Ethics Watchdog Says Trudeau Didn’t Further Interests of Lifelong Friend Pitfield

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sports a smile at the College of the North Atlantic in St. John's, N.L. on July 28, 2021. The province has struck a deal with Ottawa for a $10-a-day child-care program. The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan

OTTAWA—The federal ethics watchdog has concluded Justin Trudeau was not involved in a decision that saw Liberal MPs using their taxpayer-funded budgets to hire the services of a company run by one of the prime minister’s lifelong friends.

In a letter to Trudeau, Mario Dion says he’s satisfied that the prime minister was not involved in the Liberal Research Bureau’s decision to enter into a contract with Data Sciences Inc., a company owned by Tom Pitfield.