{"id":11216,"date":"2019-12-09T08:31:40","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T13:31:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/?p=11216"},"modified":"2025-05-25T07:18:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:18:55","slug":"democracy-watch-calls-on-ford-energy-minister-greg-rickford-to-disclose-if-he-has-investments-in-energy-and-mining-companies-and-calls-on-other-ministers-and-cabinet-staff-to-disclose-their-secret-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/democracy-watch-calls-on-ford-energy-minister-greg-rickford-to-disclose-if-he-has-investments-in-energy-and-mining-companies-and-calls-on-other-ministers-and-cabinet-staff-to-disclose-their-secret-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Democracy Watch calls on Ford Energy Minister Greg Rickford to disclose if he has investments in energy and mining companies, and calls on other ministers and Cabinet staff to disclose their secret investmentsDemocracy Watch calls on Ford Energy Minister Greg Rickford to disclose if he has investments in energy and mining companies, and calls on other ministers and Cabinet staff to disclose their secret investments"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rickford had energy company investments when he was federal natural resources minister \u2013 loopholes in Ontario\u2019s ethics law allows such investments, in secret<\/span><\/h3>\n

Rickford cited a climate-change denial blog when defending $231 million cost of dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy sector<\/span><\/h3>\n\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b>
Monday, December 9, 2019<\/p>\n\n

OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch released the letter<\/a> it sent to Greg Rickford<\/a>, Ontario\u2019s Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, calling on him to disclose whether he has investments in energy and mining companies. When he was federal natural resources minister, Rickford had investments in an elite hedge fund that held shares in the energy companies he oversaw<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

In his 2018 Public Disclosure Statement<\/a> in the Integrity Commissioner\u2019s Public Registry<\/a>, Minister Rickford said he had received \u201cDirector\u2019s Fees\u201d from Noront Resources Ltd.<\/a>, a Canadian mining company that holds 72% of all claims in northern Ontario\u2019s Ring of Fire area. Minister Rickford was on the board of Noront in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Minister Rickford recently cited a climate-change denying blog<\/a> when defending the $231-million cost to taxpayers<\/a> of dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy sector by cancelling 758 government contracts<\/a>. Ontario\u2019s Auditor General recently concluded<\/a> that the Ford government\u2019s climate change emissions plan will fail, and \u201cdid not use best practices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch also called on Premier Ford and all his ministers and Cabinet staff to disclose any secret investments they hold in all mutual funds and other securities, as the public has a right to know all their financial conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n\n

Ontario\u2019s government ethics law has a huge loophole that allows Cabinet ministers, Cabinet staff, and MPPs to own shares in a mutual fund in secret, even if the fund invests in companies the minister and\/or their staff oversee (See subsection 21(4), para. 9<\/a> of the Members\u2019 Integrity Act<\/em> and subsection 11(2), para. 1<\/a> of O.Reg. 382\/07 under the Public Service of Ontario Act<\/em>). The federal government\u2019s ethics law has the same loophole<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cEnergy and mines minister Greg Rickford needs to clear the air about whether he is still secretly invested in energy and mining companies, as he was on the board of an Ontario mining company, and he owned energy company stocks when he was federal natural resources ministers, and he recently cited a climate-change denying blog when defending dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy industry at a cost to taxpayers of $231 million,\u201d<\/em> said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch. \u201cPremier Ford, his Cabinet ministers, and Cabinet staff must also all come clean about whether they have secret investments in companies \u2013 the public has a right to know even though a huge loophole in Ontario\u2019s government ethics law allows them to have secret investments.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cLike Premier Ford\u2019s trust, any ministers\u2019 so-called blind trust doesn\u2019t do anything to prevent them from helping the companies they are invested in because they know that they own the investments, and they choose their own trustee, and they receive annual updates from the trustee,\u201d<\/em> said Conacher. \u201cTo have an effective government ethics system, politicians, their staff and top government officials must be prohibited from having investments in businesses in any way, and if they can\u2019t sell their investments for any reason they must be prohibited from participating in any decision-making process that affects their investments in any way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch recently sent a letter<\/a> to Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake calling on him to confirm with a clear, strong, public statements that key rules set out in the Preamble<\/a> of the Act<\/em> are enforceable. The rules require all MPPs to perform their duties and arrange their private affairs \u201cin a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity of each member\u201d and to \u201cto act with integrity and impartiality that will bear the closest scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch\u2019s letter also called on Commissioner Wake to issue a clear, strong, public statement calling on the Ontario legislature to change the Act<\/em> to ban so-called blind trusts because they are a charade (as the Parker Commission recommended in 1987<\/a>), and to close a huge loophole that means the Act<\/em> doesn\u2019t apply to 99% of the decisions of MPPs and allows them, the Premier and Cabinet ministers to take part in decisions even when they will profit from the decision.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOntario\u2019s ethics law for politicians has huge loopholes that must be closed or it will continue to be almost impossible to be in a conflict of interest that violates the law,\u201d<\/em> said Conacher.<\/p>\n\n

– 30 \u2013<\/p>\n

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:<\/strong>
Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch
Tel: (613) 241-5179
Cell: 416-546-3443
Email: info@democracywatch.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

Democracy Watch\u2019s Government Ethics Campaign<\/a><\/p>\n\n

Rickford had energy company investments when he was federal natural resources minister \u2013 loopholes in Ontario\u2019s ethics law allows such investments, in secret<\/span><\/h3>\n

Rickford cited a climate-change denial blog when defending $231 million cost of dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy sector<\/span><\/h3>\n\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b>
Monday, December 9, 2019<\/p>\n\n

OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch released the letter<\/a> it sent to Greg Rickford<\/a>, Ontario\u2019s Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, calling on him to disclose whether he has investments in energy and mining companies. When he was federal natural resources minister, Rickford had investments in an elite hedge fund that held shares in the energy companies he oversaw<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

In his 2018 Public Disclosure Statement<\/a> in the Integrity Commissioner\u2019s Public Registry<\/a>, Minister Rickford said he had received \u201cDirector\u2019s Fees\u201d from Noront Resources Ltd.<\/a>, a Canadian mining company that holds 72% of all claims in northern Ontario\u2019s Ring of Fire area. Minister Rickford was on the board of Noront in 2017<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Minister Rickford recently cited a climate-change denying blog<\/a> when defending the $231-million cost to taxpayers<\/a> of dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy sector by cancelling 758 government contracts<\/a>. Ontario\u2019s Auditor General recently concluded<\/a> that the Ford government\u2019s climate change emissions plan will fail, and \u201cdid not use best practices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch also called on Premier Ford and all his ministers and Cabinet staff to disclose any secret investments they hold in all mutual funds and other securities, as the public has a right to know all their financial conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n\n

Ontario\u2019s government ethics law has a huge loophole that allows Cabinet ministers, Cabinet staff, and MPPs to own shares in a mutual fund in secret, even if the fund invests in companies the minister and\/or their staff oversee (See subsection 21(4), para. 9<\/a> of the Members\u2019 Integrity Act<\/em> and subsection 11(2), para. 1<\/a> of O.Reg. 382\/07 under the Public Service of Ontario Act<\/em>). The federal government\u2019s ethics law has the same loophole<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cEnergy and mines minister Greg Rickford needs to clear the air about whether he is still secretly invested in energy and mining companies, as he was on the board of an Ontario mining company, and he owned energy company stocks when he was federal natural resources ministers, and he recently cited a climate-change denying blog when defending dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy industry at a cost to taxpayers of $231 million,\u201d<\/em> said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch. \u201cPremier Ford, his Cabinet ministers, and Cabinet staff must also all come clean about whether they have secret investments in companies \u2013 the public has a right to know even though a huge loophole in Ontario\u2019s government ethics law allows them to have secret investments.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cLike Premier Ford\u2019s trust, any ministers\u2019 so-called blind trust doesn\u2019t do anything to prevent them from helping the companies they are invested in because they know that they own the investments, and they choose their own trustee, and they receive annual updates from the trustee,\u201d<\/em> said Conacher. \u201cTo have an effective government ethics system, politicians, their staff and top government officials must be prohibited from having investments in businesses in any way, and if they can\u2019t sell their investments for any reason they must be prohibited from participating in any decision-making process that affects their investments in any way.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch recently sent a letter<\/a> to Integrity Commissioner J. David Wake calling on him to confirm with a clear, strong, public statements that key rules set out in the Preamble<\/a> of the Act<\/em> are enforceable. The rules require all MPPs to perform their duties and arrange their private affairs \u201cin a manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity of each member\u201d and to \u201cto act with integrity and impartiality that will bear the closest scrutiny.\u201d<\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch\u2019s letter also called on Commissioner Wake to issue a clear, strong, public statement calling on the Ontario legislature to change the Act<\/em> to ban so-called blind trusts because they are a charade (as the Parker Commission recommended in 1987<\/a>), and to close a huge loophole that means the Act<\/em> doesn\u2019t apply to 99% of the decisions of MPPs and allows them, the Premier and Cabinet ministers to take part in decisions even when they will profit from the decision.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cOntario\u2019s ethics law for politicians has huge loopholes that must be closed or it will continue to be almost impossible to be in a conflict of interest that violates the law,\u201d<\/em> said Conacher.<\/p>\n\n

– 30 \u2013<\/p>\n

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:<\/strong>
Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch
Tel: (613) 241-5179
Cell: 416-546-3443
Email: info@democracywatch.ca<\/a><\/p>\n

Democracy Watch\u2019s Government Ethics Campaign<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rickford had energy company investments when he was federal natural resources minister \u2013 loopholes in Ontario\u2019s ethics law allows such investments, in secret Rickford cited a climate-change denial blog when defending $231 million cost of dismantling Ontario\u2019s renewable energy sector FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:Monday, December 9, 2019 OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch released the letter it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11216","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11216","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11216"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11216\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18493,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11216\/revisions\/18493"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11216"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11216"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11216"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}