Finance Minister Bill Morneau waited two years to disclose a private corporation that owns a villa in southern France that he shares with his wife to Canada’s ethics watchdog, CBC News has learned.
In fact, Morneau only disclosed the corporation to conflict of interest and ethics commissioner Mary Dawson’s office after CBC News discovered its existence and began asking questions.
Morneau’s office says the failure to disclose the company is the result of “early administrative confusion.” Communications director Dan Lauzon said the villa was disclosed but the company was not.
Still, opposition critics say they are troubled by the finance minister’s failure to fully disclose all of the private companies he owns.
“I guess that he expects us to believe that he’s so rich that he just forgot that he has a private corporation in France and a wonderful villa in Provence,” said Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre. “It’s a little hard to believe.”
