Ethics committee set to decide whether to launch probe of Trudeau’s recent trip

OTTAWA — The House of Commons ethics committee is set to meet today to discuss whether a probe should be launched over Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent holiday vacation to Jamaica.

Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett pushed for the meeting as part of a volley of recent Opposition attacks, garnering support from the Bloc Québécois, while the New Democrats are calling for a review of the Conflict of Interest Act.

Barrett says the Tories want the Prime Minister’s Office and the ethics commissioner to hand over communications regarding the trip, and NDP House leader Peter Julian says he’s looking for a broader crackdown on the ultra-wealthy influencing their political friends.

Early this month, Trudeau’s office said the prime minister’s family was staying at a location owned by family friends at no cost, after earlier saying the family would cover the cost of their stay.

Trudeau’s office said he consulted with the ethics commissioner and the family would reimburse the public for the cost of travelling on a government plane.

The Conflict of Interest Act allows politicians to accept gifts and other advantages only from relatives or family friends with whom they have a well-documented close bond — and Trudeau was previously found to have run afoul of that rule when he was a guest of the Aga Khan in late 2016.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2024.

The Canadian Press