NDP ethics critic calls for Scheer to appear before House ethics committee
CBC
New Democrat ethics critic Matthew Green is calling for Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer to appear before Parliament's access to information, privacy and ethics committee to answer questions about why he broke House of Commons rules by filming a partisan video in his Parliament Hill office.
Scheer shot the video to endorse a Conservative candidate in an Ontario byelection earlier this year.
"In relation to media reports that parliamentary resources were inappropriately used in an attempt to influence the nomination process of the 2023 Oxford by-election, that the committee invite Andrew Scheer … to appear before committee for no less than two hours," reads Green's notice of motion.
With Parliament expected to rise for its Christmas break Friday and resume sitting in late January, it could be several weeks before the committee deals with Green's motion.
Green told CBC News it was "the height of hypocrisy" for Scheer to lead calls for Speaker Greg Fergus to resign for filming a partisan video in his Hill office.
"The former Speaker of the House Andrew Scheer was himself guilty of the exact same transgressions and was levied an administrative fine quietly, and privately, without public shame and embarrassment, while simultaneously leading the charge to remove Greg Fergus from the Speaker's chair," Green said.
"It just shows a lack of integrity of the Conservative leadership office in general and Andrew Scheer in particular."
Green said Parliament also should consider stiffer penalties for using House resources for partisan purposes, such as the U.K. practice of suspending MPs rather than issuing monetary fines.
"I don't think $500 quite accurately covers the cost recovery of the trust that is lost when these things happen," he said.
Green's comments come after CBC News reported that Scheer was fined $500 earlier this year for filming a video in his parliamentary office to support Arpan Khanna, who was seeking the Conservative nomination in the southwest Ontario riding of Oxford. Khanna went on to win the nomination and the byelection. He now sits as a member of Parliament.
Scheer served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 2011 to 2014.
While Khanna has not responded to questions from CBC News, a source said Khanna's campaign paid the $500 penalty.
Asked Thursday about his video to support Khanna, Scheer drew parallels with an earlier incident in 2019, when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau filmed a fundraising video in his Parliament Hill office.
"Mr. Trudeau set the precedent when he improperly used House resources," Scheer told reporters.
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