OTTAWA—A Liberal MP who is paid to provide legal advice to a Brampton construction company helped get the firm’s president an invitation to a high-profile reception during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s trip to India.

Raj Grewal, the first-term MP for Brampton East, receives “employment income” from Zgemi Inc., a construction company headed by Yusuf Yenilmez, a Liberal supporter.

Grewal and Yenilmez were in India for Trudeau’s official visit, mingling with the political delegation that accompanied the prime minister on the seven-day trip last month.

Zgemi’s Facebook page says Yenilmez attended business delegation events with Trudeau in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Photos posted on that page show Yenilmez posing with members of Trudeau’s delegation including Katie Telford, his chief of staff, Navdeep Bains, the minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Government House leader Bardish Chagger, Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi, and Nadir Patel, Canada’s high commissioner in India.

Yenilmez is also seen in several photos meeting Trudeau, including at a dinner in New Delhi hosted by the Canadian high commissioner on Feb. 22.

Grewal told the Star that Yenilmez organized his own trip to India and said the two did not travel to India together.

“We were obviously there together at events but nothing was preplanned or co-ordinated before,” Grewal said.

Asked whether he had facilitated Yenilmez’s access to any of the functions, including the high commission event, Grewal initially replied, “no, because anybody that requested was given access to events.”

But the Prime Minister’s Office said Grewal secured Yenilmez an invitation to the New Delhi event organized by Canada’s high commissioner. “MP Grewal invited him to the reception,” Trudeau spokesperson Chantal Gagnon told the Star in an email.

In a followup statement to the Star, Grewal said he invited a “diverse group of more than 30 supporters and stakeholders” to participate in events around the India trip.

While he noted that Yenilmez is a local employer and supporter, Grewal said he included anyone who was interested in attending. Because Yenilmez was registered for the Canada-India Forum, “he had access to the receptions with or without my invitation,” Grewal said in his email to the Star.

Margot Booth, a spokesperson for the ethics commissioner, said that because Grewal is not a minister or a parliamentary secretary, he is subject to the conflict of interest code for members of the House of Commons, but not the Conflict of Interest Act.

Under the code there is no requirement for MPs to seek approval of the commissioner’s office when helping to secure invitation to events, Booth said. However, she said that MPs “must take care” to ensure their actions do not contravene the code’s rules that prohibit them from using their position to further their private interests or the interests of someone else.

She also said MPs are allowed to receive income from anyone. Only when MPs become parliamentary secretaries or cabinet ministers do stricter restrictions kick in, she said.

Conservative MP Peter Kent (Thornhill) said Grewal’s business relationship with Yenilmez raises questions whether the politician should be facilitating such access.

“Why did he enable or get an invitation for Mr. Yenilmez?” said Kent, his party’s ethics critic.

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“I think any reasonable person would see there is very real potential for conflict of interest in this situation.”

In an email to the Star, Yenilmez said he attended sessions organized by the Canada-India organization to look for opportunities for his 400-person firm, which builds and renovates residential, commercial and industrial buildings.

“I signed up independently as a Canadian business looking to partner with Indian business looking to expand in Canada,” Yenilmez said.

“Zgemi is working hard to expand across Canada and the world,” he said.

He said Grewal provides legal services on a contract basis related to private disputes and nothing involving the federal government.

“Our relationship with Mr. Grewal was cleared with the ethics commissioner, and a screen is put in place to ensure that no conflict of interest arises,” he said.

In an April 2017 filing with the federal elections’ commissioner, Grewal indicated he was receiving “employment income” from Zgemi Inc. His most recent filing in January 2018 indicates he expects to receive that income for the next 12 months.

In an interview, he said he does legal consulting work for Zgemi “very rarely,” usually centred on private contract disputes.

“I’m pretty careful … I don’t touch any of the files that would have anything to do with the federal government,” Grewal said.

Yenilmez has a record of supporting the Liberals that dates back several years. According to Elections Canada, Yenilmez donated more than $3,880 to the federal Liberal party from 2013 to 2017, and attended a thank you reception for “Laurier Club” donors with Trudeau in Toronto last year.

Ahmed Hussen, who is now the federal immigration minister, posted a photo on Twitter during the 2015 election campaign, in which he thanked “my friend” Yenilmez for help canvassing in his Toronto riding.

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