About the Integrity Act

The Integrity Act came into force on July 1, 2001. Its purpose and principles are set out in the statute as follows: 

Purpose

1. The purpose of this Act is

(a) to affirm in law the commitment of the members of the Legislative Assembly to serve always the common good in keeping with traditional Nunavummiut values and democratic ideals; and

(b) to establish a system of standards and accountability for fulfilling that commitment. 

Principles

2. This Act is founded on the following principles:

(a) integrity is the first and highest duty of elected office;

(b) the people of Nunavut are entitled to expect those they choose to govern them to perform their public duties and arrange their private affairs in a way that promotes public confidence in each member's integrity, that maintains the Legislative Assembly's dignity and that justifies the respect in which society holds the Legislative Assembly and its members;

(c) the members of the Legislative Assembly are committed, in reconciling their public duties and private interests, to honour that expectation with openness, objectivity and impartiality, and to be accountable for so doing;

(d) the Legislative Assembly can serve the people of Nunavut most effectively if its members come from a spectrum of occupations and continue to participate actively in the economic and social life of the community. 

The Integrity Act establishes a number of general obligations and commitments on the part of all Members of the Legislative Assembly: 

General obligations and commitments

4. Each member shall

(a) perform his or her duties of office and arrange his or her private affairs in such a manner as to maintain public confidence and trust in the integrity, objectivity and impartiality of the member;

(b) refrain from accepting any remuneration, gift or benefit the acceptance of which might erode public confidence and trust in the integrity, objectivity or impartiality of the member, and in all other respects act in a manner that will bear the closest public scrutiny;

(c) arrange his or her private affairs in conformity with the provisions of this Act and act generally to prevent any conflict of interest from arising; and

(d) make all reasonable efforts to resolve any conflict of interest that may arise in favour of the public interest. 

The Integrity Act also provides that: 

Conflict of interest

8. A member shall not make a decision or participate in making a decision in the performance of his or her duties of office or otherwise exercise an official power  or perform an official duty in the exercise of his or her office if the member knows or reasonably should know that in doing so there is an opportunity to further the member's private interest or improperly to further another person's private interest. 

A current consolidation of the Integrity Act may be downloaded from this website in PDF format.