Canada’s former China ambassador won’t face ethics probe over Rio Tinto job
Alex Boutilier
Alex Boutilier
GLOBAL NEWS
Canada’s former ambassador to China will not face a federal ethics probe into his joining mining giant Rio Tinto while finishing his diplomatic posting.
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion’s office confirmed to Global News Monday that Dominic Barton, who served as Ottawa’s man in Beijing from Sept. 2019 until last month, will not face an investigation over accepting a job on Rio Tinto’s board.
Read more:
Dominic Barton leaving post as Canada’s ambassador to China
“(Barton) did not have direct and significant dealings with Rio Tinto while he was Canada’s Ambassador in China. This was discussed with the commissioner prior to Mr. Barton’s pursuit of employment,” wrote Melanie Rushworth, a spokesperson for Dion’s office in a statement to Global News.
Rushworth said Barton, a former chief executive of international consulting firm McKinsey, contacted Dion’s office in October 2021 to “seek specific guidance in respect of post-employment pursuits.” Barton disclosed an Oct. 8 meeting with representatives from Rio Tinto at that time.
“Based on the information provided, Commissioner Dion determined Mr. Barton would not contravene (ethics rules) by accepting a position on the board of directors of Rio Tinto … As such, no examination will be undertaken based upon Mr. Barton’s actions prior to accepting the position,” Rushworth said.
Barton, who developed close ties in China through his business career, surprised observers in December when he announced he’d be stepping down after just two years in the key diplomatic job.
At the time, Barton said he worked to ease tensions with Beijing during his tenure, and cited the return of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — who had been detained by Chinese authorities since late 2018 — as the fulfillment of a key mission given to him by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Just weeks after his announcement, Barton’s name was floated in the international press as a potential successor to Rio Tinto’s outgoing chairman, Simon Thompson. On Dec. 19, the mining multinational made his appointment official.
More than half of Rio Tinto’s revenue comes from China, where the Anglo-Australian miner sells a significant amount of iron ore for the country’s steel mills. The opposition New Democrats called on Dion to investigate Barton’s appointment in December.
But Dion’s office found that Barton’s Oct. 8 meeting with Rio Tinto executives did not amount to “direct and significant official dealings” with the miner while he held the ambassadorial post.
“Upon determination that this meeting was not significant within the meaning of the Act, no other follow-up on this meeting was needed with (Dion’s office) before Mr. Barton’s acceptance of the offer of employment,” Rushworth said in a statement.
Canada’s former ambassador to China will not face a federal ethics probe into his joining mining giant Rio Tinto while finishing his diplomatic posting.
Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion’s office confirmed to Global News Monday that Dominic Barton, who served as Ottawa’s man in Beijing from Sept. 2019 until last month, will not face an investigation over accepting a job on Rio Tinto’s board.
Read more:
Dominic Barton leaving post as Canada’s ambassador to China
“(Barton) did not have direct and significant dealings with Rio Tinto while he was Canada’s Ambassador in China. This was discussed with the commissioner prior to Mr. Barton’s pursuit of employment,” wrote Melanie Rushworth, a spokesperson for Dion’s office in a statement to Global News.
Rushworth said Barton, a former chief executive of international consulting firm McKinsey, contacted Dion’s office in October 2021 to “seek specific guidance in respect of post-employment pursuits.” Barton disclosed an Oct. 8 meeting with representatives from Rio Tinto at that time.
“Based on the information provided, Commissioner Dion determined Mr. Barton would not contravene (ethics rules) by accepting a position on the board of directors of Rio Tinto … As such, no examination will be undertaken based upon Mr. Barton’s actions prior to accepting the position,” Rushworth said.
Barton, who developed close ties in China through his business career, surprised observers in December when he announced he’d be stepping down after just two years in the key diplomatic job.
At the time, Barton said he worked to ease tensions with Beijing during his tenure, and cited the return of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor — who had been detained by Chinese authorities since late 2018 — as the fulfillment of a key mission given to him by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Just weeks after his announcement, Barton’s name was floated in the international press as a potential successor to Rio Tinto’s outgoing chairman, Simon Thompson. On Dec. 19, the mining multinational made his appointment official.
More than half of Rio Tinto’s revenue comes from China, where the Anglo-Australian miner sells a significant amount of iron ore for the country’s steel mills. The opposition New Democrats called on Dion to investigate Barton’s appointment in December.
But Dion’s office found that Barton’s Oct. 8 meeting with Rio Tinto executives did not amount to “direct and significant official dealings” with the miner while he held the ambassadorial post.
“Upon determination that this meeting was not significant within the meaning of the Act, no other follow-up on this meeting was needed with (Dion’s office) before Mr. Barton’s acceptance of the offer of employment,” Rushworth said in a statement.
Ethics commissioner will not investigate former envoy to China for taking mining job
© Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press Canada's former ambassador to China Dominic Barton will not be investigated by the federal ethics commissioner for accepting a job with mining giant Rio Tinto.
Federal Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion's office says he will not be investigating Canada's former ambassador to China for accepting a job with mining giant Rio Tinto, which has extensive business dealings in China.
"I can confirm Commissioner Dion is not launching an examination into Dominic Barton as he did not have direct and significant dealings with Rio Tinto while he was Canada's Ambassador in China," Dion's office said in an email to CBC News.
The NDP wrote to commissioner Dion earlier this month asking his office to probe Dominic Barton's appointment as chair of the board of directors at Rio Tinto.
"Given that Mr. Barton met with Rio Tinto executives as recently as October 2021, it should be of concern to all Canadians that less than three months after meeting with the gold mining company, he announced his intention to become the Chair of Rio Tinto's Board of Directors," NDP MP Matthew Green said in his letter.
The statement from Dion's office said Barton reached out to the ethics commissioner last October to ask whether a virtual meeting with representatives of Rio Tinto on Oct. 8 violated the Conflict of Interest Act.
"Upon determination that this meeting was not significant within the meaning of the Act, no other follow-up on this meeting was needed with the Office before Mr. Barton's acceptance of the offer of employment," Dion's office said, clearing the way for Barton to accept his new post.
Before becoming Canada's top diplomat in China, Barton led and was a managing partner of McKinsey and Co. While in the role, the company provided advice to Chinese state-owned businesses and companies investing in China.
Barton also served as chair of the finance minister's advisory council on economic growth.
He was appointed ambassador to China in September 2019 and tasked with securing the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
Kovrig, a diplomat, and Spavor — an entrepreneur who worked in North Korea and China — were first detained in December 2018, just after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on behalf of U.S. authorities. Their detention was widely seen as an act of retaliation in response to the Huawei executive's arrest.
After the two men were released in September of 2021, Barton said that helping to free them was "the honour of a lifetime."
Federal Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion's office says he will not be investigating Canada's former ambassador to China for accepting a job with mining giant Rio Tinto, which has extensive business dealings in China.
"I can confirm Commissioner Dion is not launching an examination into Dominic Barton as he did not have direct and significant dealings with Rio Tinto while he was Canada's Ambassador in China," Dion's office said in an email to CBC News.
The NDP wrote to commissioner Dion earlier this month asking his office to probe Dominic Barton's appointment as chair of the board of directors at Rio Tinto.
"Given that Mr. Barton met with Rio Tinto executives as recently as October 2021, it should be of concern to all Canadians that less than three months after meeting with the gold mining company, he announced his intention to become the Chair of Rio Tinto's Board of Directors," NDP MP Matthew Green said in his letter.
The statement from Dion's office said Barton reached out to the ethics commissioner last October to ask whether a virtual meeting with representatives of Rio Tinto on Oct. 8 violated the Conflict of Interest Act.
"Upon determination that this meeting was not significant within the meaning of the Act, no other follow-up on this meeting was needed with the Office before Mr. Barton's acceptance of the offer of employment," Dion's office said, clearing the way for Barton to accept his new post.
Before becoming Canada's top diplomat in China, Barton led and was a managing partner of McKinsey and Co. While in the role, the company provided advice to Chinese state-owned businesses and companies investing in China.
Barton also served as chair of the finance minister's advisory council on economic growth.
He was appointed ambassador to China in September 2019 and tasked with securing the release of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.
Kovrig, a diplomat, and Spavor — an entrepreneur who worked in North Korea and China — were first detained in December 2018, just after Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada on behalf of U.S. authorities. Their detention was widely seen as an act of retaliation in response to the Huawei executive's arrest.
After the two men were released in September of 2021, Barton said that helping to free them was "the honour of a lifetime."
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