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Trudeau pick for ethics office slammed

Recently appointed watchdog is the sister-in-law of intergovernmental affairs minister

STEPHANIE LEVITZ

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ethical track record is under renewed attack after a cabinet minister’s sister-in-law was appointed as the government’s ethical watchdog for the next six months.

Martine Richard is the sister-inlaw of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc. Prior to her interim appointment this week, Richard had worked in the No. 2 spot in the ethics commissioner’s office since 2015.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and several of his MPs pummelled the Liberals over the choice during question period on Thursday, accusing them of appointing family and friends to posts responsible for government oversight.

Poilievre also cited the naming of former governor general David Johnston to oversee a probe into the government’s handling of allegations of foreign interference in Canadian elections; Johnston and Trudeau have known each other for years, although it was a Conservative prime minister who appointed him as governor general.

“The problem is pretty soon they are going to run out of family and friends — and after they do, how are they going to avoid their next conviction for breaking the law?” Poilievre said.

Richard’s appointment followed last month’s resignation of commissioner Mario Dion, who stepped down due to ill health. It was announced on Tuesday, the same day the federal government tabled its 2023 budget.

She joined the office more than a decade ago as general counsel. As Liberal House Leader Mark Holland noted, that was during the Conservative government of Stephen Harper. Since then, Holland said she has taken a lot of “difficult positions” against the government. Those have been well received, he said during question period, “in the sense that the ethics commissioner’s job is to hold us to the highest possible standard.”

Richard’s office noted the appointment was a temporary sixmonth one as laid out by the Parliament of Canada Act. Spokesperson Melanie Rushworth also said the office itself had no say in the decision, which was made through a “governor in council appointment” — that is, by the federal cabinet.

LeBlanc’s office directed questions to the Privy Council, the bureaucratic arm of the Prime Minister’s Office.

It did not immediately answer a question about whether LeBlanc recused himself from the decision, saying only that Richard was the right fit for the job, being the seniormost official in the office.

“Her appointment will provide the necessary organizational stability while a selection process is run,” Stephane Shank said in an email.

Richard’s office said she has always had a conflict of interest screen in place for any matters related to her brother-in-law.

“Unlike a recusal, a screen is a preventative measure to shield the person from becoming aware of a situation that would place them in a potential conflict,” Rushworth said.

In 2018, LeBlanc was found by the office to be in breach of the Conflict of Interest Act when, as fisheries minister, he approved a fishing licence for a company that employed one of his relatives.

Rushworth said Richard recused herself once out of an “abundance of caution” during the investigation into whether Trudeau broke the Conflict of Interest Act in the SNC-Lavalin affair.

In 2019, the ethics commissioner concluded that Trudeau did break the law by using his position of authority over then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to attempt to influence her decision about whether to intervene in a criminal case against the construction giant.

That was the second time Trudeau had been found in breach of the law; the first was over a vacation he took to the Aga Khan’s private island in 2017.

Last December, the office found that International Trade Minister Mary Ng broke the law by awarding a contract to a company owned by a friend. Former finance minister Bill Morneau was also found to have twice been in breach of ethics laws.

As he left office, Dion raised concerns that ethical breaches were becoming all too common and urged formal training for elected officials.

Martine Richard joined the office more than a decade ago as general counsel, during the Conservative government of Stephen Harper

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2023-03-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-31T07:00:00.0000000Z

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