96. The Ethics Commissioner must conduct inquiries in private and with due dispatch. The Ethics Commissioner must allow the Member concerned to present a full and complete defence, including an opportunity to submit observations and, if the Member so requests, to be heard(1) first, on whether the Member has violated this Code; and
(2) after being informed of the Ethics Commissioner’s conclusion and the grounds for it, on the sanction that could be imposed.
The Ethics Commissioner must not comment publicly on a verification or inquiry but may confirm that a request for a verification or an inquiry has been received or that a verification or inquiry is under way or has been completed. The Ethics Commissioner may also state why, after a verification, the Ethics Commissioner decided not to conduct an inquiry.