General

Ethics czar says Harper didn’t ask for Guergis probe

More confusion about the PM’s response to scandal

The federal ethics commissioner says she wasn’t asked by the Prime Minister Stephen Harper to investigate ousted cabinet minister Helena Guergis. Mary Dawson, who oversees the conflict of interest and ethics codes that senior government officials are supposed to follow, told CBC the PM merely referred the matter to her—a move that falls short of a request for an investigation. Harper’s spokesman admits that not only was there no formal request for Dawson to probe the matter, the Prime Minister’s Office didn’t provide her with any specifics. Guergis claims to be similarly under-informed. Her lawyer says the Prime Minister, despite kicking her out of cabinet and the Conservative caucus, didn’t spell out the allegations against her, which reportedly came from a private investigator.

CBC News

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