OTTAWA — It is hardly surprising that Mary Ng saw nothing wrong with the patronage contracts awarded on two occasions to her friend, Amanda Alvaro.
After all, the international trade minister became an MP thanks to the patronage of her close friendship with the prime minister’s chief of staff, Katie Telford.
Aside from the hypocrisy — Trudeau was elected on a commitment to open up the nomination process — it was an early indication of the cronyism that has become a hallmark of this government.
Liberals are quick to excuse lack of transparency and abuse of process by claiming that their motives are pure — in this case, Ng wanted media training at the onset of the pandemic from someone whose expertise she trusted; in the case of her nomination, Telford and Trudeau wanted to promote to cabinet a Chinese Canadian, but it would be extremely bad mannered of Trudeau to fire or demote ministers who have been admonished by the ethics commissioner, given his own rap sheet.
Shady deals with friends and insiders have always been a vulnerable heel for the Liberal party
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In 2017, the previous ethics commissioner, Mary Dawson, found the prime minister guilty of breaching the Conflict of Interest Act for taking a vacation on a private island in the Bahamas owned by the Aga Khan. At the time, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said it seemed like there were two worlds: “One world where everyone else lives, where people struggle to make ends meet. And then there’s the other world, where people who are wealthy and well-connected and powerful think the laws don’t apply to them.”
Trudeau proved that the culture of impunity was alive and kicking in 2019, when he was again found to have contravened the Conflict of Interest Act by the ethics commissioner in the SNC-Lavalin scandal. In this instance, Dion ruled he crossed the line of prosecutorial independence in the interests of political advantage.
Again, it is not surprising that ministers have become comfortable breaking the rules so blatantly — there are no consequences for doing so. The ethics commissioner is limited to imposing fines of up to $500 and in this case he does not appear to have done even that.
If there is to be the ultimate sanction, it will have to be handed down by voters.
Shady deals with friends and insiders have always been a vulnerable heel for the Liberal party. Meanwhile, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told his caucus on Wednesday that their job is “always to stand on the side of the common people.”
It is not a contrast that looks good on Ng, Trudeau or the Liberals. Oh well, the ball is in your court Jagmeet. With so much hot air and wind, Jagmeet Singh must be beloved by balloonists and sailors. But if the NDP leader wants to be taken seriously, it’s time he stopped the bluster.
NDP leader is willing to let Canadians suffer today in the hopes that tomorrow he can get his treasured pharmacare program
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Singh is one of the most powerful men in Parliament. He wields an enormously big stick — namely the power of life and death over this sitting Parliament. It is within his power — at any time — to withdraw support from the Liberal party, making an election all but inevitable.
On Sunday, Singh told CTV News that he wasn’t planning on pulling out of the confidence-and-supply agreement that was keeping the Liberals in power.
WATCH BELOW as Sun’s political columnist Brian Lilley reminds us that in a minority parliament, anything can happen. Could NDP’s Jagmeet Singh pull his party’s support for Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government? What do YOU think? Tweet and Facebook us!
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