This story is for an assignment for the Advanced Journalism program at Humber College.
TORONTO – A backbench Liberal member of parliament announced her departure from the party caucus late on Monday after CBC revealed she employed her sister for several years, breaking parliamentary rules.
MP Yasmin Ratansi said in a post to Facebook that she will now sit as an independent and await the results of an inquiry by the ethics commissioner.
The story was picked up by PNCN, a Punjabi and English news channel that publishes to the southeast Asian community in the Greater Toronto Area.
The backlash from former members of parliament, prominent community members and other politicians was quick and critical.
One Twitter user dove into the archives to find a time Ratansi was calling others out.
Others tried to tie Ratansi’s conflict-of-interest with the Liberal Party at-large, including its leader Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
While Ratansi, a long-serving MP, does appear to have a friendship with Trudeau, the prime minister made it clear her behaviour was not appropriate.