Tories ask ethics czar to act on fundraising

The Official Opposition is appealing to federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson to take action on political fundraising, which Dawson has long said needs more stringent rules that only Parliament can enact.

Conservative MP Michael Cooper, deputy critic for ethics, wrote to Dawson Thursday complaining that Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould’s planned attendance Thursday night at a private, $500-a-head reception in the offices of a major Toronto law firm “could put the minister in a conflict of interest.”

The Liberal party confirmed Thursday WilsonRaybould was not backing out of the event. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and party organizers have rejected the concerns outright since word of the gathering was leaked Tuesday.

But Cooper, in his dispatch to Dawson, says using Canada’s chief law officer to headline a Liberal fundraiser with select members of the legal profession creates the appearance of a conflict of interest. He asks her to consider that the firm, Torys LLP, does work for the federal government and for third parties with interests in federal affairs.

Torys has said it has no involvement other than providing the venue for the event, hosted by one of its partners. The Bay Street firm has several partners who are registered to lobby federal departments, though none are currently registered to lobby the Justice Department. A Torys lawyer was registered to do so, but that registration has lapsed. The firm did not respond Thursday to a call for comment on Cooper’s letter.

The Alberta MP says there is a “potential conflict” in having Wilson-Raybould attend a fundraiser “specifically aimed at lawyers.

“As justice minister and attorney-general, she has significant responsibilities that could affect the solicited guests. The fundraiser threatens to blur what should be a clear line of separation.”

Dawson’s office had no immediate reaction to the letter Thursday, but has already said Wilson-Raybould’s attendance does not breach the sole fundraising provision in the federal Conflict of Interest Act.

No one has suggested, and there is no evidence, that Wilson-Raybould has solicited money, or anything else, in connection with the event.

Still, Dawson has made no secret in the past of her concerns that the act does not sufficiently address the issue. In 2010, she found that Conservative labour minister Lisa Raitt did not violate federal conflict-of-interest guidelines when her local riding association held a 2009 fundraising event involving lobbyists.

But Dawson called on the federal government to tighten rules around political fundraising events.