Opposition calls on House leader to recuse herself
Pressure over pick for ethics commissioner
Both the Conservatives and NDP are calling on government House leader Bardish Chagger to recuse herself from the hiring of the next ethics commissioner, just days after Justin Trudeau bowed to opposition pressure and removed himself from the hiring process.
Trudeau stepped back on Monday, citing the ongoing investigation by the ethics commissioner into his Christmas vacation on the private island of the billionaire Ismaili Muslim leader, the Aga Khan.
NDP ethics critic Nathan Cullen says that leaving a Liberal cabinet minister in charge of the hiring process, when several Liberal ministers have been investigated for alleged ethical violations, means that whomever they hire won’t have the credibility to do the job properly.
“It would be like somebody accused of a crime getting to appoint their own judge and jury," said Cullen. "No one would ever perceive that person as being fair and unbiased."
The federal Liberals’ appointment process has faced repeated criticism this week. On Wednesday, the opposition parties asked the Speaker to review how Madeleine Meilleur, a former Ontario Liberal cabinet minister, was selected as Canada’s new official languages commissioner.
Meilleur has said she believes she has the requisite qualifications for the job. She also defended her impartiality and said she would be non-partisan.
Also on Wednesday, the non-partisan watchdog organization Democracy Watch called for a complete overhaul of the ethics commissioner appointment process and the process for all other judicial and watchdog appointments.
"The Trudeau Liberals’ cabinet appointment system is essentially the same as the Harper Conservatives used, and it allows cabinet ministers to choose their own Liberal party cronies as judges and lapdogs as supposed watchdogs,” said Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch.
Cullen says a new nonpartisan appointment process for watchdogs is required, one which involves all parties.
Conservative House leader Candice Bergen says the current process for selecting a new ethics commissioner, with Chagger in charge, has no credibility.
She argues Trudeau could ask a retired judge or someone outside the political system to help them restore faith that the new ethics commissioner will be independent.
“Just as easily as he said he would ask his House leader to make the recommendation, I think he can just as easily say that he’s going to ask a non-partisan, respected Canadian to help come up with a name,” said Bergen.
The Conservatives also have concerns about the timing of Trudeau’s recusal. Current ethics commissioner Mary Dawson’s term will expire on July 8. She is not seeking reappointment and the search for her successor has been on for months.
It’s possible that a shortlist of candidates has already been drawn up, or that Trudeau has already made his preference known.
Even if he hasn’t already stated his preference, Bergen believes that Chagger will be working closely with the Prime Minister’s Office to make the hiring decision, so Trudeau’s senior advisers will influence the choice.
“She can’t make a decision without talking to the Prime Minister’s Office,” said Bergen. “I can tell you this because I work with her daily. She has to talk to the Prime Minister’s Office about everything.”
Cameron Ahmad, the prime minister’s press secretary, told Postmedia Thursday that Trudeau has recused himself from all matters regarding the new ethics commissioner’s appointment.
Ahmad did not directly answer questions regarding what role Trudeau has played in the hiring process so far, whether anyone in his office will be involved going forward, or whether interviews have been conducted or a shortlist of candidates has been created.