An ethics watchdog says Chrystia Freeland violated conflict of interest rules by accepting an appointment as an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and should resign as the MP for University-Rosedale.

Duff Conacher, co-founder of non-profit group Democracy Watch, said while it’s legal for an MP to work for another government, it was still a violation of the Conflict of Interest Act, which Freeland must abide by as her role as Canada’s special representative for the reconstruction of Ukraine is a parliamentary secretary position.

The act prohibits cabinet ministers, parliamentary secretaries and some top political staffers and bureaucrats from “improperly furthering” their private interests, and requires those who fall under its rules to arrange “private affairs in a manner that will prevent the public office holder from being in a conflict of interest.”

“If the ethics commissioner rolls over and rubber stamps this as legal, it will not only open a huge loophole in the code but will also show yet again how much of a lapdog the commissioner is, mainly because he was handpicked in secret by the Trudeau Cabinet,” Conacher told iPolitics in an email, referring to the selection process for the commissioner, which is handled by cabinet though requires consultation with other parties in the House.

In 2023, Konrad von Finckenstein was appointed interim ethics commissioner by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau, following weeks of controversy over his original candidate, Martine Richard, who is cabinet minister Dominic LeBlanc’s sister-in-law.

He was appointed to a full seven-year term in 2024.

Zelenskyy announced Monday that he had appointed Freeland as an economic adviser amidst his country’s ongoing war with Russia.

Freeland has long expressed her support for the Ukrainian war effort, and has said the country could become an economic juggernaut by taking up the opportunities it missed after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Zelenskyy, in a post on social media, said Ukraine needs to strengthen what he called its “internal resilience.”

“Chrystia is highly skilled in these matters and has extensive experience in attracting investment and implementing economic transformations,” he said.

“Right now, Ukraine needs to strengthen its internal resilience – both for the sake of Ukraine’s recovery if diplomacy delivers results as swiftly as possible, and to reinforce our defense if, because of delays by our partners, it takes longer to bring this war to an end.”

Freeland, who resigned from cabinet in the fall to accept the special representative role, is subject to the Conflict of Interest Act and MP code of conduct.

According to the Office of the Ethics Commissioner, both sets of rules were designed to ensure that elected and appointed federal officials “do not use their positions to further their private, largely financial, interests; further the private interests of their relatives (and friends, in the case of the Act); or improperly further the private interests of anyone else.”

The office told iPolitics via email that it was barred from discussing individual cases “because of confidentiality restrictions,” and directed questions to Freeland’s office.

The MP code of conduct doesn’t prohibit MPs from accepting other jobs, provided they remain in compliance with the code.

Conservative MP Michael Chong said in a post on X that Freeland should resign her seat because “one cannot be a Canadian MP and an advisor to a foreign government.”

Freeland, who has Ukrainian ancestry, was a cabinet minister and deputy prime minister in Trudeau’s government.

Freeland’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office also didn’t offer a response to a request for comment from iPolitics prior to publication.

Freeland’s appointment comes as Carney travels to Paris to meet with other allies of Ukraine in a bid to end Russia’s nearly four-year war on the country.

Several Liberal insiders told iPolitics on Monday that they expected Freeland to resign as an MP in the near future.

One Liberal MP, speaking on the condition of anonymity to speak freely, said Freeland’s appointment as an advisor to Zelenskyy “makes a great deal of sense” and the timing of the announcement was likely coordinated with the peace summit in Paris.

The MP said accepting the role will “increase the likelihood that she will step down and a byelection could be called within weeks.”

A senior Liberal government source, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said Freeland should resign her seat because it’s “not great to get these roles and still be collecting a cheque.”

Even prior to Monday’s announcement, Freeland was one of several Liberal MPs rumoured to be on the cusp of resigning to accept other appointments, including Bill Blair and Jonathan Wilkinson.

A Liberal source, not currently in government, said the Prime Minister’s Office could be delaying these announcements because they wanted the optimal timing to launch byelection campaigns as the Liberals are only one seat shy of a majority in the House of Commons after two Conservative MPs crossed the floor in the fall sitting.

The source said the PMO might be waiting to see if another opposition MP crosses the floor or to see what progress is made in trade talks with the U.S.

“I don’t think PMO or the powers that be know what that timing is yet. I think they’re waiting to see what happens.”

with files from the Canadian Press