A watchdog organization is alleging Trudeau violated Canadian ethics rules by appointing David Johnson to investigate election interference allegations..Democracy Watch sent a six-page letter to the federal ethics commissioner’s office calling for an independent investigation and ruling on whether the prime minister violated the Conflict of Interest Act (COIA) by appointing David Johnston as special rapporteur on foreign interference..“Democracy Watch is calling on the office of the ethics commissioner to ensure an independent investigation into Prime Minister Trudeau handing his friend David Johnston a government contract,” said Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch..As Democracy Watch’s letter details, both Prime Minister Trudeau and David Johnston said publicly they're friends. The letter also says the COIA sections 4 and 6(1) prohibit the PM, cabinet ministers, their staff and appointees from furthering the private interests of themselves, their relatives and friends..The ethics commissioner ruled recently against Minister Mary Ng handing a contract to her friend Amanda Alvaro, and also ruled in 2021 against former Finance Minister Bill Morneau participating in the decision to hand a grant to his friend and WE Canada co-founder Craig Kielburger..The Democracy Watch press release states, “Even if PM Trudeau and Johnston are only family friends, the COIA also prohibits ‘improperly’ furthering the private interests of any person or entity, and it is clearly improper for the PM to hand a government contract to a family friend..“No one should call Mr. Johnston the ‘Independent Special Rapporteur’ because he is not independent in any way from Prime Minister Trudeau — he was chosen by Trudeau; serves at his pleasure; has no job security, and; has no powers under any statute or regulation to investigate anything.”.Democracy Watch says unless the Liberals change the watchdog appointment process, Trudeau will appoint the interim ethics commissioner and next full-time ethics commissioner himself. They say whomever Trudeau picks as the commissioner should not rule on the complaint by Democracy Watch as they would be biased in favour of Trudeau, especially if they're applying to be appointed by Trudeau to the full-time commissioner job. .The Federal Court of Appeal ruled unanimously in 2020 the cabinet is biased when it chooses democracy watchdogs like the commissioner. Democracy Watch wants cabinet to set aside their bias by establishing a fully independent appointments advisory committee whose members are approved by all parties in the House of Commons — something Stephen Harper promised back in 2006. Such a committee would do a public, merit-based search for a short list of qualified candidates, then an all-party House Committee would make the final choice. .“If the Trudeau cabinet chooses the interim ethics commissioner, then that person should not rule on this situation because they will be biased in favour of Trudeau,” said Conacher..“The Federal Court of Appeal ruled the cabinet is biased when they choose watchdogs who enforce laws that apply to the cabinet, and so the appointments system must change for all the watchdogs by having a fully independent committee doing a public, merit-based search for qualified candidates, and then an all-party committee making the final choice.”.The ethics commissioner’s senior lawyer is Trudeau cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc’s sister-in-law.
