Summary

This bill amends The Members' Conflict of Interest Act to define apparent conflicts of interest and require MLAs to disclose detailed descriptions of businesses held by private or holding companies they or their family members control, including operating names in addition to legal names.

Under current Saskatchewan law, MLAs must disclose various private interests, but the act does not define what counts as an apparent conflict of interest, and disclosure requirements for businesses held through private companies are limited. This bill creates a formal definition: an apparent conflict exists when a reasonably well-informed person could properly perceive that an MLA's private interest must have affected their official duties. It also expands disclosure requirements so that when an MLA or their family controls a private company or holding company that itself operates businesses, the MLA must file a detailed description of those businesses, including the names those businesses actually operate under, not just the legal name of the holding company. This means if an MLA's family holding company owns a restaurant or consulting firm, the public disclosure would include that operating business, not just the holding company's legal name.