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Some honourable people..... Diogenes had any success yet?
Uproar as Liberal cabinet minister's relative appointed interim ethics commissioner
Martine Richard is sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who ran afoul of ethics rules as fisheries minister
Author of the article:
Bryan Passifiume
Published Mar 30, 2023 • Last updated 1 hour ago • 4 minute read
366 Comments
Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc during Question Period in the House of Commons this week. PHOTO BY JUSTIN TANG /The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — This week’s appointment of an interim ethics commissioner with family ties to a Liberal cabinet minister caused an uproar in the House of Commons.
In a heated exchange during question period on Wednesday, Conservative MP Michael Barrett revealed that newly appointed Interim Ethics Commissioner Martine Richard is the sister-in-law of Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc — a veteran parliamentarian with a history of running afoul of Canada’s conflict-of-interest laws.
Government House Leader Mark Holland did not deny the allegation, instead assuring that measures are in place to ensure the appointment didn’t violate the rules.
“As the member opposite knows, the interim ethics commissioner is a career public servant who was, in fact, engaged by the Stephen Harper government to come into the ethics commissioner’s office,” he said. “She was number two in the ethics commissioner’s office, and she has been working there for over a decade.”
Holland said the appointment makes “absolute and complete logical sense,” and that “ethical screens” exist to ensure conflicts don’t occur.
“The intergovernmental affairs minister — the new ethics commissioner’s brother-in-law — was found guilty of breaking the Conflict of Interest Act, the Prime Minister was found guilty of breaking the Act, the (international) trade minister was found guilty of breaking the Act,” Barrett countered. “How can Canadians have confidence in the officers of Parliament if these guys are stacking the deck?”