Federal minister defends conflict-of-interest handling on Alto project

Finance Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne testified at the parliamentary ethics committee that he "followed all the rules" to manage a potential conflict of interest related to the Alto high-speed rail project.

Champagne said he proactively reached out to the federal ethics commissioner in July when his partner received a job offer to become a vice-president at the Crown corporation spearheading the $90-billion Toronto-Quebec City rail project.

The commissioner told him there was no risk of conflict because he has no power over human resources matters at Alto. Even so, Champagne said he instituted a screen to recuse himself from specific decisions about the project.

Conservative MPs demanded he explain why he voted on Alto business if he had that screen in place. Champagne said the principle of "general application" allows him to participate in House business and accused Conservatives of politicizing and undermining public trust in the project.

The testimony comes months after scrutiny from federal Conservatives about his involvement in the proposed high-speed rail project.