Greg Fergus, the Latest Liberal MP To Violate Ethics Rules

The Canadian government has had a recent string of ethical violations that are putting the Trudeau administration under scrutiny. MP Greg Fergus has become the latest high-profile member of the federal Liberal party to violate ethics rules. Fergus wrote a letter supporting a television channel’s application to the CRTC, which is not allowed under current government rules for Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries.

Fergus, who is a Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government, admitted that he made a mistake and apologized for it. He said that he wrote the letter as a “courtesy” to the company, which is based in his riding, and that he did not think it would be seen as a conflict of interest. However, if he were just a Member of Parliament (MP) or a backbencher, it would not be seen as a conflict of interest, as MPs write letters of support all the time.

This incident, however, follows a few other recent violations of ethics rules by federal government members. For instance, Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen used $93,050 in constituency funds to hire a communications firm with connections to a former senior staffer for public relations help. Furthermore, Trade Minister Mary Ng broke ethics laws by awarding contracts to a “close friend.”

Nevertheless, it raises questions about the government’s ethics and whether or not the rules in place to prevent conflicts of interest are effective. Critics argue that the government needs to do more to ensure that all MPs are aware of the rules and that they are enforced consistently.

Fergus’ incident is another example of the government’s lack of transparency and accountability while raising questions about its procurement process and whether or not it is fair and impartial.

The Ethics Commissioner, Mario Dion, is asking the Prime Minister to ensure that all parliament members undergo additional ethics training to prevent any further rule violations due to conflicts of interest. The hope is that increased training will help to prevent future ethics violations by members of the federal government.