Carney Defends Champagne's Rail Job for Spouse

0:00It's April 7th. This is Calgary News Today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Mark Carney jumped into the ethics debate over innovation minister, Francois Philippe Champagne spouse, landing a top job at alto, the group handling, Candida's high speed rail project from Toronto to Quebec City. Speaking at a housing event in Brampton, Ontario, Carney said Champagne followed all the rules and disclosed everything up front to the Prime Minister. In ethics commissioner, Champagne's team stressed those proactive steps cleared any conflict, letting his wife chase her career while he handles finance duties. Carney pushed further, arguing Candida's ethics rules should treat family members as individuals and let them work freely without roadblocks. Conservatives aren't buying it, with MP Michael Barrett demanding the ethics commissioner probe if Champagne broke rules by weighing in on budgets. Funding alto, critics like Democracy Watch co-founder, Duff Connaker, call ethics screens

1:01useless smoke screens run by insiders with no public recusal records. Ethics expert Ian Stedman says potential conflicts like this need public posting through the commissioner's office. Meanwhile, Carney hyped the real project itself as a game-changer promising over 50,000 jobs, $25 billion to the economy, and boosts for Ontario, Quebec, and beyond using Canadian steel and know-how. It's not set to finish for over a decade. Supporters see it fixing congestion, creating jobs and cutting pollution, but skeptics slam the $90 billion plus price tag as too steep, with low ridership and tiny green gains by completion time. The ethics buzz and rail fight keep heating up in Ottawa.