On January 18, a lawsuit was filed challenging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s recent appointments to head the ethics and lobbying sections of the Canadian government.

The lawsuit, filed by Democracy Watch, a non-profit Canadian organization concerned with government accountability, alleges the Cabinet failed to consult with the opposition party, as required by law, before making the appointments. The lawsuit also asserts the Cabinet has a conflict of interest because of ongoing ethics investigations, which prevent it from legally allowing the appointments.

On January 9, Mario Dion was selected to replace Mary Dawson, whose term had expired, as Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. On November 30, Trudeau nominated Nancy Bélanger as the next Commissioner of Lobbying. Bélanger replaced Karen Shepherd, who occupied the position through term extensions following the expiration of Shepard’s seven-year term in June 2016.

Democracy Watch’s press release is available here.

Democracy Watch, a political accountability group, has filed an ethics complaint with Federal Commissioner of Lobbying Karen Shepherd questioning the permissibility of gifts of paid travel from various lobbying groups to senators and members of Parliament.

The group claims such gifts violate a rule prohibiting lobbyists from creating the appearance of a conflict of interest for public officials.

The complaint also requests an official other than Shepherd decide the issue because she has expressed interest in members of Parliament reappointing her to the position when her term ends in July.