Nunavut Liberal MP Lori Idlout violated parliamentary conflict-of-interest rules after claiming taxpayer-funded reimbursements for purchases made from businesses owned by herself and her spouse, Canada’s ethics commissioner has found.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein released his findings Wednesday following an investigation under the Conflict of Interest Code for Members of the House of Commons.
According to the commissioner, Idlout used her parliamentary office budget to seek reimbursement for purchases made at a business she owns and another owned by her spouse.
The transactions increased or preserved the value of the couple’s assets, thereby furthering their private interests while Idlout was performing her parliamentary duties.
Section 8 of the ethics code prohibits MPs from using their public positions to advance their own private interests, those of family members or the interests of another person or organization.
Despite finding that Idlout broke the rules, von Finckenstein recommended no sanction.
The commissioner accepted Idlout’s explanation that the purchases were “errors of judgement made in good faith” and noted that she repaid the House of Commons after the violations were brought to her attention.
“She did not realize that making purchases from two businesses would further her or her spouse’s private interests,” von Finckenstein said. “She also repaid the House of Commons as soon as the errors were brought to her attention.”
Idlout was elected as a New Democrat before crossing the floor to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s governing Liberals in March 2026. Her defection helped move the Liberal government closer to a parliamentary majority.
The commissioner’s report was submitted to the Speaker of the House of Commons and will be tabled when Parliament next sits.
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