Trade minister apologizes for breaking conflict of interest rules | 24CA News

International Trade Minister Mary Ng has apologized after Canada’s battle of curiosity and ethics commissioner concluded she positioned herself in a battle of curiosity by her involvement in a call by her workplace to award contracts to a good friend’s firm.

Ng’s workplace signed contracts for media and communications coaching with public relations company Pomp & Circumstance, co-founded and run by Amanda Alvaro.

The commissioner acknowledged in his report, launched Tuesday, that Ng and Alvaro are pals in response to the definition in the Conflict of Interest Act. Alvaro is a daily panellist on CBC’s Power & Politics.

The contracts have been signed on behalf of the minister in March 2019 and April 2020. 

“Minister Ng twice failed to recognize a potential conflict of interest involving a friend, an oversight of her obligations under the Conflict of Interest Act,” Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion mentioned in a news launch.

“There is simply no excuse for contracting with a friend’s company.”

In a press release posted to Twitter Tuesday, Ng apologized.

“I take full responsibility for my actions. I should have recused myself and apologize to all for not having done so,” Ng mentioned within the assertion.

“At no time was there an issue of any personal benefit for me, nor any intention for anyone to benefit inappropriately.”

Conservative MP James Bezan requested the commissioner in May 2022 to look at the April 2020 contract. 

Dion’s report says Ng instructed the commissioner the coaching was wanted to cope with an elevated variety of requests for data to her workplace from media and companies following the beginning of the pandemic. The report says Ng referred to as Alvaro in late March 2020 to speak concerning the state of affairs.

Ng’s workplace signed a contract value $16,950 with Pomp & Circumstance on April 8, 2020.

Ng instructed the commissioner she didn’t focus on a contract in her telephone name with Alvaro.

“The decision to trigger the steps that resulted in obtaining services from a company owned by one of her friends placed Minister Ng in a conflict of interest,” Dion mentioned within the report.

“She should have known to instead withdraw from the process that led to the awarding of the contracts and obtain similar services from another provider.”

Ng instructed the commissioner she had no recollection of the sooner contract between her division and Alvaro’s firm, dated March 26, 2019 and price $5,840.

Alvaro instructed the commissioner a member of Ng’s workplace contacted her to acquire media coaching providers. The report mentioned Ng was not copied on any of the e-mail exchanges regarding the 2019 contract, however members of Ng’s workplace have been conscious of the friendship between Ng and Alvaro.

“In light of the evidence gathered during this examination, I find that Ms. Ng participated in making a decision (in March 2019) and made a decision (in April 2020) to hire Pomp & Circumstance for media training,” Dion mentioned in his report.

Section 4 of the Conflict of Interest Act states that “a public office holder is in a conflict of interest when he or she exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity to further his or her private interests or those of his or her relatives or friends.”