TRUDEAU FACES THIRD ETHICS PROBE
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau is facing his third conflict of interest probe, after Canada’s ethics commissioner on Friday launched an inquiry into a government contract awarded to a charity that Trudeau has family ties to. Ethics commissioner Mario Dion’s office said it will look into whether in picking WE Charity Canada to administer a C$900 million ($664.5 million) student grant program Trudeau broke rules that prohibit politicians from making, or participating in, decisions that further their personal interests. Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau have regularly participated in WE Charity events, and Gregoire Trudeau hosts a podcast on the charity’s website.
OTTAWA/ TORONTO: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing his third conflict of interest probe, after Canada’s ethics commissioner on Friday launched an inquiry into a government contract awarded to a charity that Trudeau has family ties to.
Ethics commissioner Mario Dion’s office said it will look into whether in picking WE Charity Canada to administer a $664.5 million student grant scheme Trudeau broke rules that prohibit politicians from making decisions that further their personal interests.
Trudeau and his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau have participated in WE Charity events, and Gregoire Trudeau hosts a podcast on the charity’s website.
Main opposition Conservative Party had requested the probe. WE Charity is no longer managing the scheme, which will provide funding to post-secondary students on volunteering work.
CANADA SUSPENDS HK EXTRADITION TREATY
Canada has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong, as part of a series of measures precipitated by the enactment of a controversial national security law by China.
During a press conference in Gatineau, Quebec, Trudeau also announced that “effective immediately”, Canada will prohibit the sale of sensitive military items to Hong Kong.
Till date, ties between Canada and Hong Kong were treated separately from those with China, but that has changed with the passage of the legislation. Concerns in Ottawa have also heightened because nearly 300,000 Canadians live in Hong Kong.
Trudeau said Canada is “a firm believer” in the ‘one country, two systems’ framework that had applied to Hong Kong after its handover to China by the British.
Canada also issued a travel advisory for Hong Kong which said Canadians going there “may be at increased risk of arbitrary detention on national security grounds and possible extradition to mainland China”.