In a series of press conferences over the past few weeks, federal conservatives have called for liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney to follow conflict of interest rules applicable to members of Congress and Cabinet Ministers.
Carney, who is neither an MP nor a cabinet member, says they will adhere to the rules when they apply to him.
This is what the rules say.
What are the rules for members of Congress?
Members of Parliament are subject to the Congressional Interest Code for Members of the House, which came into effect in 2004 and was recently updated five times in March 2023.
This code includes the process of disclosing personal interests to ethics committee members and the steps to make some of that information public. It also sets rules to help lawmakers avoid conflicts of interest.
It applies only to members of Congress and is not valid during elections.
What are the government rules?
Cabinet Ministers and Prime Ministers are subject to the Conflict of Interest Act and must disclose this to the Ethics Committee.
Some of the information disclosed to the Commissioner must be made public.
What are the rules for candidates for the party’s leadership race?
Elected MPs will be subject to the House of Representatives’ conflict of interest code. That code applies to two candidates in the current liberal leadership race: Chrystia Freeland and Karina Gould.
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Cabinet ministers and council secretaries must also comply with the Conflict of Interest Act, but Freeland and Gould stepped down from their cabinet roles before the leadership race began.
Frank Baylis, who was a lawmaker from 2015 to 2019, would have made disclosures at the time. Currently, he and Carney are not part of either set of rules.
Why doesn’t the rules apply to Kearney?
Rob Shepherd, a professor of public policy and management at Carlton University, said the rules were “to protect the interests of Canadians after they have taken office.”
“We don’t need candidates to disclose personal assets,” he said, adding that asking candidates to disclose assets early could violate privacy laws.
This is an extraordinary situation as Kearney could become prime minister before becoming MP. Shepherd said that led to questions about whether the rules should be changed.
“That could be a very legitimate question,” he said.
Shepherd can make changes to the laws that govern the election, but it’s up to the political party to set rules for his own leadership race.
What happens when the leadership race ends?
The winner of the Liberal Party Leadership Race is appointed Prime Minister by the Governor and must then comply with the Conflict of Interest Act.
According to that law, civil servants spend 120 days completing their initial compliance process.
They will need to sell assets such as stocks and bonds that may increase or decrease in value as a result of government actions. These assets must be sold in arm length trades or placed in blind trust.
Within 60 days of inauguration, the Cabinet Minister, Minister of State, or the Secretary of Parliament must submit a confidential report to the Ethics Committee office. According to the language on the Ethics Committee’s website, they should “use reasonable efforts to include similar descriptions of (their) spouses or common law partners and dependents.”
The report has been reviewed by the Commissioner’s office and provides a summary statement and advice regarding the required public declaration. These must be signed and handed over to the committee members within 120 days of their initial appointment.
What do conservatives say?
Conservative lawmakers say Carney is exploiting “loopholes” in the law.
MP Michelle Lempel Garner said last week that Carney won the Liberal Party leadership and could immediately call a federal election, saying, “Until after the election, he doesn’t think he needs to disclose his financial interests.” “You can do that.”
She argued that the law did not anticipate “unelected people who had substantial corporate committee interests to become prime minister,” and called on Carney to disclose the interests of all his companies. Ta.
“I am sure anyone trying to lead this country needs to live on the letter of law,” she said.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett pointed out that Carney has been Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “senior economic adviser” for many years.
Carney became an informal federal advisor on economic issues during the Covid-19 pandemic in late 2020. In late 2024, the Liberal Party announced that it would chair a task force to help the party develop ideas for promoting economic growth.
“It’s very clear that there’s a problem with us being there because there are rules because Mark Carney could be sleazy about what his business deal is,” Barrett said Tuesday. He spoke to.
He did not answer when asked if the party’s leadership race should be restricted to sitting lawmakers. He also did not say which rules should be changed.
Dennis Matthews, president of advertising agency Creative Currency and a conservative strategist, said the Liberals and conservatives are both competing for the Carney brand, which is relatively unknown at the political stage.
“All the best attacks in politics need them to have a core of truth. So, when you see conservatives chasing Kearney with financial disclosures and business transactions from the past, these are Mark Kearneys. You can answer with a little sunlight from it,” he said.
“If he doesn’t want to answer, you can see that it brings to the (play) question, ‘What’s hidden?’ ”
However, Shepherd said the attack was a “fake flag.”
“What exactly is this mean? (Conflict of Interest Act) doesn’t catch (Karney),” he said.
He said he believes conservatives are “doing everything they can to slow down speeding trains – a decline in polls.”
“I’m going to throw as much as I can and see what sticks are there,” he said.
What does Kearney say about all of this?
When Carney announced his intention to run for liberal leadership, he resigned as a UN special envoy for climate action and finances, and resigned from his positions on Brookfield Asset Management and Stripe and Pimco’s board of directors. I said that.
His campaign team said in an emailed statement Monday that he had resigned from all professional or advisory roles.
“He works hard to win a seat in the House of Representatives, where he commits to abide by all applicable ethical rules and guidelines relating to these roles,” said a campaign spokesman. Emily Williams said.
“It’s clear that Pierre Polyeavel is afraid to face Mark Carney in the upcoming campaign.”
