/54.3.546

Cited by 1 publication

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“…The lack of clarity in the CIEC's mandate places the commissioner in a difficult position. Often, scholars criticize officers of Parliament for overstepping their prescribed role and engaging in mandate creep (Bell : 20; Thomas : 308). The CIEC, however, is often criticized for the opposite problem of defining her mandate too narrowly.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By contrast, some commentators maintain that officers provide a function that members of Parliament are simply unwilling or unable to perform themselves, and that the officers therefore supplement , rather than supplant, Parliament's accountability role (Stillborn ; Bell ). Bell notes that several officers have “insinuated themselves in their own mandates” and “crossed from commenting neutrally on the administration of certain values, to actively advocating for these same values in the political sphere” (2006: 19).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The impact and role of officers of Parliament: Canada's conflict of interest and ethics commissioner

Bergman¹,

Macfarlane²

2018

Can Public Adm

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Officers of Parliament play a vital role in providing parliamentarians with access to critical information and resources that allow them to hold the government of the day to account. Critics have argued officers have exceeded their mandates and even threaten to supplant the opposition. Canada's Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner (CIEC) holds a unique mandate, given that her primary focus concerns the behaviour of public office holders. This article draws on a comprehensive examination of the commissioner's reports and recommendations, and a content analysis of committee appearances to analyze and understand the impact and role of the CIEC. In contrast to the portrayal of other officers in the extant literature, we find that the office of the CIEC is constrained in its mandate and its impact limited by the nature and extent of its relationship with Parliament.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%