Focus turns to conflict of interest
Several of Trudeau cabinet ministers say conflict-of-interest screens are working well
OTTAWA — Several members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet are using conflict-of-interest screens to keep them out of controversy — and they insist the tools work very well.
The screens have been pulled into an intense public debate in recent weeks 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 indirectly held through private companies. Therefore, she said, they were not considered a controlled asset under the Conflict of Interest Act. Political opponents have attacked Morneau for choosing a screen rather than a blind trust. For his part, Morneau has maintained that 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 also has a screen to ensure he abstains from participating in 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.”
LeBlanc’s screen, in place since early 2016, means he wouldn’t have been privy to cabinet information about shipbuilding contracts or even the Energy East pipeline, both of which have connections to Irving.
Sohi said Monday that he has a screen in place to prevent him from participating in decisions that could benefit his wife’s holdings in a company that’s also a partial owner of farmland in Alberta.
Wilson-Raybould must abstain from decisions related to self-government talks with First Nations and Indigenous communities with the consulting company, KaLoNa Group, in which she holds a significant interest.