ETHI meeting 17 · 2025-11-20 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The committee studied the conflict of interest screen and ethics measures in place for Prime Minister Mark Carney, hearing from Marc-André Blanchard, the Prime Minister’s Chief of Staff and co-administrator of the screen.

Marc-André Blanchard testified that the ethics screen, agreed upon by the Prime Minister and the Ethics Commissioner, is a preventive measure to ensure the Prime Minister is not placed in a conflict of interest, and that it is administered daily by the Privy Council Office using an assessment tool developed with the Commissioner’s office. He stated that the Prime Minister divested all his interests into a blind trust, that the screen applies to 103 companies listed in annex A of his public declaration, and that six positive determinations have been made to restrict access to documents. Blanchard argued the system is one of the most rigorous he has seen, comparable to measures used for Nigel Wright under Prime Minister Harper, and that the Ethics Commissioner is satisfied with its implementation. He disagreed with suggestions that the Prime Minister should have sold his assets outright, maintaining that the blind trust and screen meet the highest ethical standards and are more transparent than recusal alone. Blanchard also noted that the Prime Minister’s office has trained staff to screen meeting requests and that for the London breakfast meeting cited by Conservative members, checks confirmed no attendees were linked to Brookfield.

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Witnesses · 1

Marc-André Blanchard

Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Canada, Office of the Prime Minister of Canada

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss my responsibilities as chief of staff to the Prime Minister and, more importantly, as the administrator of the verification mechanism agreed to between the Prime Minister and the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. Last April, Canadians elected Prime Minister Carney in a moment of economic volatility, geopolitical realignment and growing pressure on democratic institutions. Canadians chose Mark Carney as Prime Minister because of his deep experience in both the public and private sectors. In fact, they did not elect him in spite of his vast global private sector experience but precisely because of it. Canadians understood that if we are to build a stronger, more resilient economy—one worthy of being the strongest in the G7—this experience is not optional. It is essential. A key condition for this government's success is public trust. At the heart of that trust are the high ethical standards the Prime Minister set for himself and for everyone who works with him in his office and across government. Part of protecting that trust is ensuring that the ethics screen,…

Full testimony ↗

Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics

Summary

Witnesses · 1

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