(Ottawa) The nomination of Dominic LeBlanc’s sister-in-law to the post of interim conflict of interest and ethics commissioner does not pass the independence test, the official opposition has announced.
The Trudeau government this week appointed Martine Richard, who is the sister of minister Dominic LeBlanc’s wife, to this post ahead of schedule. In the conservative seats, his nomination is partisan.
“You can almost imagine a conversation between the Liberal Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, which is guilty of breaking the Conflict of Interest Act, and the Prime Minister, who has broken the Act twice,” Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said in question period on Thursday, April 4. .
“They are like, ‘How do we stop being convicted? I know! By appointing my sister-in-law as the ethical commissioner! What a plan! It is concrete! The plan is that they will quickly fail from friends and family, “smiling, laughing in their benches.
The Liberal Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Mark Holland, came to the defense of Ms. Richard’s election, arguing that she had been employed by the commissioner’s office for 10 years, and that she was elected by Stephen Harper, a conservative. government.
“There are places to run comedy shows, I believe, that is not in the confines of the Commons,” he argued.
The Bloc Québécois was hardly more impressed by the nomination of the sister-in-law of LeBlanc Minister, who is himself a longtime friend of Justin Trudeau.
“If there is one office that should be free from any form of utility, it is this one. The Liberals are clearly not about these standards with this election and they are outlining the position of independence, “Mp Rene Villemure criticized.
Several rebukes from the same ambassador
After the departure of Marius Dion on February 21 for reasons of health, the position of ambassador was vacant. Appointed by the government, Trudeau had been in the chair as an independent parliamentarian for five years.
While in office, he attacked the articles of several Liberal cabinet ministers, including Justin Trudeau, whom he harshly criticized in 2019 for inappropriately pushing Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould in the SNC-Lavalin case.
Also affected was Minister Mary Ng, who awarded contracts to her friend Amanda Alvaro’s public relations firm, and Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who placed himself in a conflict of interests by proving a fishing permit for a company employed by his wife’s cousin.
At the same time, while criticizing the nomination of Richard Martin, Conservative leader David Johnston attacked the former Governor-General. Because this “family friend” Trudeau does not have the freedom required to mandate the rapporteur in the interference that has been committed to him, according to the leader.
