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Dawson, in the letter to Conservative MP Blaine Calkins, writes that she is “of the view” that his request to open an investigation “satisfies the requirements” of that part of the Conflict of Interest Act which requires that the complainant “set out reasonable grounds for the belief that the contravention has occurred.”

The maximum sanction that Dawson may levy for a violation of the Act is $500 per violation— a relatively paltry sum for a prime minister who earns more than $350,000 a year and gets a free home.

But while Trudeau might easily pay any fine, the political penalty may be more expensive. The opposition is almost certain to have a field day if Trudeau becomes the first prime minister in Canada’s history to violate a federal statute — a statute on ethics and conflict of interest, no less — while in office.

The commissioner’s office and the current Conflict of Interest Act were creations of the Harper government in 2007. While Harper was accused by his opponents several times of unethical behaviour, he was neither the subject of any investigation nor any finding of any violation of the act during his time in office.

Trudeau, then, becomes the first prime minister to face the scrutiny of the commissioner, something he said last week he welcomed.

“I’ve said a number of times this was a personal family vacation,” Trudeau told reporters Friday in Peterborough. “And any questions that the ethics commissioner has and that Canadians have, we’re happy to engage with.”