A citizen's guide to understanding what your federal Members of Parliament and provincial/territorial representatives are responsible for, the rules that they must follow, and how they are held accountable to you.
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Your elected Member of Parliament (MP) or provincial/territorial legislator works for you. Here's what they are responsible for, the rules that they must follow, and how they are held accountable to you.
Your Member of Parliament (MP) is elected to represent you in the House of Commons. They have important responsibilities:
Note: Senators are appointed, not elected, and have different accountability mechanisms.
Federal elected officials are bound by strict ethical rules:
Multiple systems ensure your representatives answer to citizens:
Your provincial/territorial representatives handle issues that affect your daily life:
Provincial/territorial MLAs must adhere to ethics rules:
Accountability mechanisms protect the public interest:
Understanding what your elected MP does and the rules that keep them accountable
Senators are appointed by the Governor General on advice of the Prime Minister, not elected by citizens. While they play an important role in reviewing legislation, this guide focuses primarily on your elected representatives who are directly accountable to you through elections. Senators do have their own ethics rules and disclosure requirements administered by the Senate Ethics Officer.
Members of Parliament (MPs) are your voice in federal government. Here's what they do:
MPs debate and vote on bills in the House of Commons. These laws cover areas like criminal justice, immigration, taxes, national defense, and more. Bills must also pass the Senate (where appointed Senators provide "sober second thought") before becoming law.
Your MP represents your electoral district (riding) in the House of Commons. They're supposed to listen to your concerns, voice your interests in Parliament, and help you navigate federal government services.
MPs question government ministers during daily Question Period, examining their decisions and demanding answers. Parliamentary committees investigate government activities, review spending, and can call witnesses to testify under oath.
Your Right to Know: You can watch Parliament live online, read transcripts of debates, and see how your MP voted on every bill. This transparency helps you hold them accountable.
This law ensures that MPs in government positions (Cabinet ministers and parliamentary secretaries) don't use their power for personal gain.
What it requires: They must publicly disclose their finances, assets, and outside income. If they have a personal interest in a government decision, they must step aside. They cannot accept gifts or favors that could influence their decisions.
Who enforces it: The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner is an independent officer who investigates complaints. If they find violations, they publish a report for all Canadians to read.
Example: If a Cabinet minister owns stock in a company that could benefit from a government contract, they must either sell the stock or recuse themselves from any decisions about that contract. This applies to all MPs who become ministers.
What you can see: Every MP must file an annual public statement listing their income sources, assets over $10,000, liabilities over $10,000, and gifts they've received. You can look up your MP's disclosure online.
Why it matters: This transparency helps you identify potential conflicts of interest. If your MP is voting on legislation that could affect their personal investments, you have a right to know.
MPs cannot accept gifts worth more than $200 from anyone connected to their government duties. This prevents wealthy individuals or corporations from buying influence.
Exceptions: They can accept gifts from family, ceremonial gifts received in their official capacity, and normal hospitality like meals at events. But these must still be disclosed if they exceed the threshold.
How to file a complaint: If you believe your MP has violated ethics rules, you can write to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. The Commissioner can investigate and issue public reports on their findings.
You can request documents and information from Parliament and government departments through Access to Information requests. This helps you investigate how decisions are made and how money is spent.
Many committee meetings are open to the public, and some accept written submissions from citizens. You can watch committees examine government officials and hear expert testimony on important issues.
Federal elections must happen at least every 4 years. This is your ultimate accountability tool—if your MP isn't serving your interests, you can vote for someone else.
Stay Informed: Follow your MP's voting record on OpenParliament.ca, watch Question Period online, and attend town halls when your MP visits your community.
MPs' salaries are paid by taxpayers—you have a right to know what they receive.
All MPs receive the same base salary (currently around $194,600 per year, adjusted annually). This is public information.
MPs who hold additional positions receive extra pay:
MPs receive budgets for offices, staff, and travel. These are for parliamentary business, not personal use. Expense claims are published online so you can see how your MP spends taxpayer money.
After 6 years of service, MPs qualify for a pension when they reach age 65 (or earlier with reduced benefits). They contribute part of their salary to this pension plan.
What your MLAs do and how they're held accountable in your province or territory
Members of your provincial or territorial legislature (MLAs, MPPs, or MNAs depending on the jurisdiction) make decisions that affect your daily life more than any other level of government.
Healthcare: Your province runs hospitals, pays doctors, and manages healthcare services. Your MLA votes on healthcare budgets and policies.
Education: Provincial governments run public schools and fund post-secondary education. MLAs determine education funding and curriculum standards.
Roads and Infrastructure: Provincial highways, public transit in some cities, and much of the infrastructure you use daily is provincial responsibility.
Social Services: Programs like welfare, disability support, child protection, and many other social services are provincial.
Natural Resources: Provinces manage forests, minerals, and oil and gas (in most provinces), making decisions that affect the environment and economy.
Why This Matters: When you're waiting in a hospital emergency room, your kids' class sizes grow, or you're frustrated with road conditions—these are provincial responsibilities. Your MLA can influence these issues.
While each province and territory has its own specific rules, they all share common accountability principles:
MLAs in every jurisdiction must disclose their financial interests. This typically includes:
What you can access: Some provinces (like Ontario and BC) make detailed disclosures fully public online. Others provide summaries while keeping dollar amounts confidential. Check your jurisdiction below to see what you can access.
All provinces prohibit MLAs from using their position for personal financial benefit. If an MLA has a personal interest in a government decision, they must:
Example: If an MLA owns property that could benefit from a new highway being built nearby, they must declare this interest and cannot participate in decisions about the highway route.
MLAs cannot accept expensive gifts from people who might want to influence government decisions. Most provinces set thresholds (typically $200-$500) above which gifts must be reported or refused.
Exceptions: Gifts from family, ceremonial gifts received in their official capacity, and normal hospitality are usually permitted but must still be disclosed.
Every province has an Integrity Commissioner or Ethics Commissioner who:
In most jurisdictions, you can see your MLA's financial disclosure online or by requesting it from the legislature. This helps you identify potential conflicts of interest.
If you believe your MLA has violated ethics rules, you can file a complaint with your province's Integrity Commissioner. They'll investigate and issue a public report.
MLAs often hold town halls and constituency meetings. Attend these to ask questions directly and voice your concerns.
Most provincial legislatures stream proceedings online. Watch Question Period to see how your MLA holds the government accountable (or how government MLAs respond to scrutiny).
Legislative committees examine important issues and government spending. Many allow public submissions and hold public hearings.
Provincial elections typically happen every 4 years. This is your ultimate accountability tool.
Click your province or territory above to see specific information about your local representatives, including disclosure requirements, gift limits, and how to access accountability mechanisms.
Some important variations across jurisdictions:
| Aspect | How It Varies |
|---|---|
| Public Disclosure | Ontario and BC provide full public disclosure with dollar amounts. Alberta and Saskatchewan keep detailed amounts confidential but publish summaries. |
| Gift Limits | Thresholds range from $200 to $500. Some provinces require all gifts to be reported regardless of value. |
| Government Type | Northwest Territories and Nunavut use consensus government (no political parties). All other jurisdictions use party-based systems. |
| Post-Employment Rules | Cooling-off periods before former Cabinet ministers can lobby range from 1 to 2 years depending on the province. |
| Language | Quebec proceedings are in French. New Brunswick and Manitoba are officially bilingual. Nunavut has four official languages. |
Learn More: Click your province or territory above to see specific rules for your local representatives. Each jurisdiction page includes contact information for the Integrity Commissioner and links to access public disclosures.
Understanding the rules that keep your representatives honest and what happens when they break them
Elected officials hold enormous power—they make laws, control public money, and make decisions that affect millions of Canadians. Without strict rules, they could use this power to enrich themselves or their friends instead of serving the public interest.
These accountability rules exist to ensure that:
Your Role: Democracy only works when citizens stay informed and hold their representatives accountable. These transparency rules give you the tools you need to do that.
This is the most fundamental rule: elected officials cannot use their position to make money or benefit themselves personally.
What this means in practice:
Why it matters to you: Without this rule, wealthy interests could buy influence, and government decisions would serve politicians instead of citizens.
Most elected officials must publicly disclose their income sources, assets, and financial interests. This transparency helps you identify potential conflicts of interest.
What you can see:
How to access it: Federal MP disclosures are available online through the Ethics Commissioner's website. For provincial representatives, check your jurisdiction's section above for specific access instructions.
Real-World Example: If your MP is voting on legislation that affects the pharmaceutical industry, you can check their disclosure to see if they own pharmaceutical stocks—a clear conflict of interest.
Elected officials generally cannot accept gifts worth more than $200-$300 (varies by jurisdiction) from anyone connected to their government duties.
Why this matters: This prevents wealthy individuals, corporations, or lobbyists from buying influence by showering politicians with expensive gifts, trips, or entertainment.
What's allowed:
What must be reported: Even allowed gifts must be disclosed if they exceed the threshold, so you can see who's giving your representative gifts.
When an elected official has a personal interest in a government decision, they must declare it publicly and step aside.
Example situations:
When someone (including you, a citizen) files a complaint, the Ethics Commissioner or Integrity Commissioner investigates. They can:
If an elected official is found to have violated the rules, consequences can include:
Public Reprimand: A public report is issued detailing the violation, which becomes part of their permanent record and can hurt them politically.
Financial Penalties: Some jurisdictions allow fines, sometimes up to the member's entire annual salary.
Return of Benefits: If they improperly received gifts or benefits, they must return them.
Suspension: In serious cases, elected officials can be suspended from the legislature without pay.
Criminal Charges: If the violation involves criminal conduct (like fraud or bribery), the Commissioner can refer the matter to police.
Electoral Consequences: Even if not formally punished, ethics violations become public knowledge that voters can consider in the next election.
Important: The investigation reports are publicly available. You can read them online to understand exactly what your representative did wrong and what consequences they faced.
Before elections, look up candidates' financial disclosures (if they're current elected officials). See what business interests they have and whether they might conflict with the public interest.
Periodically check your MP or MLA's public disclosure to see if their financial interests have changed. Watch for new investments that could create conflicts.
If you have evidence that your representative has violated ethics rules, you can file a complaint with the Ethics Commissioner (federal) or your provincial Integrity Commissioner. They're required to investigate credible complaints.
When ethics violations are made public, use social media, letters to the editor, and public meetings to demand accountability. Public pressure can be powerful.
If you discover concerning information in financial disclosures or investigation reports, share it with your community. An informed electorate is essential for democracy.
As a Canadian citizen, you have the right to:
Stay Engaged: Democracy requires active citizens. Use these tools to hold your representatives accountable and ensure government serves the public interest.
This guide provides general information about elected officials' responsibilities and accountability rules. For jurisdiction-specific details:
Laws and rules are updated regularly. Always verify information with official sources when taking action.