Following revelations that International Trade Minister Mary Ng gave thousands of dollars to a company founded and led by her friend, Conservatives are calling for the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to investigate..“Unsurprisingly, this is just another instalment in a long-running saga of members of this Liberal government making a mockery of both the letter and spirit of the ethical laws that govern them," said James Bezan, Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government..In a letter to the ethics commissioner on Wednesday, Bezan said documents tabled in the House of Commons revealed that the minister of international trade, export promotion, small business and economic development gave a nearly $17,000 contract for media training to Pomp & Circumstance, a company owned by her friend Amanda Alvaro.."This contract was issued less than one month after the country began the first COVID-19 lockdown," Bezan said.."At a time when many Canadians were without a source of income, and many small businesses were peering into the abyss, one well-connected Liberal was thrown a nearly $17,000 contract by her close pal inside Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet..According to Bezan, Ng and Alvaro are part of a "longstanding group of close-knit friends," that dates back to Toronto Liberal circles during the days of former premier Dalton McGuinty’s provincial government.."This same group remains at the heart of power in today’s federal Liberal government and includes ministers, like Ms. Ng, activists and commentators, like Ms. Alvaro, and senior staffers, like the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff Katie Telford and former Principal Secretary Gerald Butts," he said..Section 4 of the Conflict of Interest Act notes that a public office holder, would be in a conflict of interest when he or she “exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity to further [the] private interests … of his or her relatives or friends”..Subsection 6(1) of the Act prohibits a public office holder’s participation in decision-making which could lead to a conflict of interest. Bezan said Ng awarding the contract to Ms. Alvaro’s company would count. "Furthermore, section 21 of the Act, imposing a duty to recuse on Ms. Ng, would also be applicable in the circumstances," he added..“It is unacceptable that well-connected Liberal insiders continue to get sweetheart deals, as everyday Canadians continue to struggle with the cost-of-living crisis with no end in sight, and no help from the Liberals.”.Ng was named minister of Small Business and Export Promotion following her re-election in 2019, and her responsibilities were expanded to include international trade after the 2021 election..Questions were raised during the 2019 election about whether Ng, who hails from Hong Kong, was too close to pro-Beijing elements of the party. Ng hired former Liberal minister Michael Chan, who was investigated by CSIS for his ties to China, to be her campaign manager.
