Fitzgibbon could lose right to sit as an MNA, watchdog says
Quebec Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon could see his right to sit as a member of the National Assembly suspended if he does not take steps to ensure his personal finances comply with the code of ethics for provincial politicians.
Ariane Mignolet, the National Assembly's ethics commissioner, was categorical in an interview with Presse Canadienne: Fitzgibbon does not get a free pass. Unless he conforms to the code, she said, she will not hesitate to take action, including the unprecedented step of suspending him as an MNA.
While she did not set a deadline, Mignolet made it clear the minister will not end his term without ensuring his personal finances respect the spirit and the letter of the code of ethics.
In December, after a long investigation, Mignolet found numerous ethical lapses on Fitzgibbon's part that she concluded merited his being sanctioned by his fellow MNAS. However, the Legault government refused to endorse her findings and Fitzgibbon avoided any blame.
But the commissioner thinks the case is not closed and has at her disposal a series of sanctions for MNAS who refuse to respect the code, including suspension.
“It is the responsibility of an elected official to conform to the code” and respect the law whether he likes it or not, especially if he is part of the cabinet, said Mignolet.
“When you are an MNA, it's one thing; when you're a minister, it's another. It is normal that (enforcement of the code) be more strict.”
In her investigation report, the second in two months to examine Fitzgibbon, Mignolet urged Fitzgibbon to “immediately” take steps to respect the code, or else she would “consider other possible sanctions.”
Mignolet cited Fitzgibbon for not divesting from two of 13 companies he had invested in, both of which do business with the provincial government.