Lisa Raitt met with ethics watchdog ahead of shuffle into Transport

Hours before she was named as transport minister Monday, Lisa Raitt spoke to the federal ethics commissioner about her new job.

Raitt’s common-law husband, Bruce Wood, is the president and chief executive officer of the Hamilton Port Authority, a federally mandated organization with considerable regulatory involvement with the department she now leads.

Raitt’s press secretary, Ashley Kelahear, would not say what the minister and Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson spoke about Monday morning, or whether Raitt was given any guidance on the matter.

Senate ethics officer suspends probe of Mike Duffy as red chamber considers role for auditor general

OTTAWA — The Senate ethics officer has suspended her investigation of a payment by the prime minister’s top aide to Sen. Mike Duffy because the Senate has asked the RCMP to review the situation.

Lyse Ricard can still return to her investigation if new information emerges about the $90,000 cheque Sen. Mike Duffy received from former Harper chief of staff Nigel Wright as part of the repayment of Duffy’s improper living expenses.

Ethics Commissioner should find Nigel Wright and Mike Duffy guilty right now

The Ethics Commissioner has covered up twice already for Nigel Wright -- but public evidence is so clear another cover-up would be an even bigger scandal.

The Senate Committee controls whether a Senate Ethics Officer can investigate, and the Committee can overrule her rulings

Canada's Ethics Commissioner Shouldn't Let Harper Off the Hook

Democracy Watch has released federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson's refusal to investigate yet another clear case -- Prime Minister Harper helping Peter Penashue with a funding announcement and a by-election call while Elections Canada is investigating Mr. Penashue's last election campaign. It calls for key changes to ensure effective ethics enforcement in Canada.

More than 61,000 messages have been sent through Democracy Watch's letter-writing campaign to MPs on the House of Commons Ethics Committee that is reviewing the federal Conflict of Interest Act, and to other key politicians across Canada.

Ethics investigations can only go so far, commissioner reminds Canadians

OTTAWA - As the federal ethics commissioner readies for a third look at Stephen Harper's former right-hand man, Mary Dawson is reminding Canadians her office can only look so far.

The commissioner is examining whether Harper's chief of staff Nigel Wright violated the Conflict of Interest Act when he gave Tory Sen. Mike Duffy more than $90,000 to repay his housing expenses.

Democracy Watch Comes Down on Ethics Commissioner

Democracy Watch has issued a strongly-worded release condemning federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson for failing to investigate the case surrounding a funding announcement by Peter Penashue just days before the byelection call in Labrador. Democracy Watch submitted a complaint to the Ethics Commissioner after Prime Minister Stephen Harper allowed Penashue to make a $1.35 million spending announcement in his riding mere days before he resigned his seat.

Coordinator of Democracy Watch, Tyler Sommers, accused the Ethics Commissioner of ignoring clear ethics rules and instead using what he calls 'a narrow and incorrect' enforcement approach to the matter. Sommers accuses Dawson of being ineffective, so much so, he says the media have revealed all of the ethics violations in federal politics in the past five years.

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Ethics commissioner rejects probe of Penashue conflict

OTTAWA — Canada’s conflict of interest and ethics commissioner says she won’t investigate complaints about how the federal byelection in Labrador was called.

Green party leader Elizabeth May had asked the commissioner to examine whether Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s actions amount to a conflict of interest.

A similar complaint was filed by accountability group Democracy Watch.

Ethics probe in Stephen Harper’s office prompts calls for tougher penalties

OTTAWA – A probe into a mining company’s efforts to lobby Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s top adviser has prompted new questions about whether it’s time to strengthen existing rules and consider fines to prevent conflicts of interest.

“The vast majority of people who do lobbying, follow the rules, but you want to make sure that in (alleged) conflict of interest and lobbying (cases), if rules are broken, then there’s a price to be paid,” said NDP ethics critic Charlie Angus in an interview Wednesday.

Ethics Commissioner ignores evidence in Clement situation

As has happened almost every time she has issued a ruling, federal Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson has again ignored evidence and rules in her ruling that cabinet minister Tony Clement did nothing wrong when he endorsed a company in his riding in a promotional video and in two letters.

The Ethics Commissioner ruled in March that cabinet minister Christian Paradis was guilty of giving "preferential treatment" in violation of section 7 of the Conflict of Interest Act, setting the standard that it is illegal for ministers "to use their positions as ministers to provide greater assistance to their constituents than to other Canadians in relation to their own department or larger portfolio."

Ethics commissioner wants to get tough on MPs who don’t declare gifts

The five MPs met the Crown Prince of Kuwait, travelled to a desert oasis and discussed world affairs with senior Kuwaiti officials. And when the $60,000 Parliamentary trip wrapped up just days before the 2011 election campaign began, they received several gifts, including Bulgari watches.

Such luxury pieces sell in Canada for thousands of dollars, and MPs are required to disclose all gifts worth more than $500 in a public registry. The registry shows declarations from two of the five, both Conservatives. Two Liberals – then-Speaker Peter Milliken and Raymonde Folco – retired before the 60-day limit for disclosure, and the registry lists only current MPs. The fifth MP, Liberal Judy Foote, said she didn’t think the gifts were worth $500 and only declared them on Wednesday after calls from The Globe and Mail.