Opponents seek to prolong conflict of interest allegations directed at Morneau
OTTAWA — Opposition parties took turns criticizing Bill Morneau on Monday as they tried to drag out a stinging ethics controversy that has swarmed the finance minister for weeks.
Back in the House of Commons after a week away in their ridings, opposition MPs zeroed in on Morneau over his involvement in a pension-reform bill that they allege put him in a conflict of interest.
Ethics commissioner Mary Dawson has launched a formal examination of Morneau’s work to introduce Bill C-27, which critics insist will benefit his former company in which he owned about $21 million worth of shares.
After the ethics controversy erupted, he sold off his holdings in Morneau Shepell, a human-resources company he built with his father, and vowed to place his other considerable assets in a blind trust.