Federal minister defends Alto involvement amid conflict allegations

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne testified Thursday at the parliamentary ethics committee, defending his involvement in the Alto high-speed rail project despite scrutiny from federal Conservatives over a potential conflict of interest.

Champagne said he proactively reached out to the federal ethics commissioner in July when his partner received a job offer to become vice-president at the Crown corporation overseeing the proposed $90-billion rail link between Toronto and Quebec City.

The commissioner determined there was no conflict since Champagne has no power over human resources matters at Alto. Even so, Champagne instituted a screen to recuse himself from specific decisions about the project as an added safeguard.

Conservative MPs questioned why he voted on the Alto project if he had recused himself. Champagne said the principle of "general application" allows him to participate in House business and accused the opposition of politicizing the project and undermining public trust in it.

The scrutiny reflects broader concerns about government oversight of the rail initiative, which is central to federal infrastructure plans connecting Canada's two largest cities.