Description: Friday CBC revealed that Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau waited two years before he disclosed his ownership stake in a company that owns a villa in Provence, France to the ethics commissioner. A spokesperson for Mr. Morneau stated the oversight was simply the result of “early administrative confusion,” though CBC noted that the disclosure did not occur until CBC began asking questions. The opposition parties are not buying that administrative confusion explanation. The timing probably couldn’t have been worse for the wealthy Finance Minister who finds his plans to change the tax regime for small business owners under attack.
Date: October 13, 2017
Source: cbc.ca
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/morneau-company-france-ethics-1.4351933
Discussion Points:
1) Do you think the timing of this disclosure will cause the Liberal administration to revisit its planned tax changes?
2) Do you see Mr. Morneau’s delay in reporting as an ethical issue?
3) Wiley’s Auditing: A Practical Approach provides definitions for discusses various types of audits. Do you see any type of audits listed in Chapter One that an ethics commissioner might use to ensure political leaders were filing their documents properly?
