Officers of Parliament: Accountability, virtue and the Constitution

Abstract

The officers of Parliament now form a group which includes the Auditor General and seven other "ethical regulators"i. Because of its independence and the nature of its members' mandates, this group is thought to be key to restoring the public's faith in government. However, the officers do not clearly fall within one of the three branches of government and are not fully subject to democratic accountability mechanisms, raising questions about the legitimacy of their exercise of authority. This thesis explores alternative theories for supporting the legitimacy of officers of Parliament and draws lessons from that exercise for the future development of this virtues-based institution.