Hussen defends contract linked to staffer’s sister, won’t rule out rehiring firm – National | 24CA News

Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen says his constituency workplace “followed all the rules” when it employed a agency with household ties to a staffer working in his workplace.

He additionally stated he was “happy with the services” and, when requested, didn’t rule out hiring the agency sooner or later and stated once more that he was “happy with the services.”

“Members of Parliament are allowed and permitted to pay for services, including communications services,” Hussen stated, chatting with Global News outdoors the federal authorities’s cupboard retreat in Hamilton on Tuesday.

“We followed all the rules of the financial management office of the House of Commons, as well as checking with the Office of the Ethics and Conflict of Interest Commissioner and all the services have been publicly disclosed.”

Global News reported Thursday that Hussen’s workplace awarded $93,050 in communications contracts to Munch More Media, a Toronto-based agency centered on the meals and restaurant business. The taxpayer funds got here from his constituency workplace price range, not his ministerial price range.

The director of the corporate, Hiba Tariq, is sister to Hussen’s director of coverage and shut adviser, Tia Tariq.

Global News requested the ethics commissioner’s workplace whether or not it did the truth is log out on the choice by Minister Hussen’s workplace to award contracts to Munch More Media and whether or not the commissioner was conscious of the familial connection between Tia and Hiba Tariq.

3:34New particulars emerge on contract awarded by Liberal cupboard minister

A spokesperson for the workplace stated it couldn’t reply questions from Global News, explaining that any recommendation that it gives is confidential, as are any requests for recommendation acquired by the workplace

On Friday, Global News reported that Marci Ien, now the minister of girls and gender equality, additionally gave $10,000 in contracts from her constituency price range to Munch More Media in 2021.

Ien was not a minister on the time. The foyer registry listed Tia Tariq as a director of coverage for Ien’s workplace on the time however Ien’s workplace stated in a press release to Global News that’s incorrect and he or she was not working for Ien.

“I know the Minister has spoken to this and will continue to answer questions on this. My preoccupation is that the rules always be followed, but also that Members of Parliament continue to put a priority on connecting, communicating with Canadians,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in a press convention on Monday in Hamilton.

“It’s the responsibility of of any member of Parliament to make sure that they are communicating and connecting with their citizens, and we expect that to be done.”

He added: “The minister is making sure that he’s answering our questions on this and we’re making sure that all rules are followed.”

2:44Housing minister’s contracts with foodie agency Munch More Media raises eyebrows

MPs are permitted to spend constituency funds — which in the end come from the taxpayer — on outdoors communications work. But a Global News evaluation of cupboard ministers’ constituency spending reveals that Hussen is only one of three ministers who spent a big quantity of public cash on outdoors public relations assist in current months.

Munch More Media Inc. is a Toronto-based public relations agency specializing in selling the restaurant and meals companies business. It shouldn’t be clear, outdoors of what Global News reported final week, that it has any expertise in political communications.

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