Canada’s departing Ethics Commissioner says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s repeated ethics violations have probably complicated efforts to encourage his MPs and cabinet ministers to stick to the rules.
However, Mario Dion also says it’s his understanding that the Prime Minister’s Office is trying hard to stay out of trouble.
“People follow the leader, leading by example in every management book I have read. Therefore, it most probably has an impact on the people who are led that the Prime Minister has twice been found to be in contravention of the act. You always look up to the leader,” Mr. Dion said.
As an independent officer of Parliament, the ethics commissioner administers the Conflict of Interest Act, as well as the Conflict of Interest Code for MPs.
Mr. Dion’s predecessor Mary Dawson found Mr. Trudeau breached the ethics code for a 2016 Christmas trip with family and friends to visit the Aga Khan’s private Bahamas island. Mr. Dion, who took on his job in 2018, found, in 2019, that the Prime Minister violated the federal Conflict of Interest Act by putting pressure on his then-attorney-general, Jody Wilson-Raybould, to give SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. a deferred prosecution agreement over corruption charges.
Referring to the record, Mr. Dion said, “What the leader does always has an impact on the troops. It’s unavoidable.”
But Mr. Dion added a pair of caveats on the point.
“I can sense some real efforts on the part of the Prime Minister’s Office to do much better,” he said. “I think it’s fair to say that. Real efforts have been invested in making sure that all the prevention can be done to avoid anything of this nature in the future.”
Asked whether he could be more specific, Mr. Dion said he could not because his knowledge of the issue is confidential.
And the Ethics Commissioner, who announced this week he is leaving his post because of persistent health issues, also said it is his view that ethics violations are endemic to government.
“I think it is. Canada has a certain political culture,” he said. “It’s part and parcel of the exercise of democracy and the players within democracy.”
Mr. Dion added, “I think it would be utopia to think that it would disappear one day completely.”
His departure announcement arrived the same day as his latest report, which concludes that Liberal MP Greg Fergus, the parliamentary secretary to Mr. Trudeau, breached the Conflict of Interest Act by writing a letter to Canada’s broadcast regulator in support of a television channel’s application for mandatory carriage.
Liberal Trade Minister Mary Ng was recently found to have breached the Conflict of Interest Act by steering two contracts to a company run by a friend. Ms. Ng told a parliamentary committee that she had made a mistake and was sorry. She said she had made plans for her staff to receive training from the Ethics Commissioner.
Mr. Dion said this week that many MPs have used training opportunities offered by his office, but that he also recommends the government mandate that all ministers and parliamentary secretaries receive the training.
“We’re talking about a minimal investment of a few hours to give them an overview and understanding of what this is all about,” he said. “People still lack an overall understanding of the conflict-of-interest regime. It would prevent problems. I am convinced of that.”
Mr. Dion says there isn’t sufficient shame for making mistakes, but did not see any obvious solutions for dealing with that point.
He said there is nothing more he could have done to shift behaviour on these issues. “I think we’ve done all we could,” he said.
Asked why he is speaking out now, Mr. Dion said his exit allows for him to take stock. “It’s my small contribution to setting the ground for the next person to be successful.” He said he had no specific advice for his successor. “It’s a very important job. I hope the government picks the right person.”