Martine Richard Explained
Martine Richard is a Canadian public servant who served as the third conflict of interest and ethics commissioner of Canada. She was appointed on 27 March 2023, succeeding Mario Dion.[1] Richard's appointment was intended to be interim for a six-month period, until a regular appointment was made, but she resigned several weeks after the appointment.[2] [3]
In the days after her appointment, opposition parties criticized her appointment to the role, due to her perceived closeness to the government. She is Dominic LeBlanc's sister-in-law.[4] [5]
Prior to her appointment as interim commissioner, Richard worked in the commissioner's office since 2013,[6] having served as a senior legal adviser and investigator since 2015.[4] During investigations into the SNC-Lavalin affair, she recused herself from at least two investigations due to perceived conflict of interest.[7] [8] [9] In 2018, Richard also recused herself from an investigation of LeBlanc in which he was found to have violated the Conflict of Interest Act for awarding a lucrative fishing licence to a company linked to his wife's cousin.[10] [11]
On 18 April 2023, a motion was passed at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics to review the appointment and require Richard and LeBlanc to testify.[2] The following day, Richard resigned as ethics commissioner, returning to her previous role as a lawyer in the ethics commissioner's office.[12] [13]
Notes and References
- News: Jesse . Cnockaert . 2023-03-29 . Interim ethics commissioner with family connection to Intergovernmental Affairs Minister LeBlanc raises red flags for critics . . 2023-03-30.
- News: CBC News . 2023-04-19 . Interim ethics commissioner with family ties to minister steps down . . 2023-04-19.
- News: Richard . Raycraft . 2023-05-15 . Conflict of interest and ethics probes on hold until new commissioner is named, MPs told . . 2023-05-15.
- News: Darren . Major . 2023-03-30 . Opposition cries foul after minister's in-law appointed interim ethics commissioner . . 2023-03-30.
- News: Richard . Raycraft . 2023-03-31 . PM defends appointment of cabinet minister's sister-in-law to top ethics post . . 2023-03-31.
- News: Marieke . Walsh . 2023-03-30 . Ottawa stands by appointment of cabinet minister’s sister-in-law as interim ethics commissioner . . 2023-03-30.
- News: Beatrice . Paez . 2019-04-08 . Ethics czar’s senior counsel exercised ‘abundance of caution’ in recusal from SNC probe over potential conflict . . 2023-03-30.
- News: 2019-04-15 . Integrity of The Office of the Ethics Commissioner questioned after Democracy Watch confirms Dion's senior counsel is related to Liberal cabinet minister by marriage . Ottawa Life Magazine . 2023-03-30.
- News: Bryan . Passifiume . 2023-03-30 . Uproar as Liberal cabinet minister's relative appointed interim ethics commissioner . . 2023-03-30.
- News: The Editorial Board . 2023-04-11 . The Liberals’ many ethics gaffes cast a long shadow . . 2023-04-11.
- News: Kathleen . Harris . 2018-05-18 . Dominic LeBlanc found in conflict of interest over lucrative fishing licence . . 2023-04-11.
- News: . 2023-04-19 . Dominic Leblanc’s sister-in-law steps down as interim ethics watchdog after committee launches probe . . 2023-04-19.
- News: Stephanie . Levitz . 2023-04-19 . Who’s to blame for the ethics commissioner quitting? Pierre Poilievre’s MPs, say the Liberals . . 2023-04-19.
