Alliance leader Stockwell Day, Progressive Conservatives leader Joe Clark and NDP leader Alexa McDonough have called for various investigations into the matter. Day has backed off from calling the Prime Minister's actions "criminal" and is now referring to them as "improper." The Prime Minister says he did nothing wrong, and was merely doing his job as a member of parliament. The Ethics Counsellor has taken another look at the case, and says that the Prime Minister did not violate any rules on how ministers should deal with government agencies.

Just what rules constrain our politicians and government officials, and what behavior does the public expect?

First of all, there are lots of laws covering criminal behavior. Canada's Criminal Code covers bribery and influence peddling, and suspected breaches are properly handled by the police and the courts.

Ethical decisions for those most likely to be able to influence critical decisions in the Canadian federal government are handled by the Ethics Counsellor. The position was created in 1994 by Mr. Chrétien himself. The office deals with potential conflicts of interest for the Prime Minister and other members of Cabinet. It also covers their spouses and dependent children, as well as members of their political staff. Senior public servants - about 1200 to 1300 of them - are also covered. The office also administers the Lobbyists Registration Act and the Lobbyists' Code of Conduct.

There is no conflict of interest regime for backbench MPs and Senators in Canada.

The Ethics Counsellor, currently Howard Wilson, reports to the Prime Minister, not to Parliament, however.

The emphasis in the system in Canada is on avoidance and guidance - not on monitoring and enforcement. Canada decided against using a system similar to the United States, which rigidly codifies ethical behvior. The Ethics Counsellor says that people come forward with questions when they know they will get advice to keep them out of trouble.