PM defends private travel
VACATION: Nothing unethical about taking Aga Khan’s helicopter, Trudeau says
KINGSTON, Ont. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is confirming — and defending — his use of a private helicopter while vacationing with the Aga Khan, saying it was the only way to get to his friend’s secluded Bahamian island.
The prime minister and his family spent time over Christmas at Bell Island in the Bahamas.
To do so, they flew to Nassau on a Canadian government jet, but made the last leg of the journey aboard the Aga Khan’s helicopter.
Trudeau’s own ethics guidelines bar the use of sponsored travel in private aircraft.
The travel section of the Conflict of Interest Act states, “No minister of the Crown, minister of state or parliamentary secretary, no member of his or her family and no ministerial adviser or ministerial staff shall accept travel on non-commercial chartered or private aircraft for any purpose unless required in his or her capacity as a public office holder or in exceptional circumstances or with the prior approval of the Commissioner.”
Trudeau did not speak to the ethics commissioner before his trip. But he said he did not believe the trip poses any ethical dilemma.
He says he would be happy to discuss the matter with ethics commissioner Mary Dawson “and answer any questions she may have.”
Trudeau only confirmed the helicopter flight when speaking to reporters on Thursday, noting it was the only way to get to Bell Island.
“The travel back and forth from Nassau happens on the Aga Khan’s private helicopter, which he offered us the use of,” Trudeau told a news conference in Kingston, Ont.
On Wednesday, Conservative MP Blaine Calkins asked Dawson to investigate Trudeau’s trip, a request that came a day after Tory leadership contender Andrew Scheer made a similar request.
Both complaints question whether it was OK for the prime minister to accept the hospitality of someone whose foundation receives funds from the Canadian government.
On Thursday, the prime minister began the first leg of a national “listening tour.”In Kingston, he reminded dozens of people at a town hall meeting that he favoured a ranked ballot system in the past, even though his government insists it has an open mind about how to change the electoral system.
He also faced critical questions about the Phoenix government pay controversy, the handling of indigenous issues, transgender rights, national pharmacare program, and his government’s recent decision to approve pipelines.