Carney seeks ethics screen over friendship with Telesat CEO after $2.3bn defence contract

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has written to the federal Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner asking for a conflict-of-interest screen over his friendship with Dan Goldberg, the president and chief executive of satellite operator Telesat. Carney and Goldberg have been friends for nearly two decades; Telesat won a $2.3-billion federal defence contract in August. The Conservatives had already asked the commissioner to examine the relationship.

Letter to the commissioner seeks added safeguards

Carney wrote on Friday, November 13, to Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein, requesting additional safeguards covering Goldberg, Telesat and its subsidiaries. Carney said he had previously disclosed his friendship to the commissioner and was not involved in discussions or decisions concerning the contract. Conservative MP Jamil Jivani formally asked the commissioner on November 3 to examine Carney's relationship with Goldberg and consider whether existing safeguards were sufficient; CTV News reported the Conservatives' request on November 3.

$2.3-billion contract covers Arctic satellite communications for the military

Telesat secured the $2.3-billion contract from Canada's Defence Investment Agency in August to provide secure satellite communications for Canadian military operations in the Arctic. The federal government has championed the Canadian satellite operator as a domestic alternative to the U.S. Starlink system and a way to bolster Canadian sovereignty. The commissioner has not said whether an investigation will follow; no finding of wrongdoing has been established against Carney.

(Sources: Canadian Press; CTV; Politt.)