National

Canada's first conflict of interest and ethic commissioner, Mary Dawson, dies

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 05 Jan, 2024 11:20 AM

Former conflict of interest and ethics commissioner Mary Dawson has died.

The commissioner's office posted a statement on its website today announcing it is saddened to learn of Dawson's death on Dec.24.

Dawson was nominated to the role in 2007 by former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper and she served until 2018.

Before that she had a lengthy career as a federal bureaucrat, including as the associate deputy minister of the Justice Department.

During her tenure at that department she helped draft major pieces of legislation including the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Canada Health Act and the Official Languages Act.

During her time as ethics commissioner Dawson made many rulings, but among her last was her explosive report that found Prime Minister Justin Trudeau violated conflict of interest rules by accepting a vacation on the Aga Khan's private island in the Bahamas in 2016.

The statement from the ethics commissioner's office says Dawson's legal expertise "laid the foundations for the way the conflict of interest regimes are administered."

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Post linking Poilievre, Winnipeg shootings 'inappropriate,' says Liberal House leader

Government House leader Karina Gould says it was inappropriate for one of her Liberal caucus colleagues to ask whether there is a link between Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and a fatal shooting in Manitoba. But Metro Vancouver Liberal MP Ken Hardie told The Canadian Press that he stands by his social media post and is not sorry he made it.

Post linking Poilievre, Winnipeg shootings 'inappropriate,' says Liberal House leader

Sisters among four dead after Winnipeg shooting; man in critical condition

Two First Nations sisters are among four people who died in a shooting over the weekend in downtown Winnipeg. Officers were called shortly after 4 a.m. Sunday to a home where they found five people wounded. A man and woman were pronounced dead at the scene, and another man and woman died later in hospital. A 55-year-old man remains in hospital in critical condition.

Sisters among four dead after Winnipeg shooting; man in critical condition

Enhanced security coming to Vancouver City Hall

Members of the public attending council meetings and other public events at Vancouver City Hall will now go through an enhanced security screening process. The city says in a statement that the change is responding to the evolving security environment and following in the footsteps of other Canadian cities that have adopted similar security measures.

Enhanced security coming to Vancouver City Hall

South Surrey shooting, 1 injured

One person was injured in a shooting in South Surrey this morning. Surrey R-C-M-P say officers responded to multiple reports of shots fired in a residential neighbourhood, and at first they couldn't find the victim.

South Surrey shooting, 1 injured

Fatal hit and run in Surrey

Police in Surrey are investigating a fatal crash where one of the drivers fled the scene. Mounties say a white Ford Mustang was travelling southbound when it collided with a black Toyota Corolla at an intersection causing significant damage to both vehicles.

Fatal hit and run in Surrey

Weekend crash south of Whistler, B.C., kills two adults, one child Squamish

Two adults and a child are dead and a fourth person was injured in a single vehicle crash on the Sea to Sky Highway south of Whistler. Insp. Robert Dykstra, the officer in charge of the Squamish-based Sea to Sky RCMP, says a northbound vehicle veered off the road and hit a tree early Sunday.