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CHEERS AND JEERS: Jeers to the P.E.I. government for plans to rush through conflict of interest amendments

Jeers to the Premier Rob Lantz and the P.E.I. government for indicating they’re going to rush through legislation to legitimize a cabinet posting. Sidney MacEwen, who was first elected in 2015, is a lobster fisherman who cannot put his source of income in a blind trust to comply with provincial conflict of interest rules, because federal fisheries rules dictate anyone with a fishing licence has to have an active role in the business. It is certainly not unheard of to elect lobster fishers to the P.E.I. legislature, and the current PCs have had since they formed government in 2019 to bring this issue forward and come up with workarounds to give MacEwen a turn in cabinet. Now it seems they’re going to make changing the law their first order of business when the legislature resumes next week without giving the public a chance to learn more about the act and why it is written the way it is. Not only do Islanders have other pressing priorities, they should also have a chance to be consulted before amendments are rubber-stamped to accommodate any MLA or friend of the government.

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