Not surprisingly, the Ethics Commissioner ranks Justin Trudeau’s controversial holiday vacation in Jamaica as a closed case.
All the rules in force were followed, Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein told the parliamentary committee.
MPs are not allowed to receive gifts worth more than $200, with one notable exception.
If the present comes from a “relative or friend”, there is really no limit.
That the vacation of the Prime Minister and his family is equivalent to a donation of more than $80,000 changes nothing.
The owners of the Prospect Estate have been close friends of the Trudeaus for decades and have no business ties with the Government of Canada.
Case closed, then? Probably not.
Perception
From the beginning, this travel story has very little to do with ethics.
This is a matter of politics, perception and judgment.
As such, the 10-day stay of Justin Trudeau and his family in a friend’s heavenly estate will continue to make headlines.
Everyone knows that Justin Trudeau is not a Canadian like any other. He was always surrounded by people who were rich or famous or both.
No one should blame him, but in the current economic context, with the erosion of power, lagging polls and an inglorious record when it comes to stays abroad, he should not be surprised that his luxurious trip make people talk.
This is certainly not the kind of news that will help him get back on track.
But the opposition parties might be better off taking it easy.
No one is placed to speak.
It was quite comical to hear them all throw stones at each other, from their glass house, yesterday, in committee.
The NDP recalled that Stephen Harper used the government plane to go see a baseball game in Boston.
Taxpayers covered the $45,000 bill.
The Liberals have pointed out in broad strokes that when it comes to perception, the Conservatives have no lessons to teach. A handful of conservatives went to dinner with a Hungarian far-right group in London last year over $600 bottles of champagne.
Dirty
Since becoming leader, Pierre Poilievre has strived to highlight his modest origins, as opposed to Justin Trudeau, the wealthy heir “disconnected” from the reality of the real world who takes vacations in luxury private estates.
If polls are to be believed, the tactic is working. Many Canadians think he has his priorities in the right place.
The execution sometimes leaves something to be desired.
There was the time he described a small, completely normal house that people have the misfortune of living in “after 8 years of Justin Trudeau” as a “cabin”.
I am convinced that some of his potential voters who live in these kinds of “huts” were delighted.
There was also this strange video where he proudly filmed his boots covered in mud after going out to meet the “ordinary world”, as if he were talking about a safari.
These missteps remind us that Mr. Poilievre has had a life of privilege throughout his adult life, earning six figures since he was elected to parliament at age 25.
The Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP who are tearing each other apart to champion the sacrosanct real world. By throwing mud at each other, they all ended up getting dirty.