Canada鈥檚 ethics commissioner is looking into allegations that Justin Trudeau breached the Conflict of Interest Act when he accepted an offer to travel on the helicopter of a billionaire friend whose foundation does business with the government.
Pressed by reporters in Kingston, Ont., Prime Minister Trudeau admitted Thursday that he accepted an offer from the Aga Khan to have him transported from Nassau, Bahamas to the remote Bell Island during his recent vacation, adding 鈥淲e don鈥檛 see an issue on that.鈥�
Trudeau also told reporters that he is happy to answer any questions that conflict of interest and ethics commissioner Mary Dawson 鈥渕ay have."
Dawson鈥檚 office confirmed she has 鈥渃ommenced a preliminary review.鈥�
Under the Conflict of Interest Act, ministers of the Crown are not allowed to 鈥渁ccept travel on non-commercial chartered or private aircraft for any purpose unless required in his or her capacity as a public office holder or in exceptional circumstances or with the prior approval of the (Conflict of Interest and Ethics) Commissioner.鈥�
NDP Leader Tom Mulcair said Thursday that Trudeau had 鈥渂roken the law鈥� because the Conflict of Interest Act 鈥渃learly forbids the Prime Minister and his Ministers from taking trips on private aircraft for non-government purposes.鈥�
鈥淗e claims that this was a family vacation and not government work,鈥� Mulcair added. 鈥淭hese were not exceptional circumstances and therefore cannot excuse the use of a private helicopter. This is a clear conflict of interest and it鈥檚 worrisome that the prime minister has been so evasive about the specifics of this trip.鈥�
The Conservative Party said on Twitter that the 鈥淐onflict of Interest Act is clear鈥� and that Trudeau 鈥渁dmitted to breaking the rules.鈥�
Conservative Leadership Candidate Andrew Scheer called on Dawson earlier this week to examine whether Trudeau鈥檚 stay on the Aga Khan鈥檚 island was a violation of the act.
The Trudeaus have already faced controversy for their vacation to Nassau, Bahamas because they flew in a taxpayer-funded government jet and initially refused to tell reporters where they had gone.
Trudeau has reimbursed the treasury $4,900 for flying his family and a nanny to the Bahamas.
Although it costs far more to use the government鈥檚 Challenger jet, it is standard practice for vacationing prime ministers to pay only the equivalent of what commercial flights would cost.
St. John鈥檚-Mount Pearl MP Seamus O鈥橰egan and Liberal Party President Anna Gainey were also on the trip.
The helicopter travel may break Trudeau鈥檚 own ethics guidelines. Those guidelines forbid the use of sponsored travel in private aircraft except for exceptional circumstances and only with the prior approval of the ethics commissioner.
The Aga Khan is the spiritual leader of the world's Ismaili Muslims. The Aga Khan Foundation of Canada receives tens of millions of dollars a year from Canada for development work.
In 2009, Parliament made the Aga Khan an 鈥渉onourary Canadian,鈥� with the Conservative MP who put forward the motion calling him 鈥渁 beacon of humanitarianism, pluralism and tolerance in the world.鈥�
With a report from CTV鈥檚 Omar Sachedina in Kingston, Ont. and files from The Canadian Press
