Cabinet ministers defend conflict-of-interest screens
OTTAWA — Several members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet who are using conflict-of-interest screens to keep them out of controversy insist the tools work well.
The screens have been pulled into intense public debate amid allegations of conflict of interest that have stalked Finance Minister Bill Morneau.
Morneau set up one of the screens after entering office in 2015 on a recommendation from the federal ethics commissioner, who told him a blind trust wouldn’t be necessary since his shares in his family’s firm were held indirectly through private companies. Therefore, she said, they were not considered a controlled asset under the Conflict of Interest Act.
Opponents have attacked Morneau for choosing a screen rather than a blind trust. Morneau has maintained he has not been in a conflict of interest.
A few of Morneau’s cabinet colleagues also have screens, however, for different reasons.
Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi are using conflict-of-interest screens to prevent them from participating in matters or decisions related to company holdings involving their spouses.
Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc has a screen to ensure he abstains from decisions related to J.D. Irving Ltd. because of his close friendship with the Irving family.
LeBlanc said Monday that ethics commissioner Mary Dawson recommended he set up an ethics screen for any cabinet or privy council documents that have anything to do with J.D. Irving Ltd., or its affiliates and subsidiaries.
“Under the rules, you shouldn’t be using ... your public office to benefit a friend,” LeBlanc said. “From my perspective it’s working very well.”
His screen means he wouldn’t have been privy to cabinet information about shipbuilding contracts or the Energy East pipeline, both of which have connections to Irving.
Sohi said Monday he has a screen to prevent his participating in decisions that could benefit his wife’s holdings in a firm that’s also a partial owner of farmland in Alberta.
Wilson-Raybould’s profile on the ethics commissioner’s website says she must abstain from matters related to self-government talks with Indigenous communities with consulting company KaLoNa Group, in which she holds an interest.
The added public scrutiny on the conflict-of-interest issue has been driven by allegations related to pension legislation Morneau introduced in the House of Commons.
Opponents allege the pension reform could benefit Morneau Shepell, a pension management firm he helped build with his father before entering office.
In response to accusations that he’s profited from decisions he’s taken as finance minister, Morneau promised to sell $21 million worth of shares in his family’s company and place the rest his substantial assets in a blind trust. He also pledged to donate to charity any gains in the value of his Morneau Shepell shares since he was elected two years ago. The gains are estimated to be worth more than $5 million.