MUSH FROM MORNEAU ON ETHICS

When Finance Minister Bill Morneau failed to disclose his French villa or put his assets in a blind trust, and when he continued owning shares in his family firm through a numbered company, what did he think was going to happen?

Why did Morneau — arguably the secondmost important man in the federal government — act as he did? And does he even understand the problem? He has said he followed the advice of the federal ethics commissioner, who didn’t require that he put his assets in a blind trust. True, strictly speaking. But what about basic common sense to avoid potential conflicts of interest? Indeed, the ethics commissioner is now mulling Morneau’s sponsorship of a pension reform bill from which, some say, his company, Morneau Shepell, would benefit. The firm says it won’t.

Morneau insists he has nothing to be contrite about. He’s snippily said he doesn’t “report to journalists” and has neither apologized nor hinted that he knows why he’s in trouble. Instead, he has treated the affair as a peccadillo, something to wearily let the mob bray about until it tires and goes home to bed.

Belatedly, the minister is selling his shares in Morneau Shepell (and donating profits since the election to charity). Also, he’s putting the rest of his assets into a blind trust. He should have done these things two years ago. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clearly said ministers must adhere to the highest ethical standards, beyond the letter of the law.

The consequences aren’t just personal: This scandal harms Trudeau and imperils the Liberal economic agenda.

More importantly, it gives politics in general a bad look. It adds to the cynicism people feel about their governments. That, in turn, feeds the kind of marginalization that has dominated discourse in other countries.

Morneau is, perhaps, right about one thing: This scandal IS a distraction from some other important issues. We’re in the midst of fragile negotiations over NAFTA; Indigenous issues and the opioid crisis scream for proper attention.

Instead, we have a finance minister and a prime minister focused on damage control — and it’s all Morneau’s fault.

Is there a way out of this? Maybe not, but it would both improve our politics and refocus Canadians if Morneau could at least summon up a proper and sincere apology.

If he can’t, he may not be the right man for this job.