Nearly a year after the federal election, every member of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet has publicly available conflict of interest disclosure forms — except one.
Mandy Gull-Masty, Canada’s Minister of Indigenous Services, remains the only cabinet minister whose mandatory filing has not yet appeared in the public registry.
Under the Conflict of Interest Act, ministers must submit signed disclosures detailing personal and spousal financial interests, assets, trusts, and other income sources within 120 days of appointment.
According to reports, the ethics commissioner’s office indicated earlier this month that it was still awaiting additional information or a signature connected to Gull-Masty’s file.
Her office did not publicly confirm those specifics, stating only that the minister is working with the commissioner to ensure all required documentation is completed.
The office of the federal ethics commissioner declined to comment on whether the minister is formally in breach of the law or whether delays were caused by administrative processing. Officials noted that the full compliance process can sometimes take longer than 120 days depending on the complexity of a file and any measures required.
Ethics experts say the delay raises legitimate transparency concerns.
Former Ontario integrity commissioner staffer and governance specialist Ian Stedman said disclosure deadlines should be taken seriously and warned that repeated delays risk eroding public trust in elected officials.
The same report found that 26 Members of Parliament from multiple parties still do not have public conflict of interest disclosures available.
Those MPs come from several political parties, including Liberals, Conservatives, and the Bloc Québécois, suggesting the issue extends beyond one minister or one party.
The ethics commissioner has authority to impose modest monetary penalties for late paperwork, though officials say such fines are not typically issued when the compliance process is actively progressing.
Observers say the broader concern is not only late forms, but ensuring Canadians can verify that those managing public money are acting free from undisclosed private interests.
Conflict of interest disclosures are reviewed and updated annually, meaning a new reporting cycle will begin again in the coming months.
For now, the spotlight remains on why one cabinet minister’s filing is still absent — and whether Ottawa’s ethics system needs stronger enforcement or clearer public explanations.