Clothes-minded critics question gifts to Sophie
Should PM’s wife pay for outfits provided by Canadian designers?
Sophie Grégoire Trudeau has achieved fashion icon status during her ascent into the spotlight, and has many applauding her for wearing clothes by Canadian designers. But should she pay for them? Five fashion gifts she was given have come to light recently, with some people criticizing her acceptance of them, though the items fall within Canadian conflict of interest guidelines. The gifts include an Ellie Mae jacket, a Pink Tartan suit, Alan Anderson costume earrings, a Rudsak coat and five pairs of Aldo shoes.
Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, a non-profit advocating for democratic reform and government accountability, said accepting the gifts may give the impression she is willing to wear certain designer names if they give her items, or don’t charge a rental fee.
“If I was her I would want to pay a fair price like everybody else does,” Conacher said.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also received a number of gifts this year, though most appeared to be from fellow heads of state, including U.S. President Barack Obama, French President François Hollande and Japan minister of foreign affairs Fumio Kishida.
Gifts from international politicians are different from company gifts, Conacher said, because they are part of establishing relationships between countries.
It’s a push and pull that comes with the couple’s celebrity, unusual for Canadian politicians: weighing the expectation that they will dress well and show off Canadian designers because of the potential for exposure, with the expectation that they’ll pay for it all. Female politicians’ fashion choices tend to attract more attention and scrutiny.
Members of Parliament and their families are bound by accountability laws that say any gift worth more than $200 must be disclosed to the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and published on its public registry. Those worth more than $1,000 are to be forfeited to the Crown.
The Trudeau family also accepted discounts on guides and lift tickets during a ski trip to Whistler Blackcomb, B.C., the registry says.
The Prime Minister’s Office confirmed each item on the registry was kept, not donated.
“Sophie Grégoire Trudeau makes a point of wearing independent Canadian designers’ clothing at official events,” PMO spokesperson Olivier Duchesneau-said in an emailed statement, adding all the gifts are “properly disclosed” to the registry.
But Conacher said that gives the impression of creating a disadvan- tage to Canadian brands that can’t afford to give freebies. He believes the items on the registry are probably ones she’s planning to wear again.
“Which is fine, but if it is becoming part of her wardrobe as opposed to a one-off, then . . . she should buy it,” he said. As for those like the Lucian Matis dress she was lent to wear to the U.S. State Dinner, he said she should pay a rental fee.
Jill Killeen, vice-president of business development for jewelry designer Alan Anderson, said Grégoire Trudeau bought a pair of earrings she wore at a dinner in Rideau Hall attended by Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto, but would not disclose the price. The company also gave her the pair of earrings she wore to the White House in March, according to the registry.
Requests for comment to the other designers on the registry went unanswered, except for Rudsak, which said it would not provide any.
Conacher said the brands offering giveaways may be part of an industry organization actively lobbying the government, adding a layer of conflict of interest.
“Her husband is supposed to be making decisions that are not under the influence at all of any gift from anyone trying to win a decision from him,” said Conacher.
The PMO says Grégoire Trudeau can’t accept gifts that “would place the prime minister in a situation of conflict of interests, whether real or apparent.”