Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was still plagued by questions about a family trip on a private island in Aga Khan, the Bahamas, six years ago.
During the question on Tuesday, interim opposition leader Candice Bergen demanded that he know if he would use his authority as prime minister to give himself permission to receive gifts.
According to the criminal law, government officials cannot receive gifts from anyone doing business with the government without the written consent of the government’s branch chief (in this case, the prime minister).
Internal RCMP documents show troops considering initiating fraud investigations after travel details are revealed, but the fact that neither Congress nor the Ethics Commissioner chose to refer the case to police. It cites many reasons why it wasn’t done, including.
The RCMP concluded that if Trudeau gave written consent, there would be no cases of government fraud, but the document said it did not know if it had happened.
When Bergen asked on Tuesday if Trudeau used that “loophole” to avoid prosecution, he said no.
“RCMP investigated this issue, but there was no political interference. They came to their own conclusions. There was nothing to pursue,” Trudeau told Haus.
Bergen continued to push, asking if Trudeau agreed to interview RCMP about the $ 215,000 gift. He didn’t respond.
The Ethics Commissioner’s decision in 2017 that Trudeau violated the rules of conflict of interest and that he should have been allowed to go on a trip would be considered a conflict.
The Commissioner’s report and the information used to edit it cannot be used as evidence in court in the event of a criminal accusation. This is another reason why RCMP chose not to file a proceeding.
Trudeau was the first Canadian Prime Minister to violate the rules of conflict of interest during his tenure.
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