Former Canada’s ambassador to China recently accepted a top appointment with a major mining company, which accounts for more than half of China’s sales. Currently, two MPs are asking the Ethics Commissioner to investigate the issue and determine if the rules of conflict of interest have been violated.
NDP lawmakers Heather McPherson and Matthew Green wrote to Commissioner Mario Dion, highlighting concerns such as a series of events prior to the new appointment of former Ambassador Dominic Barton. McPherson is an NDP diplomatic critic and Green is an ethical critic.
According to a Globe and Mail article published last month, Barton met with executives from the British-Australian mining company Rio Tinto in October 2021. Burton announced on December 6 that he would resign from the Beijing post by the end of the year.
Rio tinto announcement Burton was appointed chairman of the company on December 19, and said he would join the board in April and become chairman in May.
“Given that Mr. Burton had a high level of responsibility and influence in public office, given that Mr. Burton recently met with Rio Tinto executives in October 2021, all less than three Canadians. A few months after the meeting with the gold mining company, he announced his intention to chair Rio Tinto’s board of directors, “said McPherson and Green. according to To the earth.
The letter states that legislation on conflicts of interest has been enacted to protect Canadians from officials in power.
The Finance Commission’s directive on conflicts of interest is given by civil servants to public services.
The Epoch Times contacted Global Affairs Canada to ask if Burton had received such approval, but did not receive a response by the time of issuance.
John Brassard, a conservative critic of the ethical and accountable government, said his party was investigating the issue.
“The Canadian ambassador knows the code of conduct and knows the dispute law. He should stick to them and will know if that was actually the case with Rio Tinto,” Brother said in January. He said at a press conference on another issue on the 10th.
Burton was appointed Ambassador of China in September 2019.At that time he Chairman At Teck Resources, a Canadian natural resources company, he previously worked for McKinsey & Company for decades. Management consulting firms have included Chinese state-owned enterprises as clients, some of whom have built militarized artificial islands in the Pacific in violation of international law. Burton was the company’s global managing partner from 2009 to 2018.
Barton takes over Rio Tinto’s chairman, Simon Thompson, who resigned in 2020 in a scandal of the destruction of the sacred rock shelter of the indigenous people of the Jukan Gorge 46,000 years ago in Australia.
Burton Said In a Rio Tinto press release, he is excited to join the company as he “is trying to navigate the changing competitive environment and establish himself as a leader in climate change.”
In a statement, Rio Tinto CEO Jacob Stausholm looks forward to working with Burton to “strengthen Rio Tinto and leverage its wealth of experience across Asia, especially in both business and diplomacy.” I am.
According to the company’s latest results, China accounts for 60% of Rio Tinto’s total sales. This is supported by the need for iron ore for steelmaking in Communist-led countries.
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Noé Charter is a Montreal-based Epoch Times reporter.