OTTAWA - Treasury Board President Tony Clement has been cleared of allegations of unethical conduct in his dealings with two constituents.
But he's also been warned by federal ethics watchdog Mary Dawson about improperly using his ministerial title to promote local enterprises.
In a report published Wednesday, Dawson concluded that Clement did not give preferential treatment to Lord and Partners when he appeared in a 2008 promotional video for the firm, based in Huntsville, Ont.
Indeed, she said Clement checked with her before agreeing to a cameo role in the video and she gave her stamp of approval.
Still, Dawson issued a "note of caution" — Clement should have identified himself in the video simply as the MP for Parry Sound-Muskoka. He should not have mentioned his ministerial title, which implied use of his cabinet position to derive greater assistance for his constituents than would be available for other Canadians.
Clement was health minister at the time he appeared in the video, which was designed to help Lord and Partners — a supplier of environmentally-friendly solvents and cleaning products — break into the Chinese market.
"I understand that ministers, as members (of Parliament), have duties towards their constituents," Dawson said in the report.
"However, in carrying out these duties, ministers should exercise some caution. When representing constituents, they should not use their positions as ministers to provide greater assistance to their constituents than to other Canadians in relation to their own department or larger portfolio."
Dawson issued a similar caution last March to Industry Minister Christian Paradis. That warning stemmed from Paradis' term as public works minister, in which he directed bureaucrats in his department to set up meetings with two firms in his Quebec riding.
In her latest report, Dawson said Clement was not paid for his cameo in the video, had no financial interest in the company and was not personal friends with company president Barry Young or with George Young, an unrelated Huntsville municipal councillor who produced the video.
Consequently, Dawson said she has no reason to believe Clement's video appearance was "motivated by personal or private considerations" or that there was "anything improper in Mr. Clement assisting a Canadian company in promoting its products internationally under these circumstances."
Dawson said she found no evidence Clement was subsequently involved in any way with awarding six different federal defence contracts to Lord and Partners.
Moreover, Dawson said Clement did nothing improper when he subsequently recommended George Young's appointment to the Canadian Tourism Commission in 2009. Clement was industry minister at the time, responsible for the commission.
Although Young is "politically supportive" of Clement and the two "share similar political views," Dawson concluded: "I do not believe that this, in and of itself, provides me with sufficient grounds to believe that Mr. Clement improperly furthered Mr. Young's private interests in recommending him for appointment to this position."
The position was part-time and did not include a salary.
Clement told Dawson he recommended Young on merit, believing that his past experience as a CBC reporter covering past Olympic Games made him a good fit for the tourism commission in the run-up to the 2010 Vancouver Games and the G8 summit in Huntsville.
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CP | By Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press Posted: 07/18/2012 2:30 pm Updated: 07/18/2012 4:35 pm