Ethics czar rules no conflict of interest for Anandasangaree

Canada’s Ethics Commissioner has ruled there was no conflict of interest regarding Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's national security duties.

Source: Facebook, Gary Anandasangaree

Canada’s Ethics Commissioner has ruled there was no conflict of interest regarding Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree's national security duties, even though his wife is the director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Anandasangaree has been an outspoken advocate for Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka, though national security issues have been raised concerning some within the Tamil community.

Before becoming Public Safety Minister, Anandasangaree advocated for Tamil asylum seekers who arrived in Canada after the Sri Lankan civil war. He also wrote to the Canada Border Services Agency, urging them to rescind a decision not to admit a Sri Lankan man who was a member of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a designated terrorist group in Canada.

Criticism has arisen regarding a perceived conflict of interest with Anandasangaree's ability to carry out the duties of Bill C-2, also known as the Strong Borders Act.

“There are other ministers involved, but I am the primary person moving the legislation,” Anandasangaree told the Globe and Mail on Wednesday. “To say that ‘He’s conflicted out of C-2’ is just an absurd conversation.”

Ethics Commissioner Says No Conflict on Interest with Anandasangaree and Bill C-2

The minister's office said Anandasangaree sought advice from the Ethics Commissioner to avoid a conflict of interest with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), where his wife serves as director.

The CCLA has called on the federal government to withdraw Bill C-2, which it believes infringes on personal freedoms and undermines migrant rights. Anandasangaree has been tasked with implementing this legislation.

Additionally, the CCLA has opposed the government’s proposed "bubble-zone" legislation, which would restrict protests near places of worship, community centres and schools.

However, Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein said there is no need for a conflict-of-interest "screen" regarding interactions between the minister and the association directed by his wife, Harini Sivalingam.

“The risk of conflict of interest in connection with your official duties as Minister of Public Safety was now even lower than that of your previous role as Minister of Justice,” wrote von Finckenstein.

“However, I did advise that you cannot have official dealings with your spouse or the CCLA if the dealings led to furthering the private interests of your spouse. I also reminded you that you cannot share insider/embargoed information and that you must avoid government-business discussions with your spouse until the matter is in the public domain.”

Before Bill C-2 passed, Anandasangaree contacted von Finckenstein's office, stating it would likely prompt a "severe reaction" from the CCLA.

The association stated it recused Sivalingam from working on Bill C-2 or any other matter involving Anandasangaree’s office.

When asked if a formal screen was required to address a possible conflict of interest regarding national security issues related to Anandasangaree's connections to the Tamil community, von Finckenstein also said no.

“Although you are of Tamil ancestry, your ethnicity and involvement in the Tamil community in Canada, in general, does not give rise to private interests,” said von Finckenstein. “Based on the information you provided, making national security decisions in any manner relating to the LTTE or the WTM would not place you in a conflict of interest under the Act.”