Canadian Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc faces renewed ethics scrutiny after confirming he stayed at billionaire J.D. Irving’s home following a mid-December Christmas party in Rothesay, New Brunswick, prompting calls for a review of his conflict-of-interest arrangements.
The Conservative Party has asked Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein to examine whether LeBlanc’s existing ethics screen remains adequate following his December 16 appointment as finance minister. The screen, established in 2016, prevents LeBlanc from personal dealings with J.D. Irving, Ltd. and its affiliates and subsidiaries.
“It’s important, when you have jobs like we have, that you don’t lose all your friends. And the friendship of Mr. Irving is something that’s important to me on a personal level,” LeBlanc said in Palm Beach, Florida, where he was meeting with incoming US cabinet nominees.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett questioned LeBlanc’s ability to handle key financial decisions affecting Irving’s corporate interests.
“I have serious concerns about whether provisions around ‘general application’ can be appropriately defined when Minister LeBlanc is now in charge of taxation policy, the timing and financing of large purchases — such as warships, and trade disputes with the United States affecting exports of Canadian goods, all of which generate a great deal of profits for the Irving companies, and Dominic LeBlanc’s friends,” Barrett wrote. His letter also cited LeBlanc’s previous use of Irving’s corporate jet for medical treatments in 2019 and 2020, and a 2003 incident involving undeclared flights.
The ethics screen requires LeBlanc’s chief of staff and deputy minister to handle Irving-related matters. Barrett’s letter specifically questions whether this arrangement remains sufficient given LeBlanc’s expanded role overseeing taxation policy and trade disputes affecting Irving company interests.
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