Canada’s new Finance Minister, Dominic LeBlanc, is embarrassed and must defend his integrity, following revelations that he recently partied and stayed with his wife at a home of billionaire Jim Irving in New Brunswick .
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According to the Globe and MailJustin Trudeau’s right-hand man would have slept there with his partner during a Christmas party held in mid-December. These festivities would have taken place just before he was named Minister of Finance, following the resounding departure of Chrystia Freeland on December 16.
He defends himself
The revelations in the Toronto daily forced Dominic LeBlanc to defend his integrity and explain his links with this billionaire family, which controls the JD Irving conglomerate, owner of the largest oil refinery in Canada.
The Irving family fortune is estimated at between $10 and $12 billion.
While in Florida to meet members of Donald Trump’s entourage, Dominic LeBlanc maintained that his friendship with the Irving family had been disclosed and endorsed by the Conflict of Interest Commissioner when he became a minister in 2016.
“It’s important, when you have a job like ours, not to lose all your friends,” he pleaded. And the friendship of Mr. Irving is something that is important to me on a personal level,” added the minister.
On his Instagram page, Dominic LeBlanc proudly appeared, arm in arm, with James K. Irving, last June, following the death of the businessman.
The minister, however, refused to indicate, twice rather than once, whether or not he had the privilege of going salmon fishing at the sumptuous Down’s Gulch estate, strictly reserved for the Irving family, which a member of Parliament already referred to as the “unofficial monarchy of New Brunswick”.
The CCP wants an investigation
These revelations prompted the Conservative Party of Canada to call for an investigation into what appears, according to the political party, to a potential conflict of interest.
In a letter he sent to the Conflict of Interest Commissioner, Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett raises many questions.
“Can Dominic LeBlanc participate in discussions on softwood lumber when the Irving family holds significant stakes in the forestry sector?” he asks in particular.
“I would ask you to investigate and report clearly to Canadians,” insists Mr. Barrett, recalling that Dominic LeBlanc is now Minister of Finance and that he will play a leading role in future trade and tariff negotiations. with the United States.
Contacted by The Journal, the spokesperson for Minister Leblanc’s office indicated that the two men have been friends for decades and “this is why, in order to avoid any conflict of interest, real or perceived, Minister LeBlanc has equipped himself with an anti-conflict of interest filter to ensure that he does not participate, in his official capacity, in matters or decisions that could have an impact on the business relations of Mr. Jim Irving.
