Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it was “unacceptable” for Yasmin Ratansi to do this — an apparent breach of parliamentary rules that prohibit MPs from using public money to hire members of their “immediate family,” reported Toronto Star newspaper “I am deeply disappointed by the news I learned yesterday from Ms. Ratansi, and how she handled the office,” Trudeau said. “It is unacceptable and I expect there to be a thorough followup by the House administration on this.”
OTTAWA—An upset Prime Minister Justin Trudeau denounced the actions of a former Toronto South Asian Liberal MP, who resigned (shunted out) from caucus last week after she admitted she used public resources to hire her sister.
Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Trudeau said it was “unacceptable” for Yasmin Ratansi to do this — an apparent breach of parliamentary rules that prohibit MPs from using public money to hire members of their “immediate family,” reported Toronto Star newspaper
“I am deeply disappointed by the news I learned yesterday from Ms. Ratansi, and how she handled the office,” Trudeau said. “It is unacceptable and I expect there to be a thorough followup by the House administration on this.”
Ratans, the first Muslim-Woman MP in Canada, is the long-time MP for the North York riding of Don Valley East.
In a post on Facebook Monday night, Ratansi apologized to her constituents and said she had advised Trudeau’s office and the Speaker of the House of Commons that she was resigning from the Liberal caucus and would sit as an Independent MP. She said she had referred the matter to the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and that she would follow his instructions on how to “remediate” the situation.
The commissioner’s office declined to comment on communications with Ratansi, citing MP confidentiality.
“I made an error of judgment by employing my sister in my constituency office, and I have remedied the situation, but this does not excuse the error I made,” the post said.
About an hour later, the CBC reported that former staffers in Ratansi’s office said the MP tried to hide how she was employing her sister, including by having her use a fake name. The broadcaster reported that Ratansi’s statement was posted more than 30 hours after CBC asked her to comment.
The Conservatives, meanwhile, called Tuesday for Ratansi’s “immediate resignation” as the MP for Don Valley East.
Mark Holland, the Liberal party’s chief whip in the House of Commons, said Ratansi was right to resign from caucus and that any further decision now rests with her alone as an Independent MP.
“The rules that are put in place for Parliament around the use of expenditures are incredibly important. It’s essential that we uphold the trust that’s put in us,” he told the Star by phone Tuesday.
He did not say whether Ratansi could rejoin caucus in the future, stating that that decision would be the party’s to make.
Heather Bradley, the director of communications for the House Speaker, told the Star that the Commons administration is now examining the matter and will report to the Speaker Anthony Rota.
According to Ratansi’s latest annual expenses report, she spent almost $273,000 on employee salaries in the last fiscal year. She currently has five employees listed in her office directory.
