Skip to Content Subscribe Our Offers My Account Manage My Subscriptions FAQ Newsletters Canada Canadian True Crime Canadian Politics Health World Israel & Middle East Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Comics NP News Quiz New York Times Crossword Horoscopes Life Eating & Drinking Style Sponsored Play for Ontario Travel Travel Canada Travel USA Travel International Cruises Travel Essentials Culture Books Celebrity Movies Music Theatre Television Business Essentials Advice Lives Told Tails Told Shopping Buy Canadian Home Living Outdoor Living Kitchen & Dining Tech Style & Beauty Personal Care Entertainment & Hobbies Gift Guide Travel Guide Amazon Prime Day Deals Savings National Post Store More Sports Hockey Baseball Basketball Football Soccer Golf Tennis Driving Vehicle Research Reviews News Gear Guide Obituaries Place an Obituary Place an In Memoriam Classifieds Place an Ad Celebrations Working Business Ads Archives Healthing Epaper Manage Print Subscription Profile Settings My Subscriptions Saved Articles My Offers Newsletters Customer Service FAQ Newsletters Canada World Financial Post NP Comment Longreads Puzzmo Diversions Life Shopping Epaper Manage Print Subscription HomeCanadaCanadian PoliticsOpposition MPs accuse Champagne of voting on high-speed rail despite conflict of interestChampagne had vowed not to participate in any decisions on the proposed high-speed rail project You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Minister of Finance Francois-Philippe Champagne attends a House of Commons Ethics Committee meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa June 11, 2026. Champagne's partner is involved with the ALTO high speed rail project. Photo by Blair Gable /PostmediaOTTAWA — Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne faced pointed questions Thursday over his personal connection to the federal government’s high-speed train plan, with opposition MPs accusing the minister of taking part in more than a dozen votes on the lucrative project after he declared a potential conflict.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorBut Champagne told the House of Commons Ethics Committee that he went beyond the call of duty by writing last September to the prime minister to add a special filter to his conflict-of-interest disclosure after his spouse was hired in August as an executive at Alto.The organization, which falls under Transport Canada, manages the government’s plan to build high-speed rail between Toronto and Quebec city at a cost of a projected $90-billion.Champagne had vowed not to participate in any discussions or decisions with government representatives about the proposed high-speed rail project. “I followed all the rules,” he told the committee.But opposition MPs said Champagne didn’t follow his own promises when his first budget, two months after adding the filter, included hundreds of millions of dollars for the rail project. That money and the government’s support for the project, however, had been announced months earlier.The government has said the new rail link, not expected to be completed for more than a decade, will add an important transportation line and will support or create more than 50,000 jobs and add $25 billion to the economy.Opposition MPs on the committee made repeated requests that Champagne release his letter to the prime minister and his filter to the committee, but he said that is the ethics commissioner’s decision. Conservative MP Gabriel Hardy proposed a motion to compel Champagne to release the documents to the committee, but the Liberal majority voted it down.Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein appeared before the committee Thursday after Champagne and told MPs that he didn’t post the documents on his office’s web site because the minister’s disclosure was voluntary. Von Finckenstein said the fact that the minister’s spouse works at Alto, a wholly owned subsidiary of the federal government, is not a conflict, largely because the organization falls under the minister of transport.“It’s simply too remote,” he told the committee.Duff Conacher, co-founder of Democracy Watch, which advocates for democratic reform, said he doesn’t see this particular situation as a major conflict because the government had already committed to the high-speed rail project before Champagne’s spouse was hired. There’s also been no evidence presented that either Champagne or his spouse, Anne-Marie Gaudet, benefitted directly from the budget bill or other votes.But Champagne also raised the ire of opposition MPs by repeatedly deflecting questions, including those that asked for basic facts, such as whether his spouse is an executive at Alto.National PostOur website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. 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