Canadian ethics commissioner finds Justin Trudeau violated ethics

[Livnthedream]

TORONTO (AP) — Canada’s ethics commissioner said Wednesday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau improperly pressured the country’s former attorney general to halt the criminal prosecution of a company in a conflict of interest case.

The report comes just before the official start of campaigning for the Oct. 21 general election and it threatens to re-inflame a scandal that rocked the government earlier this year, causing a drop in poll ratings that had since abated.

Ethics commissioner Mario Dion said Trudeau’s attempts to influence the former attorney general and justice minister, Jody Wilson-Raybould, were contrary to the constitutional principle of prosecutorial independence.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/c...olated-ethics?

[Thekri]

It must be nice to live in a country where politicians are held accountable for their behavior. Maybe the US could try that someday.

[Draco-Onis]

I miss the days when things like this was a major scandal in the US.

[NED funded]

Its impressive how quickly this devolved to but Drumpf

[Drutt]

Good on Canada for having effective systems for investigating elected officials.

[Felya]

Its impressive how quickly this devolved to but Drumpf

No one actually mentioned Trump and everything said can be said by people chanting “lock her up”.

[Gaexion Ramza Beoulve]

Now you see the truth.

There are two Trudeaus.

One baptized in menstrual blood, who wears sandals, and dances with indians and the real Trudeau who abusives natives, sells guns to Saudi Arabia, and is in general a big fat cocksucker.

[Livnthedream]

Now you see the truth.

There are two Trudeaus.

One baptized in menstrual blood, who wears sandals, and dances with indians and the real Trudeau who abusives natives, sells guns to Saudi Arabia, and is in general a big fat cocksucker.

Ding ding ding, winrar.

I sometimes wonder if most of these respondents are naive or purposefully negligent.

[Lorgar Aurelian]

Now you see the truth.

There are two Trudeaus.

One baptized in menstrual blood, who wears sandals, and dances with indians and the real Trudeau who abusives natives, sells guns to Saudi Arabia, and is in general a big fat cocksucker.

Wait what’s wrong with sandals?

[Elegiac]

Wait what’s wrong with sandals?

Or cocksucking for that matter.

But yeah, must be nice living a country where leaders are held somewhat accountable.

[JohnBrown1917]

No one actually mentioned Trump and everything said can be said by people chanting “lock her up”.

Maybe he wants to turn into another Trump thread to deflect away from his golden boy?

[Thekri]

It isn't so much that people are deflecting, it is just that there isn't much to say here. A Politician did something shady, and got caught. Now hopefully the Canadian government will go through the proper steps to address that. This is a very serious charge, and I am confident that he will face the consequences of that misbehavior.

Unlike US politics, most posters here are not particularly invested in Canadian politics, therefore there is nobody taking up Trudeau's cause here. So everybody is pretty much in agreement that this is bad behavior and we are glad he got caught.

[Grapemask]

In this thread, American Trump supporters unironically handwring about the ethical failings of national leaders.

[Endus]

It isn't so much that people are deflecting, it is just that there isn't much to say here. A Politician did something shady, and got caught. Now hopefully the Canadian government will go through the proper steps to address that. This is a very serious charge, and I am confident that he will face the consequences of that misbehavior.

Unlike US politics, most posters here are not particularly invested in Canadian politics, therefore there is nobody taking up Trudeau's cause here. So everybody is pretty much in agreement that this is bad behavior and we are glad he got caught.

I feel people are overselling how bad this is, though.

It's an ethical violation. It isn't criminal, nor even a civil infringement he could be sued for, not unless you can demonstrate that any untoward occurrence happened as a result of it (and nothing did, apparently).

He could be removed from office and the Liberal Party could pick a new PM, if they choose to. But nothing requires it.

If the Conservatives are feeling cocky, they could try and push a non-confidence vote through Parliament over this (ethical violations like this are grounds, potentially), but that's super unlikely because Scheer's not that smart, but smart enough to know he'd lose that election, anyway. There's no reason to push a non-confidence vote unless you think you've got a shot at changing the electoral outcome.

Everyone agrees it's poor conduct, and he shouldn't have done it. But it's a frowny-face finger-wag situation, not anything comparable to what's going on in the USA recently. It's not so much that we think Trudeau shouldn't face consequences, it's that those consequences are largely internal to Parliament, not legal in nature, so the average Canadian just doesn't have any reason to be all that concerned, not unless they're going to toss a non-confidence vote out and force an election at least.

This is, by way of comparison, less of a deal than Trump tweeting racist attacks against members of Congress. Which he's done repeatedly, I'll add. Which I don't say to try and shift the discussion to Trump (see above, with all my comments directly about Trudeau), just to provide the backdrop against which this is taking place and why most Canadians just aren't getting that bent out of shape over this.

[PACOX]

Even the ethics violations are polite in Canada

[minteK917]

Even the ethics violations are polite in Canada

It is, but like Endus say its not anything illegal, its just lowering his score for the upcoming elections, justifiably so. Its just those kinda things you dont do ethicaly. I mean the police wont arrest you for skipping the line at the rollercoaster, its not a crime, you are still a cunt.

[Jastall]

I feel people are overselling how bad this is, though.

It's an ethical violation. It isn't criminal, nor even a civil infringement he could be sued for, not unless you can demonstrate that any untoward occurrence happened as a result of it (and nothing did, apparently).

He could be removed from office and the Liberal Party could pick a new PM, if they choose to. But nothing requires it.

If the Conservatives are feeling cocky, they could try and push a non-confidence vote through Parliament over this (ethical violations like this are grounds, potentially), but that's super unlikely because Scheer's not that smart, but smart enough to know he'd lose that election, anyway. There's no reason to push a non-confidence vote unless you think you've got a shot at changing the electoral outcome.

Everyone agrees it's poor conduct, and he shouldn't have done it. But it's a frowny-face finger-wag situation, not anything comparable to what's going on in the USA recently. It's not so much that we think Trudeau shouldn't face consequences, it's that those consequences are largely internal to Parliament, not legal in nature, so the average Canadian just doesn't have any reason to be all that concerned, not unless they're going to toss a non-confidence vote out and force an election at least.

This is, by way of comparison, less of a deal than Trump tweeting racist attacks against members of Congress. Which he's done repeatedly, I'll add. Which I don't say to try and shift the discussion to Trump (see above, with all my comments directly about Trudeau), just to provide the backdrop against which this is taking place and why most Canadians just aren't getting that bent out of shape over this.

Indeed, the consequences to this should be political, not legal. I wouldn't be surprised if Trudeau scored a small handful of points here in Québec for what he did, but he sure lost some support in the rest of Canada. How much is difficult to say, ethics violations aren't a hot button topic like trade deals. Still, it's a major fuckup as far as I'm concerned and my vote is currently being seriously reconsidered.

As for the people going on about the ''real'' Trudeau: come on now. Nobody but the staunchest Liberal groupies thought he was some sort of angel. The image he tried to project isn't 100% accurate, welcome to reality.

[Felya]

He could be removed from office and the Liberal Party could pick a new PM, if they choose to. But nothing requires it.

If the Conservatives are feeling cocky, they could try and push a non-confidence vote through Parliament over this (ethical violations like this are grounds, potentially), but that's super unlikely because Scheer's not that smart, but smart enough to know he'd lose that election, anyway. There's no reason to push a non-confidence vote unless you think you've got a shot at changing the electoral outcome.

Everyone agrees it's poor conduct, and he shouldn't have done it. But it's a frowny-face finger-wag situation, not anything comparable to what's going on in the USA recently. It's not so much that we think Trudeau shouldn't face consequences, it's that those consequences are largely internal to Parliament, not legal in nature, so the average Canadian just doesn't have any reason to be all that concerned, not unless they're going to toss a non-confidence vote out and force an election at least.

The bold makes it seem very similar to impeachment, with a VP being represented by Liberal party’s choice.

[Lynarii]

The bold makes it seem very similar to impeachment, with a VP being represented by Liberal party’s choice.

Not exactly. In the first scenario Endus mentions, it comes down to the fact that the PM is not directly elected. The party that has the most power chooses the PM, and while it's traditionally the leader of that party, the party can always hold an internal vote and change who they want to lead their party.

In the second scenario, a parlimentary non-confidence vote, the entire parliament votes and if it decides that the PM is no longer fit to lead the country, it triggers a general election.

[Jotaux]

It must be nice to live in a country where politicians are held accountable for their behavior. Maybe the US could try that someday.

How so? Nothing will come of this and that company will get away with whatever they did.