A Liberal MP who was once forced to apologize in the House of Commons for violating conflict of interest rules now claims Canada’s ethics system is being “weaponized” for political gain.Blacklock's Reporter says James Maloney, the Etobicoke–Lakeshore MP and the first parliamentarian ever ordered by the Ethics Commissioner to make a formal apology to the Commons, told the ethics committee that no public office holder should face “a bunch of allegations.”“People continue to weaponize this process politically, simply to score cheap political points,” Maloney said, offering no examples. He argued ethics rules under both the Conflict Of Interest Act and the MPs’ code were repeatedly used as partisan tools. “I find not only wrong but incredibly offensive,” he said.Maloney suggested he could provide “very specific examples” of alleged misuse of the system but did not cite any..His comments come four years after he apologized for failing to disclose his personal investments despite 15 reminders from the Ethics Commissioner’s office. All MPs must file a disclosure statement within 60 days of being elected. Maloney, then chair of the natural resources committee, was the last MP to do so and eventually revealed stock holdings in 44 major corporations, including SNC-Lavalin, Google, Cenovus Energy, Starbucks and Suncor.Then-commissioner Mario Dion said Maloney’s breach was “not trivial” and noted the MP ignored communications for months. Ordering him to apologize publicly was a first for the office..Maloney did not address that history during his latest testimony. Instead, he compared ethics complaints to courtroom conduct, saying false accusations carry consequences. “If you make false representations, if you are unsuccessful in those, there are consequences that come in the form of financial payment,” he said.Since 2015, nine current and former Liberal MPs have been found in breach of ethics rules, including former prime minister Justin Trudeau, Privy Council President Dominic LeBlanc, ex-ministers Mary Ng and Bill Morneau, and MPs Greg Fergus, Joe Peschisolido, Yasmin Ratansi, Anita Vandenbeld and Maloney himself.
