The latest entry from Canada concerns a decision by our Ethics Commissioner that David MacNaughton took improper advantage of his previous connections with the government. MacNaughton, recently Canadian Ambassador to Washington, has been actively involved with the Liberal Party at both the provincial and federal level for many years. He met with various government officials early in the pandemic to offer – free of charge – the services of a software company he represented. The Ethics Commissioner concluded that the company in question did not benefit from these meetings, but banned the government officials involved from conducting any official dealings with MacNaughton for a year. So, just to recap, we have an experienced political advisor, well-connected, contacting the federal government and offering free assistance from a corporation he represents. Really; that’s it? That’s the best we can do in the scandal department?
Could We Use an Alternative Legal Remedy?
Inevitably, coverage of this issue included a reference to the WE charity scandal from earlier this year and then to the SNC-Lavalin issue of a year ago. In the latter instance, we were reminded how the Prime Minister had tried to pressure the Attorney-General of the time
to settle a criminal case against the corporation. Since the media are so concerned about ethical standards, I’m sure they would appreciate my effort to help them with the accuracy of their reporting, since I have blogged about this issue twice previously. [See https://richardtindal.weebly.com/richard-tindal-blog/chicken-little-and-the-lavalin-affair and https://richardtindal.weebly.com/richard-tindal-blog/methinks-thou-dost-protest-too-much.]
There was not any pressure applied about dropping the case against SNC-Lavalin. The Cabinet wished to proceed against Lavalin using a deferred prosecution agreement, one of two alternatives available in law – and an alternative that had been legislated by the previous Conservative Government. The Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould – whose subsequent actions made clear that she was not a team player – refused to accept the notion of the collective responsibility of the Cabinet and insisted on pursuing the other legal remedy available in this matter.
Could We Focus on the Major Issues?
With COVID cases on the rise again in several parts of Canada, schools reopening without adequate planning for safety, seniors homes facings staff shortages that increase the risks there, and a massive increase in government debt necessitated by the COVID crisis, there are many substantive issues worthy of coverage and monitoring. It is unfortunate that the media folks are so obsessed with government scandals – especially when ours are so minor as to be almost embarrassing.