Federal minister Harjit Sajjan defends accepting taxpayer-funded Taylor Swift tickets
Federal cabinet minister Harjit Sajjan is defending his decision to accept taxpayer-funded Taylor Swift tickets for himself and his daughter.
Sajjan, the minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, was invited by PavCo, a B.C. Crown corporation that owns and operates B.C. Place Stadium, where the concerts will take place.
PavCo has been donating Swift tickets to food banks and other charity organizations so that they could raffle them off and raise money. PavCo has also donated B.C. Place suites to be auctioned off, raising more than $1 million, according to the corporation.
“This is actually supporting a very good cause, something that Taylor Swift also supports as well,” Sajjan told reporters Wednesday.
Harjit Sajjan says he accepted the tickets from B.C. Crown corporation PavCo because it has been supporting food banks through ticket donations.
PavCo said it is hosting about 40 guests in a B.C. Place suite at each Swift concert, including government officials and business partners. All guests are being asked to make a “significant donation” to the Greater Vancouver Food and Food Banks B.C., PavCo said.
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank told CBC News that Sajjan made a $1,500 donation.
Ethics commissioner notified
Sajjan contacted the Office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner about accepting the tickets, the office told CBC News.
It said that if a charitable contribution is made in lieu of payment for an item, then it would not be considered a gift for the purposes of the Conflict of Interest Act.
Sajjan accepted the tickets only after receiving clearance from the commissioner, his office said.
Sajjan said his family previously purchased four tickets for Swift’s concert in Toronto but ended up selling them at cost, choosing instead to attend the Vancouver concert.
“I’m actually very happy to be able to raise money and create greater awareness for the food bank,” he said.
Opposition reacts
“Given the cost-of-living crisis we’re in right now, the idea that the minister would get two free tickets — taxpayer-funded tickets — is concerning and it shows a lack of judgment,” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh told reporters on Wednesday.
Conservative MP Michael Barrett called Sajjan’s decision to take the tickets “absolutely unacceptable.”
“The minister should be buying his own tickets,” he said. “He’s only receiving that gift because of who he is and his access to the prime minister … It’s absolutely inappropriate.”
Barrett added that if Sajjan wants to give to charity, he should do it “because it’s the right thing to do, not to get himself out of some kind of ethical conundrum.”
Neil McArthur, director of the Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics at the University of Manitoba, said politicians should accept gifts in some contexts, such as when they’re being offered by foreign dignitaries. He said he doesn’t see a reason for Sajjan to accept the tickets.
“Politicians have to use their judgment and realize that just because something is not against the rules in a technical sense, there may be either a perception of wrongdoing or actual inappropriateness,” McArthur told B.C. Today. “I think in both cases this applies here.”
Mayor declines tickets
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim was also invited by PavCo but turned it down.
“Mayor Sim is absolutely thrilled that Vancouver will be the final stop on Taylor Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour,” his office said in a statement.
“While tickets were offered to him in his capacity as the mayor of Vancouver, he declined and personally purchased tickets for himself, his family and friends. It’s a chance to join Vancouverites and visitors from around the world in celebrating this unforgettable event right here in our city.”
B.C. Premier David Eby’s office also confirmed neither Eby nor Tourism Minister Spencer Chandra Herbert accepted PavCo tickets.
Swift will be ending her record-breaking Eras Tour this Sunday in Vancouver after nearly 150 performances in almost two years over five continents.
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