Liberal MP Lori Idlout has been ordered by the federal Ethics Commissioner not to receive income from a consulting company that has secured more than $500,000 in federal contracts since 2021.Blacklock's Reporter says new ethics filings show Idlout, the MP for Nunavut, has placed her ownership interest in Ottawa-based NVision Insight Group Inc. into a trust after being directed by the Ethics Commissioner under the Parliament of Canada Act."My interest in NVision Insight Group Inc., an indigenous management consulting firm based in Ottawa, has been placed in a trust," Idlout wrote in her disclosure.She added that she is prohibited from deriving any income from the company, including proceeds from the distribution of assets if the trust is dissolved, for the purpose of financing a nomination race, leadership contest or election campaign.Idlout previously disclosed in a 2023 ethics filing that she held a significant ownership stake in the consulting firm, a declaration required under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.According to a May 8 response to an Order Paper question submitted by Conservative MP , NVision Insight Group has received $583,848 in federal contracts since 2021.Zimmer requested details on contracts awarded to NVision Insight Group Inc., Nunavut Holdings Inc. and Carvings Nunavut Inc., businesses owned by Idlout and her husband.Before Idlout was first elected in 2021, NVision had already secured an additional $508,732 in federal contracts to deliver cultural literacy workshops and training sessions focused on historical relationships, indigenous realities and trauma..Federal records show the Public Prosecution Service of Canada accounted for $390,731 of those earlier contracts.The consulting firm's management has also included Victor Tootoo, brother of former Liberal fisheries minister Hunter Tootoo.Idlout's updated ethics filing lists numerous business interests jointly held with her husband, including construction companies Nunavut Holdings Inc. and East 2 West Industrial Inc., the Carvings Nunavut art gallery, Al's B & B motel in the Qikiqtaaluk region, property management company 5889 Nunavut Limited and four rental properties located in Iqaluit and Yellowknife.Idlout joined the Liberal caucus on March 11 after crossing the floor from the New Democratic Party, a move that drew sharp criticism from her former colleagues.NDP MP Don Davies condemned the decision in the House of Commons, accusing Idlout of putting political gain ahead of democratic principles."Political opportunism has gotten to such a point in this place that it's overriding fundamental respect for democracy," Davies said.Speaking to reporters afterward, Davies said he had yet to encounter a voter who supported MPs switching parties after being elected."Not a person has said that to me," he said. "On the contrary, what they say is they find it odious. They find it an affront to democracy."
