Canada Finance Minister Conflict of Interest Allegations

The Canada===Conservative Party of Canada is accusing the Canada===Liberal Party of Canada of blocking a House of Commons committee from questioning Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne about a potential conflict of interest. Champagne's partner, Anne-Marie Gaudet, is a vice-president at Alto, the entity responsible for the $90-billion high-speed rail project connecting Toronto and Quebec City. Champagne claims he proactively implemented a conflict-of-interest screen and recused himself from decisions related to Alto since Gaudet's hiring in August 2025. However, Conservative ethics critic Michael Barrett (politician) argues that Champagne championed legislation enabling the Alto project in an omnibus budget bill and has formally requested an investigation by the Canada===Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. The Canada===Liberal Party of Canada is accused of filibustering committee meetings to prevent Champagne from testifying, raising questions about accountability and transparency in the Canadian government.