OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he has no problem with answering questions from ethics commissioner Mary Dawson about his party’s controversial fundraising tactics.
Trudeau has been under fire in the Commons for weeks over a series of private, $1,500-a-ticket Liberal party fundraisers with well-heeled donors. Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose has said the so-called “cash-for-access” practice smacks of corruption and asked Dawson to investigate.
WATCH: Trudeau evades question about cash-for-access at fundraisers
In a written response to Ambrose obtained by Global News, Dawson said there is insufficient evidence to launch a full investigation at this point. But she agreed to “follow up” with Trudeau on the issue to determine whether a more comprehensive probe is warranted.
“I will inform you of the outcome in due course,” Dawson wrote in her letter to Ambrose, which was initially obtained by The Globe and Mail.
Trudeau has been pilloried by the opposition because of a list of rules he handed out to his cabinet on taking office, warning ministers away from offering preferential access or even creating the perception of such access for party donors.
He says he wants to retain public confidence and maintain high ethical standards.
With a file from Global News.
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