LEBLANC IN CONFLICT OF INTEREST RE CLAM LICENCE

  NP: Canada’s federal ethics watchdog ruled today that Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc violated the conflict of interest act when he approved an Arctic surf clam licence to a company employing a family member.
  Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion said in a report today that LeBlanc knew his wife’s first cousin was involved in the Five Nations Clam Co. when he awarded it a multi-million dollar license in February.
  LeBlanc was shuffled out as fisheries minister in July, the same month the government decided to cancel the license and start the process over.
   New Fisheries Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said in August the licence cancellation had nothing to do with the ethics issue facing LeBlanc and that he didn’t think LeBlanc had acted inappropriately.