The Liberals are calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's new chief of staff to appear before a parliamentary committee to learn more about the measures he's taking to avoid conflicts of interest.

Nigel Wright, 47, a managing director of Toronto-based private equity company Onex Corp., was named to the position last month. He is expected to assume the post when current Chief of Staff Guy Giorno steps down at the end of the year.

But on Monday, Liberal MP Siobahn Coady said the fact that Wright was taking a temporary leave from Onyx Corp. of 18 to 24 months could lead to conflicts of interest due to the nature of the job.

"How could Mr. Wright possibly serve as chief of staff given his plans to return to work for his corporate clients?" Coady asked during question period.

She charged that Wright "has close ties" to American military contractor Lockheed-Martin, which has won the right to provide Ottawa with a fleet of F-35 fighter jets worth some $16 billion.

"We know that Mr. Wright has extensive dealings and a leadership role in aerospace and defence, as well as energy," Coady said later on CTV's Power Play. "Now when you're the chief of staff for the prime minister, you're going to be dealing in files that have that kind of mandate."

"We're not questioning his credibility, we're questioning whether there's a conflict of interest and how we can overcome it."

The Liberals would like Wright to sever his relationship with Onex Corp. altogether. But the Conservatives maintain that Wright will take adequate measures to avoid any conflicts.

"He will follow and respect all the rules that apply to ministerial staff," Conservative House Leader John Baird said in the House. "He will disclose everything that's required by the independent conflict of interest and ethics commissioner. He will recuse himself on all matters directed by the commissioner."

Later on Monday, Baird said that Wright has "sought out and obtained the advice and counsel" of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. Wright will have to disclose his public holdings to her, and will have to put them into a blind trust.

Because of those consultations, Baird argued that Wright does not need to appear before a Commons ethics committee.

The Tories also say that Wright is an exceptional candidate for the job because of the level of his professional accomplishments. He is a Harvard University-trained lawyer who has been with Onex Corp. since 1997 and assumed his current position of managing director five years ago.

"What we don't want to do is get into a situation where anyone with a significant amount of experience outside of Ottawa, outside of government, can't make a contribution to public service," Baird told CTV's Power Play.

Wright previously worked in the Prime Minister's Office as a policy adviser and speech writer for Brian Mulroney.

With files from CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife