|
| Office of the Leader of the Opposition - Friday, October 31, 2003 at 13:30 |
|
Office of the Leader of the Opposition REALITY CHECK FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tale of the Timeline Can you count the conflicts? OTTAWA - After remaining defiant for over a week and a half, Allan Rock apologized yesterday for taking a free trip to the Irvings’ fishing lodge. There is only one problem. His apology does not erase his apparent conflicts of interest. Follow the tale of the timeline, and count the number of conflicts: r While Mr. Rock was Minister of Health, he took a free flight aboard Air Irving and an all expenses paid vacation at the Irvings’ fishing lodge. This took place in the summer of 2001. This gift exceeded the $200 limit allowed to ministers under the conflict of interest code. r Mr. Rock failed to inform the Ethics Counselor immediately about his trip, as he was obliged under the code. His excuse was: "the trip took place in the summer of 2001 when I was Minister of Health. Once named Minister of Industry…I informed the ethics counsellor of all the particulars relating to the trip. He gave me advice with respect to how I should conduct myself to avoid conflict and I followed his advice to the letter." (Hansard, Friday, October 10, 2003) r According to CP, while Mr. Rock was Minister of Health, his department was involved in the development of low-sulphur fuel regulations. This was seen to benefit Irving Oil, which was ahead of the competition in that area. r Mr. Rock did not contact the Ethics Counselor immediately upon his appointment as Minister of Industry in January of 2002, as he had insinuated in the House on October 10th. In fact, he waited five months, until May 27, 2002, to contact Mr. Wilson about the trip. r Between the time Mr. Rock was named Minister of Industry and the time he contacted the Ethics Counselor about his trip, Rock lobbied for the Irvings’ interests on several occasions. In February of 2002, Mr. Rock wrote a letter to the chairman and CEO of ExxonMobil after the company rejected an Irving bid. On May 21, 2002, the Globe and Mail reported that Mr. Rock lobbied Cabinet for $100-million -- part of the funds were to be for the closure of an Irving-owned shipyard. r In June of 2002, the Ethics Counselor told Mr. Rock to exclude himself from any dealings with the Irving family for a year. The blackout period ended on July 8, 2003. r Mr. Rock did not respect the terms of the blackout period. On November 21, 2002, he appointed the vice-president of Irving Shipbuilding to a federal advisory board on shipbuilding - the Shipbuilding and Industrial Marine Advisory Committee (SIMAC). In January of 2003, Mr. Rock attended the first of two meetings with SIMAC to discuss the closure of the Irving-owned shipyard. On June 27, 2003, the federal government announced $55-million to close the Irving-owned shipyard; this agreement was co-signed by Rock. The fact remains that Mr. Rock has been caught in numerous apparent conflicts of interest. Canadians deserve better. The Minister should resign. -30- For more information, contact the Official Opposition Press Office: |