Top Canadian Official Faces Ethics Scandal

0:00A top Canadian government official just got called out for breaking conflict of interest rules. Christian Fox, now Deputy Minister of National Defense, helped her family's acquaintance, Boyer and Charles, land a management job at immigration. Refugees and citizenship Canada back in 2023. The Ethics Commissioner ruled she pushed for him despite warnings he wasn't qualified, no government experience, no skills and access to information, work. Fox knew Charles through her husband, who coached him in basketball at Carlton University from 2001 to 2004. They also crossed paths at the good-life jam where he managed. Charles says they're distant relatives, but Fox claims she didn't know. She wrote staff Friday, defending it all as pushing diversity in inclusion goals to shake up under performing teams. Staff were baffled by her push one texted, holy geese tell her to lay off with this guy already, and others called him the DM's friend. Fox was a rising star, eyed for the top bureaucracy job, even sat on a team for values and ethics

1:03that year. When Charles struggled on the job, Fox helped him switch to another role in 2024 at the Prairie Council office where she's deputy clerk. He's still there as an access to information analyst per his LinkedIn. Ethics experts like Ian Stedman call her diversity excuse a convenient dodge for a bad call. Fox insists her involvement was proper, but the commissioner didn't buy it. This saga spotlights cracks in how top officials handle hiring and ethics. From your city, powered by AI, this is Calgary News Today. I'm Corey, with the story.