A new interim conflict of interest and ethics commissioner has been named, filling a role that’s been largely vacant for months.
Konrad Winrich von Finckenstein has been appointed for a six-month term.
The former conflict-of-interest and ethics watchdog, Mario Dion, retired in February.
Martine Richard then took on the role in the interim in April, but stepped down just weeks later following criticism because she is the sister-in-law of Liberal cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended Richard’s appointment at the time, telling reporters she had been a senior official in the ethics commissioner’s officer for more than a decade and had previously filled in for the previous commissioner when he was on medical leave.
Dion told The Canadian Press earlier this month that having no one in the role for such an extended period caused investigations to be put on hold and may have allowed for violations to go unnoticed.
He also said he understands why it took so long to select a candidate, considering few people qualify for the position, according to The Canadian Press.
Von Finckenstein has had an “extensive government and judicial career,” according to Carleton University, where he is a member of the board of governors. He was chief counsel during the Canada-U.S. free trade negotiations and oversaw the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, and was later commissioner of the Competition Bureau, and a justice of the Federal Court, among other roles, the university states on its website.
He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022.
