Manitoba Government Code of Conduct
Annex A: Code of Conduct for Political Staff
Application
This Code applies to all political staff who are advisors and assistants who support ministers (who are also known within government as "elected officials") in the performance of their public duties. They share the governing party's political commitment and contribute a particular expertise or point of view that other employees cannot provide due to their non-partisan role.
Political staff take into account political considerations in undertaking their work. They work for the government in roles that have a clear political dimension and they are not required to operate in a politically neutral way. However, they often work closely with other government employees and must make sure their interactions with them are free from political influence.
To ensure they have a clear understanding of their working relationships with other employees, political staff must also make themselves aware of the ethical expectations outlined in the Manitoba Government Code of Conduct. They must also make themselves aware of any other policies, codes and or mandates that affect the departments that they are supporting.
For clarity, this includes the Public Service Regulation - Part 6 (Political Staff), which gives detailed information on acceptable political activities (Section 6.6(1)), and outlines workforce management policies which apply to political staff (Section 6.4(1)). The Oath of Affirmation of Office for Political Staff Member, which must be followed, is set out the Oath or Affirmation of Office Regulation (Section 2).
Original Issued: July 25, 2019
Revised: February 26 and September 27, 2022
Version effective: May 3, 2024
