Code of Ethics

• Act as representatives of the Conseil with professional artists, arts organizations and citizens according to the spirit of the values, ethical standards and rules of conduct contained in this Code.
• Evaluate applications as part of the General Funding Program, touring program and fiscal sponsorship and reach a decision on interdisciplinary files.
• Recommend finalists for the Grand Prix du Conseil des arts de Montréal.
• Perform their duties in good faith and with integrity, fairness, impartiality, competence, conviction, efficiency and loyalty.
• Conduct themselves in a manner that will survive the closest public scrutiny. To fulfill this obligation, it is not enough to simply follow the rules.
• Evaluate the artistic merits of applicants with rigour, neutrality, objectivity and professionalism, giving fair treatment to all without partisan consideration and avoiding discrimination of any kind.
• Conduct themselves in a fair and honest manner while avoiding placing themselves in a situation where they would be beholden to anyone who might unduly influence them in the performance of their duties.
• Be responsible for their decisions and actions as well as the judicious use of the resources and information at their disposal.
• Maintain the confidentiality of the information to which they have access in the performance of their duties.
• Perform their duties in accordance with the directions and decisions taken by Conseil authorities.
• Show consideration for all people with whom they interact when carrying out their duties.
• Be courteous, attentive and discrete toward persons with whom they interact in the course of their duties.
• Be courteous, attentive and discrete toward persons with whom they interact in the course of their duties.

• Use any confidential or privileged information for unauthorized purposes.
• Derive benefit from their appointment, both during their term of office and after its expiration.
• Publicly express partisan political views on matters that concern the Conseil or that create a link between the expressed opinion and their status as members.
• Go beyond their official duties to assist persons or entities in their dealings with the Conseil, where this may result in preferential treatment.
• Directly or indirectly use or permit the use of Conseil property, including leased property, for purposes other than officially approved activities.
• Provide any third party with the benefits of membership in the Conseil, including entertainment tickets, unless the third party is accompanying the member.

At the end of their term, members must also return to the Conseil all documents given to them that are not in the public domain.

Failure of a member to attend three (3) consecutive meetings of his or her Evaluation Committee without an excuse deemed satisfactory by the Conseil shall result in a termination of the member’s term of office.

The inability or refusal of a member to act or the member’s resignation will also result in the office of that member being vacated.

A) Definitions

A conflict of interest is an actual, apparent or potential situation that is likely to compromise the independence and impartiality necessary to carry out a duty and pursue the goals of the Conseil, or a situation in which a member uses or seeks to use the attributes of his or her position to obtain an undue advantage or provide an undue advantage to a third party.

The Conseil has identified situations (each, an “interest”) that give rise at first sight to conflicts that result in the application of measures outlined in B) below. However, the list of situations is not exhaustive and each member must exercise judgment in identifying other situations where he or she cannot, for any reason, objectively evaluate an application.

The situations identified include any application for financial assistance to the Conseil:

i) that is made by a member, either directly or through another person

ii) submitted by an arts organization that is a member’s regular employer or has been the member’s regular employer for the previous two years

iii) submitted by an arts organization that is a member’s client or debtor or is otherwise financially related to the member, or on whose board of directors the member serves

iv) for which a member has a financial interest directly related to the success or failure of the application

v) submitted by a member’s spouse or partner, a member of his or her immediate family, or on behalf of an organization in which any such person is employed or for which any such person is a director, creditor, partner or otherwise financially interested

For the purposes of clause ii), the fact that an arts organization is the occasional employer of a member (e.g., a theater company that occasionally hires a member who is an actor, or a musical group that hires a member who is a musician) is not a conflict situation at first sight, subject to the member’s good judgment.

An arts organization is any non-profit organization eligible for a Conseil program.

A member’s immediate family includes the member’s spouse, the person with whom the member is living in a conjugal relationship, and the children, parents, brothers, sisters and any other dependents of the member, his or her spouse, or person with whom he or she is living in a conjugal relationship.

B) Formalities and mandatory measures

Upon appointment, each Evaluation Committee member must complete and sign a Declaration of Interest Form and submit it to the Secretary.

Thereafter, the member must update this notice on each anniversary date of his or her appointment and each time an arts organization with which he or she has an association or interest applies for financial assistance from the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

If the Conseil or one of its committees receives an application for financial assistance from an arts organization that is named or should be named in a notice from a particular member under this Code, the member must then:

• declare such an interest
• update, if applicable, his or her Declaration of Interest regarding this organization

In addition, if that member has an interest in that organization, he or she must also:

• not seek to influence, directly or indirectly, the decision of the Conseil or Committee
• refrain from participating in the deliberations on that application
• withdraw from the meeting while the application is being discussed

The minutes of the Conseil or Committee meeting must reflect the member’s declaration of interest and, if applicable, the member’s withdrawal from the meeting and abstention from participating in the deliberations and decision.

No member may apply for a grant from the Conseil des arts de Montréal on behalf of an organization without full disclosure of interest.

No member shall agree to submit a grant application to the Conseil.

Disputes arising from the interpretation of this Code of Ethics shall be resolved by the Conseil’s Executive Committee.