'Completely unacceptable': Conservative MP on Bay ward robocall

Ottawa West–​Nepean MP Anita Vandenbeld's robocall to her constituents endorsing her husband's municipal election campaign shows a "gross misunderstanding" of the code of conduct for members of Parliament, charged the Conservative MP who complained to the ethics commissioner about the call.

"I mean, it's flagrant, it's blatant, it's completely unacceptable," said MP Peter Kent, the Conservative ethics critic.

The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner's office confirmed Wednesday that it is proceeding with a formal inquiry into the Liberal MP's endorsement of her husband.

It's flagrant, it's blatant, it's completely unacceptable.- Conservative MP Peter Kent

Although the commissioner's office had been "considering" the matter, after being asked by CBC whether an investigation was underway, the commissioner can only open an investigation based on a complaint from an MP.

The commissioner also waits for a written reply from the MP accused of the conflict before deciding whether to proceed with a formal probe. 

Kent said he wrote to Commissioner Mario Dion on Oct. 12, the day CBC published the story about the robocall that included a recording of the call.

'Raised red flags': Kent

In the week following Thanksgiving, some residents of Bay ward received a recorded message from the area's MP, which began: "I'm Anita Vandenbeld and today I'm calling to ask you to vote for my husband, Don Dransfield, for city council."

She identified herself "as your federal MP" and went on to say she was "looking for a municipal counterpart who's going to fight as hard for the people of our community as I do."

Some residents commented on social media that the robocall seemed potentially inappropriate.

The conflict of interest code for members of the House of Commons states that an MP "shall not use his or her position as a member to influence a decision of another person so as to further the member's private interests or those of a member of his or her family."

The position of Ottawa city councillor comes with a $103,000 salary. 

"What could be more clear?" Kent said in an interview. "Her robocall went to her constituents as a member of Parliament in the exact same territory as her husband's ward. And it immediately raised red flags for me."

On Thursday, Kent wrote to the Liberal party whip, Mark Holland, to ask that the Liberals remove Vandenbeld from the ethics committee during the investigation. Holland said he couldn't comment on the issue as it was "an internal matter."

Vandenbeld didn't check with commissioner 

Vandenbeld said in a statement: "I campaigned openly and publicly for my spouse, as many others have done in the past."

She said she is co-operating fully with the ethics commissioner and believes she "followed both the spirit and the letter of the code and all other rules" and didn't use any parliamentary resources for the call.

She said she did not check with the ethics commissioner before sending out the robocall, but contacted him afterward.

In an earlier interview, the Ottawa West–​Nepean MP, a member of the ethics committee, said the conflict of interest rules apply to things like advancing the interests of a family company or helping a family member secure a government contract.

Asked about this explanation, Kent said he considered Vandenbeld to be "a very intelligent member of the ethics committee" — of which he is also a member — and was hence "surprised" by her "gross misunderstanding of what the code says, specifically about where members of Parliament may put themselves into conflict."

Penalty up to $500

There is no estimate on how long the investigation might take nor when a decision will be made.

In November 2017, former commissioner Mary Dawson investigated Liberal MP Kent Hehr after the Conservatives complained he was handing out campaign literature for his father — who was running for the local school board — from a table adorned with a sign that read "Kent Hehr - Member of Parliament."

Dawson subsequently cleared Hehr.

If the commissioner finds that Vandenbeld violated the code, he could propose a penalty of up to $500. According to the commissioner's website, that decision "will depend on the nature of the violation."

So it's not clear, for example, if the fact that Dransfield lost the election will play into the decision. Dransfield, who Mayor Jim Watson said he voted for in Bay ward, came in second to Theresa Kavanagh and garnered less than 18 per cent of the vote.