OTTAWA -- Several of Finance Minister Bill Morneau’s cabinet colleagues say they still have confidence in him and support him continuing on as a minister, despite calls from the opposition parties for him to resign over his revelations that he had just paid WE Charity back $41,366 in outstanding expenses that the organization covered for two trips his family took in 2017.
The admission of the paid trips, and that his wife has made $100,000 in donations to the organization in recent years, came at a parliamentary committee on Wednesday, amid the ongoing study into the possible conflict of interest breach over granting WE Charity a deal to administer a $912-million student grant program that would have seen the organization receive up to $43.5 million.
“It’s time that the minister of finance do the only thing that is left to do, and that is resign as minister,” said Conservative MP and deputy finance critic Michael Cooper at a Thursday morning press conference.
Resignation calls aside, at minimum the opposition is demanding further scrutiny of the finance ministers’ conduct.
In a letter to Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion, NDP MP and ethics critic Charlie Angus is requesting a second investigation be launched into Morneau accepting paid travel from WE and his failure to disclose it.
“It is important that the complete facts of the matter are assembled and that an appropriate finding is made,” Angus wrote.
Dion is already investigating Morneau and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over their potential conflicts being in the room when the decisions were being made to award WE Charity this massive summer student volunteer initiative, despite their close family connections to the organization.
Morneau’s two daughters have ties to the charity, one having spoken at WE events and the other working for the organization. Trudeau’s mother and brother have been paid for recent speaking gigs at WE events, and his wife Sophie was paid a small amount once before Trudeau was the Liberal Party leader, though she continues to host a mental-health podcast under the WE banner.
The Conservatives have also written to Dion asking that, at minimum, the current investigation to be widened in scope given Morneau’s latest admissions.
“It’s time that the minister of finance do the only thing that is left to do, and that is resign as minister,” said Conservative MP Michael Cooper at a Thursday morning press conference.
On Wednesday, Morneau apologized for the serious “error” and said it was always his intention to pay the full cost of the trips— one his wife and daughter took to Kenya, and one to Ecuador which he attended with his family. He nevertheless contended that he did not believe he had a conflict, though he recognized “the legitimate questions about the perception of a conflict.”
In a statement sent late Wednesday night, WE Charity said that, “from time to time on a complimentary basis,” the organization has invited donors and potential big donors to see its work firsthand, and the trips were offered to Morneau’s family in part because they are “known philanthropists with a history of significant donations.”
“What came out of yesterday’s committee is shocking,” said Cooper. “The seriousness of what the finance minister admitted to yesterday should not be understated. The finance minister broke the law,” Cooper said, referencing various sections of the Conflict of Interest Act he perceives Morneau has contravened.
The conflict of interest rules prohibit federal public office holders or members of their family from accepting “any gift or other advantage, including from a trust, that might reasonably be seen to have been given to influence the public office holder in the exercise of an official power, duty or function.”
As well, any large gifts need to be reported within days of them being received and in this case, Morneau did not disclose the trips until this week.
“Why hasn’t Justin Trudeau fired him?” asked Conservative MP and finance critic Pierre Poilievre, questioning whether Trudeau is “hiding” more information about his connections with the charity . He vowed to hold the Liberals to account but stopped short of saying the Conservatives—which are without a permanent leader until late August—are ready to try to topple the minority government.
MINISTERS BACK MORNEAU
Facing questions from reporters on Thursday, several Liberal cabinet ministers came out in defence of their colleague, saying they still have confidence in Morneau continuing on as the minister of finance, and pointing to the involvement he’s had in the government’s COVID-19 economic response.
“Yes I have confidence in minister Morneau and he's a good colleague that is focused on service… on supporting Canadians, particularly during this very difficult time of COVID-19 where we have put forward enormous measures to help Canadians,” said Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade Mary Ng.
During a joint press conference, both Minister of Economic Development Melanie Joly and Canadian Heritage Minister Steven Guilbeault said that Morneau has “explained himself” and has apologized, though stopped short of explicitly saying they still had confidence in him.
In a follow-up statement to CTVNews.ca Joly said that he does have her confidence.
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development Ahmed Hussen said he looks forward to continuing to work with Morneau and that he still has confidence in him, as did Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson.
“He is a person of extraordinary capability… He has said that he feels that he perhaps should have recused himself from that conversation, but I would say that I do think that people are losing the narrative here a little bit. This program was actually about providing volunteer opportunities for young people,” Wilkinson said. “I certainly think that it's important that minister Morneau made the statement that he did. And certainly the ethics commissioner investigating it, I think is entirely appropriate, but I continue to have full faith in minister Morneau who is one of the most talented colleagues that I work with every day.”
Asked on Wednesday, following Morneau’s testimony whether Trudeau would be heeding the Conservatives’ calls to oust one of his highest ranking cabinet ministers, PMO spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt told CTVNews.ca that Morneau was “up front with the committee and transparent with Canadians,” and that he “is continuing to do this work that Canadians rely on.”
Trudeau and his top aide Chief of Staff Katie Telford are also set to testify before the committee at a yet-to-be-determined time.
Morneau is the MP for Toronto Centre and was first elected under Trudeau in 2015. He has held the finance minister role the entire time he’s been an MP.
He has previously come under fire for ethics issues related to his assets. In 2017 he faced criticism and questioning over using an ethics loophole to not put his assets in a blind trust after becoming a minister, which the then-ethics commissioner cleared him on; as well as for not properly disclosing a family villa in France.
