Prime Minister Mark Carney is facing a surprise ethics probe after Opposition MPs moved to investigate his extensive corporate investments, which include shares in hundreds of global companies.Blacklock's Reporter says Conservative MP Michael Barrett (Leeds–Grenville, Ont.) introduced a motion Monday calling for the Commons ethics committee to question Carney’s top aides and former business associates over his financial interests.“Should a Prime Minister have investments in tax havens? I would say no,” said Barrett. “They should be paying taxes like everyone else, not using accounting tricks that the wealthy rely on to avoid paying their fair share.”Barrett urged MPs to direct the ethics committee to review Carney’s blind trust and conflict screen related to his stock holdings. .“With Opposition parties holding a majority of votes, this committee can test the rules and legislation that go to the heart of what undermines Canadians’ confidence in our democratic institutions,” he said.The list of proposed witnesses to appear by November 21 includes Privy Council Clerk Michael Sabia, Carney’s chief of staff Marc-André Blanchard, Brookfield Corporation CEO Bruce Flatt and Brookfield Asset Management president Connor Teskey.The motion was dropped unexpectedly in a half-empty Commons chamber while Carney was traveling abroad in Singapore. In a July 11 ethics filing, Carney disclosed investments in more than 600 corporations, including federal contractors and regulated multinationals.Conservative MP John Brassard (Barrie South–Innisfil, Ont.), chair of the ethics committee, said the current Conflict of Interest Act fails to address the scale of Carney’s potential conflicts..“The Act has never contemplated a situation where a designated public office holder holds this many private interests,” said Brassard. “There are holes in the law that allow those in the highest office to skirt around the rules.”Liberals reacted angrily to the move. “I am a little bit upset,” said Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North), parliamentary secretary to the Government House Leader. “Why introduce this today? What’s the motivation?”Lamoureux accused Conservatives of trying to “embarrass the government” and said their attacks were more about politics than accountability. “If they had an ounce of integrity, they would see through the game that’s being played,” he said.But Conservative MP Rhonda Kirkland (Oshawa, Ont.) said there was no reason for the Liberals to resist the probe. “There’s an old proverb that says a wicked man flees when no one is pursuing him, but the righteous are bold as a lion,” she said. “If you’ve done nothing wrong, why run from the motion? Let’s deal with it.”
