Conservative MP Susan Truppe may have violated the federal government’s ethics rules by arranging for two corporations, including one that lobbied her earlier this year, to fund a scholarship in her name.
NDP MP Charlie Angus says the Susan Truppe International Day of the Girl Scholarship unveiled this week appears to be a clear violation of the guidelines that govern MPs.
“How does this pass any kind of smell test,” Angus asked. “You’ve got Labatt’s meeting with her, lobbying her and then setting up a scholarship in her name.”
However, Truppe says she had no idea arranging for corporations to donate to a scholarship that bears her name might violate the ethics code for MPs. If necessary, she says, she is willing to change the scholarship’s name.
“If that was an issue, absolutely,” said Truppe, MP for London North Centre. “I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the scholarship.”
It appears to have begun with the best of intentions.
The Susan Truppe International Day of the Girl Scholarship unveiled Thursday will help a student attend London, Ontario’s Brescia University College – Canada’s only all-female post-secondary institution.
Colleen Hanycz, principal of Brescia University College, said Truppe approached the school with the idea of the scholarship and was instrumental in recruiting the donors.
“She did that fundraising completely. Those are not existing donors of Brescia’s.”
The $10,000 a year Susan Truppe scholarship, which will go to a girl from the London, Ontario area who shows leadership ability and financial need, will be the college’s largest scholarship, said Hanycz.
Truppe, who serves as parliamentary secretary to Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose, said when the United Nations set up the international year of the girl, she saw an opportunity to do something she had long wanted to do – set up a scholarship to help a local girl attend university.
She does not remember how it was decided the scholarship would bear her name.
Truppe said she approached six or seven local businesses around May or June and two companies agreed to each donate $10,000. Phoenix Interactive Design is to fund the scholarship in 2013 while Labatt Breweries of Canada will fund it in 2014.
Federal government lobbyist registry records show that Truppe was lobbied on behalf of Labatt Breweries on May 15, 2012. The same day the brewery also lobbied Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux, who is parliamentary secretary for agriculture, and Daniel Miller, executive director of food labeling and claims for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The subject of the lobbying was listed simply as “consumer issues.”
In its filing with the lobbyist registry, Labatt Breweries lists its interest as “The European Union/Canada Free Trade negotiations as it relates to protected geographical indicators and what they mean for the Canadian, North American and European brewing industry.”
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson’s office refused to comment specifically on Truppe’s scholarship.
However, Dawson’s office did say that a scholarship set up in an MPs name could be considered a gift under both the Conflict of Interest Code for MPs and the Conflict of Interest Act that covers cabinet minister and parliamentary secretaries.
“Charitable donations and other contributions made in a member’s or office holder’s name would be considered gifts under both the Code and the Act,” said Margot Booth, spokeswoman for Dawson’s office. Gifts worth more than $500 must be declared.
Moreover, gifts are subject to an acceptability test under the ethics code, said Booth.
“They and their family members may not accept any gift that may reasonably be seen to have been given to influence them in the exercise of a duty or function of their office.”
Booth would not say whether arranging for a $10,000 donation for a scholarship in an MPs name from a company that had lobbied that MP constituted a breach of the ethics code.
“Sorry, we do not comment on individual cases and cannot discuss them even in a hypothetical context,” said Booth.
Truppe said she consulted Dawson’s office “after the fact” but it never mentioned that a scholarship in her name could be considered a gift. Truppe said the ethics commissioner’s office’s only concern was that the money go directly from the donors to the college without Truppe handling the money or setting up a trust.
Truppe said she was not aware that Labatt had reported lobbying her in May.
“They met with us, they didn’t really lobby. It was nothing specific.”
Angus says allowing companies to donate to scholarships named after MPs would set a disturbing precedent.
“$20,000 for a scholarship that promotes her. How does that pass any kind of ethical test?”
“I would love to come home and be able to tell kids in our community that I’ve got $10,000 to give out,” he added. “Makes me look pretty impressive. But it’s not right. I’m their member of Parliament – I’m not their sugar daddy.”
Angus did not rule out the possibility that Truppe, who was first elected in May 2011, might not have realized the scholarship could violate the ethics rules. However, he questioned why Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office didn’t step in.
“What’s worrying is that there doesn’t seem to be any ethical bars at the prime minister’s office. I think the alarm bells should have gone off and somebody from the PMO should have phoned her.”
Liberal ethics critic Scott Andrews described it as “a case of poor judgment” on Truppe’s part.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
NDP MP Charlie Angus says the Susan Truppe International Day of the Girl Scholarship unveiled this week appears to be a clear violation of the guidelines that govern MPs.
“How does this pass any kind of smell test,” Angus asked. “You’ve got Labatt’s meeting with her, lobbying her and then setting up a scholarship in her name.”
However, Truppe says she had no idea arranging for corporations to donate to a scholarship that bears her name might violate the ethics code for MPs. If necessary, she says, she is willing to change the scholarship’s name.
“If that was an issue, absolutely,” said Truppe, MP for London North Centre. “I wouldn’t want to jeopardize the scholarship.”
It appears to have begun with the best of intentions.
The Susan Truppe International Day of the Girl Scholarship unveiled Thursday will help a student attend London, Ontario’s Brescia University College – Canada’s only all-female post-secondary institution.
Colleen Hanycz, principal of Brescia University College, said Truppe approached the school with the idea of the scholarship and was instrumental in recruiting the donors.
“She did that fundraising completely. Those are not existing donors of Brescia’s.”
The $10,000 a year Susan Truppe scholarship, which will go to a girl from the London, Ontario area who shows leadership ability and financial need, will be the college’s largest scholarship, said Hanycz.
Truppe, who serves as parliamentary secretary to Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose, said when the United Nations set up the international year of the girl, she saw an opportunity to do something she had long wanted to do – set up a scholarship to help a local girl attend university.
She does not remember how it was decided the scholarship would bear her name.
Truppe said she approached six or seven local businesses around May or June and two companies agreed to each donate $10,000. Phoenix Interactive Design is to fund the scholarship in 2013 while Labatt Breweries of Canada will fund it in 2014.
Federal government lobbyist registry records show that Truppe was lobbied on behalf of Labatt Breweries on May 15, 2012. The same day the brewery also lobbied Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux, who is parliamentary secretary for agriculture, and Daniel Miller, executive director of food labeling and claims for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
The subject of the lobbying was listed simply as “consumer issues.”
In its filing with the lobbyist registry, Labatt Breweries lists its interest as “The European Union/Canada Free Trade negotiations as it relates to protected geographical indicators and what they mean for the Canadian, North American and European brewing industry.”
Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson’s office refused to comment specifically on Truppe’s scholarship.
However, Dawson’s office did say that a scholarship set up in an MPs name could be considered a gift under both the Conflict of Interest Code for MPs and the Conflict of Interest Act that covers cabinet minister and parliamentary secretaries.
“Charitable donations and other contributions made in a member’s or office holder’s name would be considered gifts under both the Code and the Act,” said Margot Booth, spokeswoman for Dawson’s office. Gifts worth more than $500 must be declared.
Moreover, gifts are subject to an acceptability test under the ethics code, said Booth.
“They and their family members may not accept any gift that may reasonably be seen to have been given to influence them in the exercise of a duty or function of their office.”
Booth would not say whether arranging for a $10,000 donation for a scholarship in an MPs name from a company that had lobbied that MP constituted a breach of the ethics code.
“Sorry, we do not comment on individual cases and cannot discuss them even in a hypothetical context,” said Booth.
Truppe said she consulted Dawson’s office “after the fact” but it never mentioned that a scholarship in her name could be considered a gift. Truppe said the ethics commissioner’s office’s only concern was that the money go directly from the donors to the college without Truppe handling the money or setting up a trust.
Truppe said she was not aware that Labatt had reported lobbying her in May.
“They met with us, they didn’t really lobby. It was nothing specific.”
Angus says allowing companies to donate to scholarships named after MPs would set a disturbing precedent.
“$20,000 for a scholarship that promotes her. How does that pass any kind of ethical test?”
“I would love to come home and be able to tell kids in our community that I’ve got $10,000 to give out,” he added. “Makes me look pretty impressive. But it’s not right. I’m their member of Parliament – I’m not their sugar daddy.”
Angus did not rule out the possibility that Truppe, who was first elected in May 2011, might not have realized the scholarship could violate the ethics rules. However, he questioned why Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s office didn’t step in.
“What’s worrying is that there doesn’t seem to be any ethical bars at the prime minister’s office. I think the alarm bells should have gone off and somebody from the PMO should have phoned her.”
Liberal ethics critic Scott Andrews described it as “a case of poor judgment” on Truppe’s part.
Original Article
Source: ipolitics
Author: Elizabeth Thompson
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