, 12.20.2017 12:39 PM

Trudeau broke ethics rules?

Yes. So says the Ethics commissioner:

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau broke multiple federal ethics rules when he accepted a ride on the Aga Khan’s private helicopter and stayed on his private island over the holidays in 2016, the ethics commissioner has ruled.

In a ruling posted on the website of the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Wednesday morning, Commissioner Mary Dawson said that her investigation into two complaints about the trip found that Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act when he and his family accepted the trip but also dismissed several of the specific violations brought within those complaints.

Well.

I have previously defended Trudeau on this “controversy,” but that doesn’t matter anymore. While the penalty is puny, this decision is something we will be hearing about for years. I don’t think this has ever happened to a Prime Minister before. Ever.

Trudeau has no option but to accept the report, apologize, and promise never to do it again. And staff heads need to roll at PMO, I think. Who let this happen?

Anyway. Those year-end interviews aren’t going to be a lot of fun, now.

Nope.

10 Comments

  1. Matt says:

    Most of the year end interviews are already taped, no?

    As for the findings, it’s pretty clear Trudeau violated the Ethics rules.

    Cabinet ministers and the PM can’t use private aircraft. There were boats available to take them to the island. Yeah it would have taken a couple hours to get there by boat. Too bad, so sad.

    Why it took Dawson nearly a year to rule on this is beyond me.

    The commission looking into JFK’s assassination only took 7 months.

  2. Robert K says:

    What’s the over/under on how long it will take for the Cons to botch this opportunity? Who steps on a rake first!

  3. Michael Bussiere says:

    I was in a store when the news report came over the speakers. Two women were standing next to me. One said…”So he’s not supposed to visit old friends now that he’s Prime Minister?”. The other said “Yeah, an honourary Canadian citizen, appointed by that man whose name we’ll never mention”. “Yes, Stephen Harper. Sorry for mentioning him”. They both groaned.

  4. Gord says:

    If anyone out there is still labouring under the delusion that the CBC is not the official mouthpiece/cheerleader for the Liberal Party of Canada, take a gander at the front pages of our major media outlets. The Aga Khan story is front and centre on the websites of the Globe, the National Post, CTV, Global News, etc. And CBC.ca? Somewhere in the middle of the page, below stories about hard-hitting issues like whether an Ontario town should ditch the name “Swastika Drive”, rich British people putting spikes on trees to protect their cars, “6 great places to see holiday lights” and “What to get for the baker in your life”, there’s a small reference to the story.

    Hmmm.

    • Enzo says:

      Another conflict of interest. He did after all promise to bribe, sorry, give them a whole lot more funding prior to the last election.

  5. Kevin T. says:

    Trudeau’s most dangerous political foe is Trudeau.

  6. Elijah says:

    I think most Canadians have already formulated their own opinions on this and whether the ethics commissioner ok’d or condemned the whole affair matters little. If you dislike Trudeau, this reinforces your contempt for the PM. If you’re ok with him, you’re thinking “rookie mistake”, are glad he said sorry and are moving on.

  7. Jim Keegan says:

    How convenient that Dawson’s report didn’t come out until the House had closed for Christmas.

  8. Lance says:

    “And staff heads need to roll at PMO, I think.”

    Yeah. His.

    “Who let this happen?”

    He did. No need to look for someone to toss under the bus; it was ultimately HIS decision to go. End of story.

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