Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian prime ministers should be required to divest their investment portfolios when they assume office, not just put them in a blind trust, the House of Commons ethics committee recommends in a new report.
In its report made public Thursday morning, the committee said putting assets in a blind trust isn’t good enough, recommending instead “that the Government of Canada amend the Conflict of Interest Act that, for the application of subsection 27(1) the prime minister, as a reporting public office holder, is fully divested from their controlled assets through sale, since placement in a blind trust does not constitute true divestment.”
The committee also wants the law amended to require public disclosure of “high-level holdings categories placed in a blind trust by reporting public office holders (sector/asset class, and whether the holdings are Canadian-market concentrated),” a recommendation that could shed new light on the financial interests of a number of top officials and cabinet ministers.
The article is about the idea that he should divest his assests so personally enriching himself is not a motivation for political action and your argument is that would dissuade people like him from taking office.
I’m saying people that seek power to personally enrich themselves that would be dissuaded from taking office if they couldn’t stand to profit beyond the salary are not the people I want as Prime Minister.
If you can’t see how someone refusing to divest their assets to be in a position of power could be a problem, I don’t know what to tell you, other than look south.