{"id":12707,"date":"2021-03-24T07:45:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T11:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/?p=12707"},"modified":"2025-05-25T07:16:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-25T11:16:28","slug":"ethics-commissioner-issues-misleading-letter-in-cover-up-of-his-ruling-on-appointments-of-judges-connected-to-dominic-leblanc-democracy-watch-writes-back-calling-for-public-ruling-based-on-n","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/democracywatch.ca\/fr\/ethics-commissioner-issues-misleading-letter-in-cover-up-of-his-ruling-on-appointments-of-judges-connected-to-dominic-leblanc-democracy-watch-writes-back-calling-for-public-ruling-based-on-n\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethics Commissioner issues misleading letter in cover-up of his ruling on appointments of judges connected to Dominic LeBlanc \u2013 Democracy Watch writes back calling for public ruling based on new infoEthics Commissioner issues misleading letter in cover-up of his ruling on appointments of judges connected to Dominic LeBlanc \u2013 Democracy Watch writes back calling for public ruling based on new info"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commissioner committed to issue public rulings on all complaints, but his senior lawyer is LeBlanc\u2019s sister-in-law \u2013 is that why he is refusing to issue a ruling?<\/span><\/h4>\n

Democracy Watch filed court case last November challenging federal judicial appointment system for being too political<\/span><\/h4>\n\n

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:<\/b>
Wednesday, March 24, 2021<\/p>\n\n

OTTAWA \u2013 Today, Democracy Watch released the letter<\/a> it received recently from federal Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion in response to the letter Democracy Watch sent last month<\/a> calling on the Ethics Commissioner to issue a ruling, finally, on Democracy Watch\u2019s complaint filed in July 2019<\/a>. The complaint requested an independent investigation into whether Trudeau Cabinet Minister Dominic LeBlanc violated the federal government\u2019s ethics law by participating in the appointment process for judges in New Brunswick with financial and other connections to him.<\/p>\n\n

In his letter, Ethics Commissioner Dion claims that examinations and inquiries he conducts are confidential. However, he doesn\u2019t mention that when he concludes an examination\/investigation he is required to issue a public ruling if an MP or Senator has filed the complaint (under subsection 44(8)<\/a> of the Conflict of Interest Act<\/em>), and under section 45 of the Act<\/em> if he has self-initiated the investigation and not tried to bury the results by discontinuing the investigation.<\/p>\n\n

As well, when testifying<\/a> before the House Ethics Committee in December 2017 about his appointment, Commissioner Dion committed to issue a public ruling on every complaint he received.<\/p>\n\n

Democracy Watch also released the letter<\/a> it has sent back to the Ethics Commissioner, pointing to all of the new information that been revealed since July 2019<\/a> by a federal government whistleblower showing that the Minister of Justice and\/or Prime Minister\u2019s Office consult with Cabinet ministers and MPs from each province before appointing judges in their province.<\/p>\n\n

\u201cEthics Commissioner Dion\u2019s letter amounts to a cover-up of his ruling on Dominic LeBlanc\u2019s participation in appointing New Brunswick judges who have connections to him,\u201d<\/em> said Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch. \u201cGiven what has been revealed over the past year about how the Minister of Justice and PMO consult with Cabinet ministers and Liberal MPs about the appointments of judges in their provinces, it is difficult to believe that Dominic LeBlanc did not participate in the process appointing these judges who have financial and other connections to him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n

\u201cIs Commissioner Dion refusing to issue a ruling because he was handpicked by the Trudeau Cabinet through a biased, secretive, dishonest process<\/a>, and his senior lawyer is LeBlanc\u2019s sister-in-law<\/a>? Commissioner Dion should have long ago delegated the investigation to someone independent of his office and all parties,\u201d <\/em>said Conacher.<\/p>\n\n

See Democracy Watch\u2019s February 25, 2021 news release and letter<\/a> for more details about:<\/p>\n\n