Trudeau trade minister under ethics investigation after contract given to company co-founded by Liberal strategist

The federal ethics commissioner has started an investigation into Liberal trade minister Mary Ng after it was discovered that her office awarded a contract to a firm co-founded by a Liberal strategist and friend.

On Monday, Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion announced that an investigation had been opened into Liberal International Trade Minister Mary Ng.

The decision came after Conservative MP James Bezan wrote to the commissioner alleging that Minister Ng had broken the rules by awarding a $17,000 media training contract to Pomp & Circumstance, a company co-founded and led by her friend Amanda Alvaro.

In his letter, Bezan outlined the case against Ng and the "sweetheart deal" she gave to the "Liberal insider."

"It is well known that Ms. Ng and Ms. Alvaro are part of a longstanding group of close-knit friends, dating back to Toronto Liberal circles during the days of former premier Dalton McGuinty's provincial government," he wrote.

"Section 4 of the Act notes that a public office holder, such as Ms. Ng, would be in a conflict of interest when she "exercises an official power, duty or function that provides an opportunity to further [the] private interests ... of his or her relatives or friends."

Bezan also cited Sections 7 and 9, as well as Subsection 6(1).

"This is, regrettably, just another installment in a long-running saga of members of this Liberal government making a mockery of both the letter and spirit of the ethical laws which ought to govern them," he added.

Ng and Alvaro's friendship is no secret. They have been seen and photographed together numerous times over the years.

In 2018, Alvaro posted this photo to Twitter, calling Ng her "dear friend."

"We can confirm that #EthicsCommissioner Dion is investigating Int’l Trade Minister, Mary Ng," the office tweeted, highlighting the sections of the Act noted by Bezan.

In a statement to the Canadian Press, a spokesperson for Ng said that she "has always rigorously followed all the rules," adding that this particular contract was not decided upon by Ng herself.

It was also noted by Dion that "another company with no known personal connection to Ms. Ng was awarded similar contracts around the same time."

Who is Amanda Alvaro?

Alvaro is a regular pundit on CBC’s show Power and Politics, where she often defends the Trudeau government’s actions and attacks Conservatives.

This is not the first time that Alvaro has been in the spotlight for receiving funds from the Trudeau government.

In 2020, it was revealted that Alvaro’s public relations company received $22,120 in taxpayer money from the Trudeau Liberals to give lessons on dealing with the media to a cabinet minister, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.

Alvaro’s company was hired to give then-Minister of Women Maryam Monsef "communications advice and services." The training consisted of three weeks of lessons from Jan. 8 to Jan 31 in 2019.

In August of 2020, it was reported that Alvaro had  failed to disclose to the CBC  that her company received $16,950 from the Department of Foreign Affairs, which would directly conflict with the Journalistic Standards and Practices at the Crown broadcaster.

The Trudeau-funded Liberal was also criticized after making frequent appearances on Power & Politics, wherein she defended the Trudeau Liberals during the height of the WE Charity scandal.