特鲁多家族最近再次卷入度假丑闻。他们接受了家族老朋友彼得·格林提供的价值约84,000加元的奢华礼物，即在牙买加岛高端的Prospect Estate度假村内格林的私人别墅中免费度假10天。鉴于格林家族与皮埃尔·特鲁多基金会的紧密联系，特鲁多接受这份慷慨的礼物就会欠下一笔对格林的人情债务，进而引发了关于回报期望和利益冲突的担忧。保守党领袖皮埃尔·波利耶夫则对此评论道：“我的朋友可能会请我喝一杯咖啡或啤酒，但绝不会无偿赠送我一份价值80,000加元的豪华度假，这样的馈赠显然带有附加条件。
图源：ctvnews
Trudeau’s family’s latest vacation has once again come under scrutiny. The family accepted a luxurious gift from long-term family friend Peter Green, estimated to be worth about $84,000, in the form of a 10-day complimentary stay at Green’s villa in the high-end Prospect Estate resort on Jamaica Island. Given the Green family’s ties with the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation, Trudeau’s acceptance of these generous gifts could be perceived as creating a debt of gratitude, thus raising concerns about reciprocal expectations and conflicts of interest. “My friends might buy me a cup of coffee or a beer, but not an $80,000 gifted vacation that obviously comes with an IOU,” said the Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
这次事件并不是特鲁多第一次陷入免费度假的争议中。2016年12月，特鲁多和他的家人在巴哈马群岛的一座私人岛屿度假，该岛屿为亿万富翁慈善家兼宗教领袖阿迦汗私人财产。阿迦汗基金会与加国政府有染并接受渥太华资助。道德委员调查认定特鲁多此举违反了道德准则和行为操守。
This incident wasn’t the first time Trudeau found himself mired in a free vacation controversy. In December 2016, Trudeau and his family vacationed on a private island in the Bahamas owned by the Aga Khan, a billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader. The Aga Khan Foundation has dealings with the Canadian government, receiving grants from Ottawa. Trudeau was found breaching conflict of interest rules by the Ethics Commissioner.
2020年夏天爆发的WE慈善机构丑闻，进一步体现了特鲁多政府中一个反复呈现的主题：即个人关系和政府行动之间出现利益冲突。这场争议的中心是向WE慈善机构授予的一份价值5.43亿加元的合同，用于在疫情期间管理加拿大学生服务补助计划，而这一合同的授予被特鲁多、他的家人与WE慈善机构高管之间的密切关系的阴云所笼罩。在公众的强烈审视和要求透明度的呼声中，特鲁多承认了自己未能在决策过程中进行回避的错误，凸显出其政府内部持续存在的利益冲突问题。
The WE Charity scandal, which emerged in the summer of 2020, further exemplifies a recurring theme in Trudeau’s administration, where personal connections interfere with official actions. The controversy centered on a $543 million contract awarded to WE Charity for administering the Canada Student Service Grant program during the pandemic, which was compounded by the close personal connections between Trudeau, his family, and WE Charity executives. Amid intense public scrutiny and calls for greater transparency, Trudeau acknowledged his mistake in not recusing himself from the decision-making process, thereby spotlighting the ongoing issues of conflict of interest within his government.
在这些道德违规和利益冲突的丑闻接连不断地曝光之际，2022年，加拿大国际贸易部长伍凤仪因违反政府官员道德准则而将政府合同授予一位好友的公司，因而遭到了强烈反弹。在反对党成员的严厉指责浪潮声中，要求她引咎辞职的呼声此起彼伏。表示要承担全部责任的伍凤仪其悔过之心似乎溢于言表，承认她的行为未达到其职责所期望的透明度和问责标准。而该事件是特鲁多政府内部官员操守违规的又一案例。
Echoing the ethical and conflict of interest concerns highlighted by these scandals, in 2022, International Trade Minister Mary Ng faced backlash for breaching ethics rules by awarding a contract to a friend’s company. Ng’s decision drew sharp criticism from opposition members, some even demanding her resignation. Accepting full responsibility, Ng expressed regret, admitting her actions fell short of the standards of transparency and accountability expected in her role, potentially reflecting a concerning precedent set within Trudeau’s administration.
ArriveCAN丑闻的则又给特鲁多政府的以个人关系左右政府决策的现象画上了丑恶一笔。在该事件中，一项最初预算仅为8万元的IT项目费用激增至惊人的5400万元，缘由于大量政府项目资金非法流向没有任何IT专业知识的项目承包商和分包商的手中。当时担任加拿大边境服务局助理副部长的卡梅伦·麦克唐纳在议会委员会的听证会上面临着在合同授予过程中的不当行为之指控。
The emergence of the ArriveCAN scandal represents yet another instance in Prime Minister Trudeau’s administration where personal ties seemingly cloud government decision-making. In this scandal, the initial modest budget of an $80,000 IT project surged to a staggering $54 million, underscoring a troubling misallocation of public funds to contractors and subcontractors without relevant IT expertise. Cameron MacDonald, then Assistant Deputy Minister at the Canada Border Services Agency, faced allegations of misconduct in the contracting process as the parliament committee’s hearing unfolds.
这些丑闻严重地削弱了自由党在公众中的形象，特别是在其支持率急剧下降的今天。对于来自于’人际网络’（guanxi）盛行之国家的移民来说，特鲁多及其领导下的高官行为让他们联想到腐败猖獗的来源国政府。许多华裔加国人士在微信上表达其不满，一些人称：“没想到加拿大也有这类政治腐败，这些丑闻让我感到失望，甚至怀疑来加拿大是否是正确的选择。”自由党政府因其自身种种问题，如政策失误、财政管理不善，以及最令人担忧的，清廉治国之声誉受损等而使其所高调倡导的民主价值观遭到威胁。在此重要关头，自由党旨在恢复公众信任度并维护加拿大的民主完整性的举措势在必行。为此，自由党可能需要加强其透明度和问责制度，同时审慎处理与利益冲突相关的问题，以重建公众的信心并恢复其道德权威。
These scandals have significantly dented the Liberals’ public perception, particularly at a time when its approval rating is in sharp decline. For immigrants from cultures where practices like ‘guanxi’ were prevalent, these actions of Trudeau and the top officials under his leadership may uncomfortably echo the Guanxi-driven governance that led to a widespread corruption. Many Chinese Canadians have voiced their concerns on social media WeChat, with some commenting, ‘Came to Canada for its clean politics, but these scandals let me down, making me question my decision.” The Liberal government faces threats to its cherished democratic values through actions of its own – such as policy missteps, fiscal mismanagement, and, most alarmingly, a tarnished reputation for ethical governance. At this critical juncture, it’s imperative for the Liberals to restore trust and maintain Canada’s democratic integrity — such as adopting stricter conflict of interest guidelines to rebuild public confidence and uphold the standards of ethical governance.
