A Conservative MP yesterday was told to “watch the language” after accusing cabinet members of being corrupt. According to Blacklock's Reporter, Michael Barrett (Leeds-Grenville, ON) repeated his charge outside the House of Commons, then served notice of committee cross-examination for one minister caught rewarding a friend with sole-sourced contracts..“Canadians are lined up at food banks,” Barrett told the Commons. “Liberal insiders are lined up to get rich. What is it going to take for one of these corrupt ministers to resign?”.“I would ask that we all watch the language we use,” replied Government House Leader Mark Holland (Ajax, ON). “I would be interested to see if the member opposite would use a term like that outside the chamber.”.Barrett did. “Law breaking is unacceptable,” he told reporters. Ministers caught violating the Conflict Of Interest Act must resign, said Barrett..“There is ministerial responsibility,” said Barrett. “That’s exactly what we’re going to continue to ask for, inside the House and outside the House, even it makes the Government House Leader uncomfortable.”.Barrett later served notice to the Commons ethics committee he would ask that Trade Minister Mary Ng (Markham-Thornhill, ON) be summoned for questioning over improper contracting. “We are going to look to find out the details,” he said..“This situation we find ourselves in is the fifth occasion that a member of cabinet, a Privy Councillor, has breached Canada’s ethics law,” said Barrett. “It’s important that Canadians are able to have confidence in their public institutions. It’s important that Canadians are able to have a full accounting of what has gone on.”.To date the Ethics Commissioner has issued five reports citing cabinet members for breach of the Conflict Of Interest Act: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau twice, former Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc (Beauséjour, QC) and Ng, named in a December 13 report..Ng awarded a total $22,790 in contracts for media coaching to Pomp & Circumstances PR, a Toronto public relations firm run by a longtime friend and CBC-TV pundit Amanda Alvaro. The two women “vacationed together and celebrated several special occasions such as birthdays and holidays,” Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion wrote in his Ng Report..“Minister Ng twice failed to recognize a potential conflict of interest involving a friend,” said Commissioner Dion. “There is simply no excuse.”.Ng repeatedly apologized without explaining the details of the contracts. Barrett asked that the ethics committee in addition to summoning Ng for questioning also compel disclosure of “all documents related to contracting with Pomp & Circumstances PR.”
