Canada's ethics commissioner has opened a probe of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over his lavish post-Christmas vacation at the private island of billionaire philanthropist and spiritual leader the Aga Khan.
In a letter to an opposition Conservative Member of Parliament shown to AFP on Monday, Commissioner Mary Dawson said she was investigating whether Trudeau breached ethics laws in receiving a free Bahamas vacation and in using the Aga Khan's helicopter to fly to his private island.
Trudeau and his family, as well as a Liberal MP and the president of the party and their spouses, stayed at the Aga Khan's home on Bell Island in the Bahamas for a post-Christmas vacation.
The Aga Khan's foundation has received hundreds of millions of dollars from the Canadian government to promote development and other projects in several countries. It is registered as a lobbyist.
Canadian conflict of interest laws prohibit officeholders from accepting gifts. Free travel is specifically listed as prohibited for ministers. Trudeau last week addressed the controversy after the opposition complained to Dawson, saying, "This was a personal family vacation."
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