Trade Minister Mary Ng broke ethics rules over contract to friend, commissioner rules

OTTAWA — The federal conflict of interest and ethics commissioner says Trade Minister Mary Ng broke the rules when her office awarded a contract to one of her friends. 

Commissioner Mario Dion released a report today after the federal Conservatives filed a complaint back in the spring, raising concerns over the fact that Ng’s office awarded media training contracts to the firm Pomp and Circumstance. 

The firm was co-founded and run by Amanda Alvaro, a friend of Ng’s. 

Dion says the minister did not recuse herself from decisions to award the contracts, in violation of conflict of interest laws.