Alberta ethics commissioner clears Premier Kenney in conflict of interest investigation

Alberta’s ethics commissioner has cautiously cleared the premier in a conflict of interest investigation spurred by a fundraising letter signed by Jason Kenney.

Last week, the commissioner received a letter from NDP democracy and ethics critic Heather Sweet, alleging Kenney used the office of the premier to solicit donations.

The complaint arose from a fundraising letter sent by the United Conservative Party soliciting contributions to cover the UCP’s outstanding campaign debt of $340,000. The letter was signed by Premier Jason Kenney.

In a decision released Tuesday, commissioner Marguerite Trussler said while the premier did not contravene the Conflicts of Interest Act when he signed the letter, she did suggest that this practice should be avoided “because it is not considered appropriate to use a government office to raise funds for a political party.”

Trussler said in her decision that the scope of the Conflicts of Interest Act is narrow, in that it is meant to ensure that no MLAs or ministers obtain financial benefit as a result of things like insider knowledge, influence and inappropriate gifts.

“The act does not deal with moral integrity,” she wrote. “Therefore in considering the complaint, I am restricted to considering whether Premier Kenney furthered a private interest as set out in the preamble, and sections 2 and 3, of the Act.

“Fundraising is a political activity. When a Member of the Legislative Assembly fundraises for the member’s party, that member is furthering a political interest as opposed to a private interest. This distinction has been made by me in the past and by my predecessors, other ethics commissioners and courts across Canada.”

In a statement Tuesday morning, Sweet said she respects the ethics commissioner’s ruling.

“It’s clear the commissioner is not a fan of the premier using his office to raise money for his party but doesn’t have strong enough legislation to rule in favour of a contravention,” she wrote in a statement to Global News.

“I call on the UCP to do the right thing and strike a bi-partisan committee to review of the Conflict of Interest Act and ensure this doesn’t happen again.”