Ethics Newsline®

OTTAWA
Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper last week nominated a constitutional lawyer and longtime government official to take over as the new federal ethics commissioner.

Mary Dawson will administer the new Conflict of Interest Act, which lays out ethics guidelines and post-employment rules for public office holders, the Vancouver Sun reports.

Political observers say Dawson’s tenure probably will determine whether the ethics commission becomes a credible institution or remains mired in political squabbling, according to an analysis from the Toronto Globe & Mail.

The previous ethics commissioner, Bernard Shapiro, was accused by Harper of political bias and had run-ins with several members of Parliament, according to the Toronto Star.

Harper also forwarded the nomination of Christiane Ouimet as public integrity commissioner, responsible for enforcing the Canadian law that protects government whistle-blowers.

Both nominations are subject to approval by various parliamentary committees, CTV reports.