OTTAWA — Canada’s federal ethics watchdog ruled today that Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc violated the conflict of interest act when he approved an Arctic surf clam licence to a company employing a family member. LeBlanc should have recused himself from the decision, since it provided an opportunity to further the private interests of his spouse’s cousin, Gilles Theriault, Dion says in his ruling. “A first cousin of Mr. LeBlanc’s spouse, Mr. Gilles Theriault, could have benefited financially from an Arctic surf clam licence being awarded to the Five Nations Clam Company,” Dion said Wednesday. A tender was issued in 2017 and on Feb. 21, LeBlanc announced the licence had been awarded to Five Nations. Conservative MP Todd Doherty has long been critical of the Five Nations deal.

Source: National Post September 12, 2018 15:08 UTC