Another ethics filing by Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc promised no discussions with files concerning his billionaire friends at J.D. Irving Ltd., reported Blacklock’s.

“The Ethics Commissioner and I have agreed a conflict of interest screen is an appropriate compliance measure for me aimed at preventing any opportunity to further the private interests of my friend James D. Irving, president and CEO of J.D. Irving Limited, including J.D. Irving Limited, its subsidiaries, affiliates, associates, divisions and any legal form of business or give preferential treatment to any of them while I exercise my official powers,” LeBlanc wrote Tuesday.

J.D. Irving Ltd. is the largest private employer in Newfoundland, where LeBlanc sits as a member of Parliament. 

Serious questions must be answered about Liberal Min. Dominic LeBlanc’s close ties to the billionaire Irving family.

Like his boss Trudeau - he has broken ethics laws before.

His government appointed his sister-in-law as Ethics Commissioner.

Canadians deserve accountability. pic.twitter.com/Ttk6bPsWdF

— Michael Barrett (@MikeBarrettON) December 27, 2024

Though a 2016 conflict screening ensured LeBlanc had no government dealings with Irving company files, concerns remain over his handling of issues that may affect the profits of Irving companies.

The federal government has had “extensive dealings” in recent years with the New Brunswick family’s company, J.D. Irving, Ltd., reported the Globe and Mail.

The Conservative Party successfully called for a renewed ethics screen, since Irving companies are involved in vast areas of the Canadian economy, such as shipbuilding, lumber, transportation and agribusiness. 

“How do the Irvings’ extensive holdings in agriculture, retail, trucking, and real estate impact the issues from which Minister LeBlanc must recuse himself?” Ethics critic Michael Barrett wrote the Commissioner.

He found it inconceivable that LeBlanc’s “billionaire friend had no impact on his decisions in these matters.”

.@DLeBlancNB takes ethics pledge, swears to avoid all direct dealings with friends at J.D. Irving, operator of Canada's largest oil refinery: "@EthicsCanada and I have agreed."   https://t.co/YnDFCVhZFU @FinanceCanada @EthicsCanada pic.twitter.com/1hErUNtYPH

— Blacklock's Reporter (@mindingottawa) February 12, 2025

The two New Brunswickers are close friends, which LeBlanc told a podcast as recently as December 18—two days after his appointment to the finance portfolio.

Minister LeBlanc recently defended his mid-December stay at the Irving family residence while discussions on a reviewed conflict-of-interest screen were heating up. Then he was named finance minister in a cabinet shuffle last December 16.

Blacklock’s and the Globe and Mail reported on the degree of closeness between LeBlanc and the Irving family, with the MP using the Irving corporate jet to attend medical appointments in Montréal more than two decades ago. 

“I have agreed to recuse myself from any discussion or decision in relation to my friend’s private interests including his business interests,” LeBlanc wrote Tuesday. “I also agree not to have any communication with government officials in relation to any matter … [that] would affect Mr. Irving’s interests.”

“I am neither made aware of nor participate in any official matters or decision-making processes involving Mr. Irving’s interests,” he reiterated. LeBlanc’s conflict screen, according to Blacklock’s, is the most extensive ever signed by a finance minister.

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