Prime Minister Mark Carney has pledged to work with Canada’s ethics commissioner to set up conflict-of-interest “screens” allowing the former businessman to recuse himself from decisions related to companies he previously worked for.
Carney, who has served as chair of investment firm Brookfield Asset Management, said he is working “very fast” to develop the guidelines with Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein.
“Let’s say that there’s a decision that will have a major impact on Brookfield. Then of course, I will recuse myself,” Carney told reporters March 18 in Iqaluit.
Carney compared his situation to that of former Prime Minister Paul Martin, who owned shipping company Canada Steamship Lines.
“What happens is there is a discussion with the ethics commissioner for certain screens around certain issues, and that is a process that is underway,” Carney said.
Carney did not say what companies the conflict-of-interest screens would impact. A former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, Carney also served as chair of the board for Bloomberg L.P., was on the board of Stripe Inc., and on an advisory board for PIMCO.
Conservative MP and Ethics Critic Michael Barrett questioned during a March 18 press conference whether Carney would be forced to recuse himself from government discussions related to energy, the environment, industry, and tax policy, saying Brookfield touches on all of those areas.
Barrett cited the case of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s chief of staff Nigel Wright, who he said was forced to “leave the room entirely when certain files came up” because of his prior work in the private sector. “Wright was a staffer carrying out the direction of elected officials. Carney as prime minister, well, he’s the chief decider,” Barrett said.
The Conservatives have also criticized Carney for not disclosing the details of the assets he directed to be put in a blind trust after he became prime minister. Carney has said he has followed the ethics commissioner’s rules “well in advance of any of the requirements.”
Ethics rules require public office holders to disclose their assets to the ethics commissioner within 60 days of taking office, and the ethics commissioner may then publicly disclose a summary of the details within 120 days.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said this is a “loophole” in the act that he said could allow Carney to “go on and govern for years, quietly and subtly knowing what investments he has and making decisions that profit himself at the expense of the Canadian people.”
The Tory leader has vowed to amend the Conflict of Interest Act so elected officials are required to disclose financial assets before they enter into office.
In response to Poilievre’s criticisms, Carney’s campaign previously told The Epoch Times that he would “surpass” all applicable ethics rules if he became prime minister.
