Conservative MP for Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes Michael Barrett rises during question period in Ottawa on June 9, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
The PMO had to issue a number of clarifications about the vacation. The PMO initially said the family was staying at a location owned by family friends, not that they were staying with the family.
Prior to the trip, the PMO said the Trudeau family was paying for the cost of the vacation. It later clarified that, in fact, Trudeau had reimbursed the government for the equivalent of the cost of commercial flights, but the accommodation in Jamaica was free.
The PMO has said that the ethics commissioner “was consulted on these details prior to the travel to ensure that the rules were followed.”
The ethics commissioner’s office hasn’t said what details the PMO provided but did say the Conflict of Interest Act allows a public office holder to accept gifts or other advantages if they come from a friend or relative, without having to disclose them.
In a statement last week, a spokesperson for the commissioner’s office said it “does not approve or ‘clear’ regulates’ vacation” but only “has a role only in ensuring that the gift provisions” in both the conflict of interest and ethics codes are followed.
*****
Credit belongs to : ca.news.yahoo.com