(UPDATE: Jan. 31 @ 6 am) – Kelowna–Lake Country MP Tracy Gray has joined her Conservative colleague Dan Albas in criticizing Justin Trudeau after the ethics commissioner said the prime minister's Jamaica vacation did not break any rules.
“While Canadians are struggling to just get by, Prime Minister Trudeau accepted a free vacation to stay at a friend’s luxury resort in Jamaica totalling $84,000," Gray said.
She added: "He told Canadians three different stories in two weeks about his current trip including that he was paying for his vacation and that he was 'staying with family friends at no cost.' Prime Minister Trudeau also claimed the Office of the Ethics Commissioner ‘pre-approved’ his trip, which the commissioner confirmed he did not do.
"If the Prime Minister believes his free luxury vacation was legal, then he should release the correspondence with the ethics commissioner. Prime Minister Trudeau has already been caught breaking Canada’s ethics laws twice so it is very difficult to give him the benefit of the doubt."
On Tuesday, Konrad von Finckenstein, the ethics commissioner, testified in front of the House of Commons ethics committee regarding Justin Trudeau’s stay at a private villa between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2.
According to von Finckenstein, the Prime Minister's Office consulted with his office before departing on the trip, and did not break any rules because the man with whom Trudeau stayed in Jamaica "has been a friend for over 50 years."
(UPDATE: Jan. 30 @ 2:45 pm) – Dan Albas, Conservative MP for Central Okanagan – Similkameen – Nicola, has provided comments on the ethics committee hearing regarding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s vacation to Jamaica.
Albas says that from his perspective, the commissioner indicated that there is a loophole in how the Conflict of Interest Act is written.
He goes on to say that the commissioner believes the person who gifted the “exotic vacation” to Trudeau is an actual friend and there is no conflict of interest.
“To me, it seems like the Prime Minister has essentially flown an $84,000 vacation through this loophole, as the intent of the Conflict of Interest Act is to ensure that elected officials cannot personally benefit while in public office to avoid the perception of being in a conflict of interest,” Albas says in a statement to NowMedia.
“What also alarms me is that due to this loophole, there is no requirement for a public office holder such as the Prime Minister to publicly report such gifts.”
Albas says despite media reports about the vacation, it raises questions about the disclosure of “such lavish gifts” and the Prime Minister’s tendency to avoid disclosure.
“Beyond that, I will state for the record that I pay for my own family vacation out of my own pocket, and that is also precisely what the Leader of the Official Opposition does as well,” Albas finishes.
“This, to me, is the standard of how things should be done by elected officials.”
(Original story: Jan. 30 @ 12:45 pm) – The Prime Minister’s trip to Jamaica over the holidays did not break any rules regarding gifts, said Canada’s interim ethics commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein.
On Tuesday, von Finckenstein testified in front of the House of Commons ethics committee regarding Justin Trudeau’s stay at a private villa during a family trip between Dec. 27 and Jan. 2.
According to von Finckenstein, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) consulted with his office before departing on the trip.
NowMedia reached out to the PMO on Dec. 22 and was told that the family would be paying for their stay.
However, on Jan. 3, the PMO clarified that the family was staying with friends “at no cost” during their trip.
“The Prime Minister continues to reimburse the equivalent of a commercial airline ticket for his personal travel and that of his family,” the PMO said in a statement.
The PMO office did not confirm where Trudeau was staying but it was later reported that the villa the family stayed at usually costs $9,300 per night but the stay was given as a gift from a family friend, businessman Peter Green, who owns the villa.
The inquiry was sparked by Conservative MPs' request about rules regarding gifts, including vacations and travel.
Under the Conflict of Interest Act, subsection 11, “no public office holder or member of his or her family shall accept any gift or other advantage, including from a trust, that might reasonably be seen to have been given to influence the public office holder in the exercise of an official power, duty or function.”
However, von Finckenstein says there is an exception that says a public office holder or member of his or her family may accept a gift or other “advantage” if it is given by a relative or friend.
“The Prime Minister has stated that Mr. Green is a friend of the family, and has been a friend for over 50 years. He has stayed at Mr. Green’s property since he was a child,” von Finckenstein said.
“The Prime Minister has received gifts of hospitality more than once from this friend. He has spoken publicly of this friendship and has sought advice from my office both during my tenure and the tenure of my predecessor.”
The ethics commissioners office researched the friendship, including public statements from the Prime Minister, and concluded that it was a “true friendship” and Green had no relations to the Government of Canada.
Gifts over $200 from a source other than relatives or friends in a 12-month period, the office holder must disclose the fits to the commissioner within 30 days.
“If it had not been an acceptable gift, it would have had to be reported on our website, 30 days have passed and nothing has been reported,” von Finckenstein said.
Under the act, public office holders are required to seek advice from the commissioner and usually take the advice, von Finckenstein told the committee. If they do not, then an investigation is required.
During the meeting, von Finckenstein repeatedly stated that his office does not approve vacations for office holders but simply provides advice on possible conflict of interest.
Ontario MP Michael Barrett said the issue revolved around the fact that the PMO had given Canadians “three different accounts” of the vacation.
Von Finckenstein said it was not his office’s responsibility for how the PMO worded their media statements and that he was merely required to give advice on accepting a gift, based on the act’s subsection 11.
NowMedia has reached out to MPs in the BC Interior on the matter and will update this story if we receive comment.
