Ottawa, ON – Konrad von Finckenstein, the interim ethics commissioner, addressed the House of Commons ethics committee, emphasizing his obligation to confidentiality under the Conflict of Interest Act today.
von Finckenstein clarified that the Prime Minister adhered to ethical standards by accepting a vacation at a resort offered by a longstanding family friend.
“Our role was to provide guidance on the appropriateness of his Jamaica trip. It is well-known that he sought our advice, and we provided counsel,” von Finckenstein informed the committee members on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responding to a question from a reporter simply said that “Like many Canadians our family stayed with friends for the holidays”.
Michael Barrett, Conservative Shadow Minister for Ethics and Accountable Government, and Luc Berthold, Conservative Deputy House Leader, released the following statement on Trudeau’s refusal to release his correspondence with the Ethics Commissioner:
“After eight years of Justin Trudeau, Canadians had one of the worst Christmas holidays in living memory. The Liberal Government’s taxes and inflation forced millions of people across Canada to spend less on gifts for their kids, while others had to choose between filling up their car, putting food on the table or heating their homes.
“While Canadians were being forced to deal with the misery his Liberal Government inflicted, Justin Trudeau accepted a free $9,000 per-night vacation at his friend’s luxury resort in Jamaica, coming to a total of $84,000. Trudeau vacationed at the same exclusive resort the previous year, meaning the total of both trips cost nearly twice as much money as the average Canadian household sees in an entire year.
“Since Trudeau returned from his exclusive vacation, he told Canadians three different stories in two weeks about one vacation. First, Trudeau told reporters that he was paying for this vacation, then less than a week later, changed his story to say he was ‘staying with family friends at no cost.’ Trudeau has also claimed that the Office of the Ethics Commissioner somehow ‘pre-approved’ his trip, which the Ethics Commissioner today confirmed he did not do.
“The Ethics Commissioner told Committee today that he did not personally review the vacation or cross-reference it with Trudeau’s vacation last year. On top of this, Trudeau has refused to disclose his correspondence with the Ethics Commissioner’s office to Canadians.
“The Ethics Commissioner made it clear today that he has the power to investigate lavish gifts. The two vacations Trudeau was gifted are clearly lavish, yet the Ethics Commissioner has not launched an investigation into the Prime Minister.
“If Trudeau is certain his luxury vacation was legal, then he should just release his correspondence. Instead, he refuses to do so, while the Liberal-NDP coalition covers his tracks in Committee. For this reason, the Ethics Commissioner must investigate Trudeau’s exorbitant vacations.
“Trudeau has already broken Canada’s ethics laws twice and is no longer entitled to the benefit of the doubt. Trudeau must release this correspondence now.”
