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This is a list of major political scandals in Canada.

Scandal Description Associated parties Year Pacific Scandal Allegations of bribes being taken by the government of Sir John A. Macdonald in exchange for the contract to build the Canadian Pacific Railway. The affair forced Macdonald to resign as prime minister in November 1873. (Five years later, Macdonald served as prime minister for another 13 years.) Conservative Party 1873 King Byng Affair Scandal in the Department of Customs and Excise, leading to a constitutional crisis. Liberal Party 1926 Beauharnois scandal Allegations of the Beauharnois Light, Heat and Power Co making substantial contributions to the Liberal Party in return for permission to divert the St. Lawrence River 30 kilometres west of Montréal to generate hydroelectricity. Liberal Party1930–1932 Munsinger Affair Canada's first national political sex scandal. Progressive Conservative Party 1960s The Fuddle duddle incident Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau was accused of "using un parliamentary language". Liberal Party 1971 Harbourgate The federal government hired a firm to dredge Hamilton Harbour. The subsequent investigation revealed that there were $300,000 in kickbacks to Ken Elliot, the Harbour Commissioner and $4M in unnecessary work. Elliot and his accountant were charged with fraud and served prison time. One of Trudeau's cabinet ministers (John Munro) tendered a resignation, but it was not accepted. He and others under investigation were ultimately exonerated. Liberal Party 1974 Francis Fox Newly appointed Solicitor General, Francis Fox forged the signature of his mistress' husband in order to obtain an abortion. He was forced to step down but later resumed his political career. Liberal Party 1978 Tunagate Tainted tuna. Progressive Conservative Party 1985 Grant Bristow Canadian Security Intelligence Service infiltration of Nationalist Party of Canada and covert founding of far right groups. Heritage Front 1990s Somalia affair Military scandal prompted by the beating death of a Somali teenager Canadian Armed Forces 1993 Airbus affair Prime Minister Brian Mulroney was implicated in a kickback scheme to purchase Airbus planes for Air Canada. Progressive Conservative Party 1995 APEC Inquiry Police conduct at the annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vancouver. Royal Canadian Mounted Police 1997 Shawinigate An alleged conflict of interest lobbying effort by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. Liberal Party 1999 Sponsorship scandal Major misuse and misdirection of funds disbursed through the Liberal government's 1990s sponsorship program. Investigated by the Gomery Commission. Liberal Party 2004 The "Grewal tapes" Allegations that the Liberal Party of Canada offered Gurmant Grewal a senate seat for his wife, Nina Grewal, a cabinet post for himself, and an apology from Joe Volpe if he defected to the Liberal Party. The tapes the Conservatives relied upon, which were in possession of the party for two weeks, were found to have been crudely edited. Liberal Party, Conservative Party 2005 In and Out scandal Circumvention of election finance rules by the Conservatives in the 2006 election campaign. Conservative Party 2007 Couillard Affair Foreign Minister Maxime Bernier resigned after leaving sensitive NATO documents in the home of Julie Couillard, an ex girlfriend who used to have links to the Hells Angels. Conservative Party 2007 Canadian Afghan detainee issue Parliament prorogued for the second time in a single parliament, claimed to stall an inquiry into the potential maltreatment of Afghanistan War detainees. Conservative Party 2010 Dal Mastro Campaign Spending In June 2012 Elections Canada was investigating Del Mastro for overspending during the 2008 elections. The investigation surrounds a payment of $21,000 made by a personal cheque to Ottawa based polling firm Hollinshed Research Group for which Del Mastro was not reimbursed, exceeding his personal spending limit of $5,000. Del Mastro has insisted he has not broken any election law and claimed that the $21,000 cheque was for a riding mapping software called GeoVote that Holienshed intended to launch, and not for telephone calls to constituents during the campaign. Del Mastro was convicted in 2014 and sentenced to a month in jail, four months' house arrest, and 18 months' probation. He was also banned him from holding any public office while serving his conditional sentence, and from running federally for a period of five years. Conservative Party 2014 Robocall scandal Allegations of widespread voter fraud occurring during the 2011 Canadian federal election. Deceptive robotic and live calls were made to voters in multiple ridings, in contravention of Elections Canada rules. Conservative Party, Dean Del Mastro 2012 ETS scandal Alleged wrongdoing by Canadian government officials in the award of a $400 million information technology services contract. Conservative Party 2000sStrippergateConflict of interest allegations caused immigration minister Judy Sgro to resign. She was later partially cleared by the ethics commissioner. Liberal Party2004/2005 F 35 scandal Involved misleading costs of F 35 fighter jets to replace former CF 18s. Prime Minister Stephen Harper was found to be in contempt of parliament for refusing to share information on the procurement. Conservative Party 2012 CFIA scandal Controversy surrounding Canadian Food Inspection Agency being insufficient after budget cuts and the temporary closure of XL Foods, due to a widespread E. coli outbreak in Alberta. Canadian Food Inspection Agency 2012 Canadian Senate expenses scandal An investigation concerning the expense claims of certain Canadian senators. Senators Mike Duffy, Mac Harb, Pamela Wallin, Patrick Brazeau and others claimed travel and housing expenses from the Senate for which they were not eligible. Senate of Canada 2012Illegal DonationsConservative MP Peter Penashue resigned his seat after overspending his campaign limit and accepting corporate donations to his campaign. Penashue later claimed this was done in error by volunteer staff member Reg Bowers. Bowers (who had been appointed to the Canada Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board by the Harper government shortly after the election) also resigned his seat on the board. Conservative Party2013Nadon Appointment Despite rules indicating his ineligibility, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed former Judge Marc Nadon to the supreme Court of Canada. This appointment (as well as modifications to allow for his eligibility) were soundly rejected by the Supreme Court 6 1. Prime Minister then accused Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin of making inappropriate lobbying calls to his office, a claim denied by the Chief Justice who claims to have never attempted to reach the Prime Minister but only the Justice Minister Peter Mackay. Stephen Harper2014ElbowgateOn May 18, 2016, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came into physical contact with two opposition MPs in the House of Commons during a parliamentary session on the final reading of Bill C 14. During the incident, Trudeau grabbed Conservative MP Gord Brown by the arm and then inadvertently elbowed New Democratic MP Ruth Ellen Brosseau in the chest. Trudeau subsequently apologized and was not subject to parliamentary sanctions for the incident. Justin Trudeau 2016 Trudeau cash for access scandal Reports of Trudeau attending cash for access events at the homes of wealthy Chinese Canadians. Justin Trudeau 2016Aga Khan scandalPrime Minister Justin Trudeau was found to have broken four provisions of the Conflict of Interest Act by accepting a 2016 Christmas vacation on the Aga Khan's private island. The ruling made Trudeau the first Prime Minister in Canadian history to break federal ethics laws. Justin Trudeau2017Cultural appropriationDuring a February 2018 visit to India, Justin Trudeau and his family were regularly photographed donning traditional Indian garb. Outlook India, one of the country's most popular English language news magazines, headlined an article "Trudeau Family’s Attire Too Flashy Even For An Indian?" Various Canadian and international media criticized the prime minister. Justin Trudeau2018Trudeau Grope GateIn 2018, an allegation resurfaced that Justin Trudeau, before becoming Prime Minister, had inappropriately touched a female reporter at a music festival in 2000. Trudeau acknowledged the incident but remembered it differently, stating he did not feel he acted inappropriately but apologized if the reporter felt otherwise. The situation sparked discussions on perceptions and standards of behavior, especially for public figures. Justin Trudeau2018 SNC Lavalin affair Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion investigation into the allegation that the Prime Minister's Office interfered with the Justice Department's probe of Quebec construction giant SNC Lavalin by pressuring former Attorney General Jody Wilson Raybould to consider a deferred prosecution agreement. Wilson Raybould, who was then the Minister of Veterans Affairs, resigned from Justin Trudeau's cabinet. Gerald Butts, the Principal Secretary, categorically denied the accusation and resigned. The Ethics Commissioner ruled in August 2019 that the Prime Minister's team had breached ethics rules and that Trudeau and his officials had tried in 2018 to undermine a decision by federal prosecutors. Liberal Party 2019 2016 SNC Lavalin election donation On 30 April 2019, it surfaced that SNC Lavalin made illegal donations to the federal Liberal Party for a period of 5 years ending in 2009. The Liberals received the information in 2016 and did not make it public for 3 years. Employees made contributions totalling over $110,000 to the party which were later reimbursed by the company, actions which were prohibited. For this 1 executive was charged and a compliance agreement was signed with the company to not break the rules again in the future. Liberal Party 2019 Blackface Scandal On 18 September 2019, during the federal election, images were published in Time magazine of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wearing brownface makeup from his time as a teacher at West Point Grey Academy. A total of three images and one video surfaced of three different events when Trudeau wore racist makeup. Trudeau has faced questions since about how his past actions reflect on his ability to lead the country on the issue of racism. Justin Trudeau2019Sole Source ContractsDuring an ethics committee meeting on February 10, 2023, International Trade and Small Business Minister Mary Ng faced scrutiny over her decision to award contracts to Amanda Alvaro, a communications professional and Power & Politics panelist, for media training and public relations work. This decision, involving contracts worth $16,950, was criticized by opposition MPs as a breach of federal conflict of interest laws, damaging trust in the government. Ng, who was reprimanded by the ethics commissioner for not recusing herself from the contracting process, justified her actions by stating the need for additional communications support at the start of the COVID 19 pandemic in 2020 to manage an increased volume of media requests while distributing federal support to small businesses. Mary Ng2020WE Charity controversyPrime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on 25 June 2020 that the government had chosen WE Charity to run the long promised $912 million Canada Student Service Grant. Following complaints by opposition parties that the Trudeau family had ties to WE Charity, the Ethics Commissioner on 3 July 2020 announced an investigation into Trudeau's and the government's decision to have the charity administer the program. Because of the complaints, WE and the federal government decided to "part ways" leaving administration of the grant program to the federal government. At a press conference on 13 July 2020, Trudeau apologized for not recusing himself from cabinet discussions of the program. Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion's report confirmed Trudeau's assertion that Canada's civil service had recommended WE Charity to manage the Canada Student Service Grant program. The report exonerated Trudeau, but also found that finance minister Bill Morneau had "given WE preferential treatment by permitting his ministerial staff to disproportionately assist it when it sought federal funding.”Justin Trudeau, Bill Morneau2020RCMP investigation interferenceAs a result of notes released during the Nova Scotia Mass Casualty Commission, investigating the April 18–19 2020 Nova Scotia attacks, allegations were made stating that the office of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then Public Safety minister Bill Blair had requested information regarding the gunman's weapons. Despite advisement that this could jeopardize the investigation and a request from the Nova Scotia RCMP that this information only be used and shared internally, correspondence shows that RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki sent those details, via email, to the offices of the Public Safety minister and the national security advisor to the Prime Minister. It is believed that this information was then used to push forward the Liberal Party's political agenda regarding gun legislation. In spring of 2020, Trudeau announced a ban on almost 1500 firearm makes and models, including two of those used in the mass shooting. Justin Trudeau, Bill Blair20226000$/night hotel roomsWhen attending the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, the Canadian government spent over $400k on hotel rooms, including a £4800 room reportedly for Justin Trudeau. The River Suite at the Corinthia Hotel in London was one of the rooms, which has complimentary butler service, which is why many believe this suite was for the Prime Minister. Justin Trudeau2022ArriveCAN appCanada's ArriveCAN app was developed and introduced in April 2020 as a COVID 19 screening and communication tool requiring travelers entering Canada to upload their contact information, travel information and quarantine plans. The app was initially developed as a joint effort between the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) for $80,000. The app became mandatory to use for all travelers entering Canada in November 2020 and after a new version was launched in July 2021 its use was kept a compulsory public health screening requirement for all travelers entering Canada until October 1, 2022. There has been much scrutiny over how much this app cost to develop and who was subcontracted for its development. Contracts show that the federal government will spend close to $54 million with 23 separate subcontractors. A Parliamentary committee ordered federal departments to submit contracting documents related to the app but have been told that the names of subcontractors cannot be released citing issues of confidentiality. In July 2022 a glitch in the app erroneously instructed more than 10,000 travelers to quarantine. Over the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (October 8 – 10, 2022) developers at two separate IT companies each developed duplicates of the ArriveCAN app in less than 2 days for an estimated cost of $250,000. On November 2, 2022, a motion was passed calling on the Auditor General of Canada to "conduct a performance audit, including the payments, contracts and sub contracts for all aspects of the ArriveCan app, and to prioritize this investigation." This was the second such motion to pass. Liberal Party, Marco Medicino, Bill Blair, Jean Yves Duclois2022Sister In Law Ethic CommissionerIn 19 April 2023, Martine Richard, initially appointed as the interim ethics commissioner of Canada, resigned due to concerns over her familial ties to Dominic LeBlanc, the Intergovernmental Affairs Minister. Richard's appointment was criticized for potential conflicts of interest given her relationship to a cabinet minister. She had been part of the ethics commissioner's office since 2013, serving in a senior role before her brief tenure as interim commissioner was cut short by her resignation amid these concerns. Martine Richard, Dominic LeBlanc2023 Chinese government interference in the 2019 and 2021 Canadian federal elections In late 2022, various media outlets around the world reported on a suspected attempt by the People's Republic of China to infiltrate the Parliament of Canada by funding a network of candidates, in majority liberals members, to run in the country’s 2019 federal election. Government of China, CSIS, Liberal Party, Justin Trudeau, Han Dong, Vincent Ke, Conservative Party 2023 Yaroslav Hunka scandal On September 22, 2023, during the visit of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Parliament of Canada, Waffen SS veteran Yaroslav Hunka was thanked for his service in the SS Division Galicia by Speaker Anthony Rota and praised as a Canadian and Ukrainian hero for fighting Russians. He received a standing ovation from House members, Justin Trudeau, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Germany's Ambassador to Canada Sabine Anne Sparwasser. House of Commons, Justin Trudeau, Anthony Rota, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sabine Anne Sparwasser 2023

Legislature scandal (Conservatives), 1915 — the construction of the Manitoba Legislative Building came with allegations of materials being stolen and over expenditure of public funds by the Manitoba Conservatives. The scandal led to a royal commission investigating the building's construction, subsequently bring on the resignation of Premier Rodmond Roblin. Vote rigging scandal (Conservatives), 1998 — Premier Gary Filmon and the Conservative Party of Manitoba were accused of attempting, during the 1995 Manitoba election, to siphon off votes from the NDP by paying independent Aboriginal candidates, Independent Native Voice, to run in areas with high numbers of Aboriginal voters. This story ultimately surfaced in 1998. Several of Filmon's staff were implicated, though Filmon himself was not. Implicated in the scheme were: Taras Sokolyk, Filmon's chief of staff, who admitted to using $4,000 in party funds for it; Allan Aitken, a campaign manager who passed the money to 3 independent candidates; and Gordon McFarlane and Julian Benson, who helped cover up the plan. Hatfield weed bust, 1984 — Richard Hatfield, the Premier of New Brunswick, was charged with possession of marijuana.

A 1969 agreement by Premier Joey Smallwood locking Newfoundland into selling electricity from the power dam at Labrador's Churchill Falls to Quebec until the year 2041—at a fixed rate that is now roughly one tenth of the market price. Mount Cashel sex abuse scandal — Canada's largest sexual abuse scandal was disclosed in 1989, resulting in the closure of the facility in 1990. Davis Inlet, 1992/1993 — In 1992, 6 unattended children, aged between 6 months and 9 years, died in a house fire while their parents were drinking at a Valentine's Day dance. In 1993, a video was released to the media of six children in Davis Inlet between the ages of 11 and 14 huffing gasoline in an unheated shack in winter and shouting that they wanted to die. Shamed by the negative publicity and international outcry surrounding the events in 1993, the Canadian government agreed to move the Innu to Natuashish. Cameron Inquiry — In May 2005, Eastern Health discovered errors in hormone receptor breast cancer test results from a histology lab in St. John's. After retesting, Eastern Health concluded that 386 patients had received erroneous results between 1997 and 2005. The provincial government then called a judicial inquiry, between November 2007 and October 2008, into Eastern Health's actions. A $17.5 million settlement was reached in 2009. Humber Valley Paving scandal — Humber Valley Paving requests the termination of a $19M paving contract in Labrador. The request to cancel the contract is granted. HVP gets paid $12M for road preparations and paving, despite only completing 20 km out of the 80 km that was required. HVP have both their $9.5M performance bond and $9.5M labor/materials bond returned without any penalty. Transportation and Works Minister Nick McGrath resigns over the scandal. Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project cost overruns — The cost of the Muskrat Falls dam doubled to more than $12.7 billion since it was sanctioned in 2012. The provincial government called a public inquiry which took place between 2018 and 2020. In the inquiry report Commissioner Richard LeBlanc concluded the government failed its duty to residents by predetermining that the megaproject would proceed no matter what. In his report, LeBlanc concluded that the business case, which assumed the Muskrat Falls project was the lowest cost power option, was “questionable.” He stated that the project's economics were not sufficiently tested and that Nalcor failed to consider all potentially viable power options. LeBlanc stated that Nalcor concealed information that could have undermined the business case for the project from the public and government. Carla Foote scandal, 2019 — On 5 December 2019, the House of Assembly voted to reprimand TCII Minister Chris Mitchelmore for his hiring of Carla Foote, daughter of Judy Foote, at The Rooms despite her lack of qualifications and her political connections to the Liberals. The House of Assembly ordered that Mitchelmore apologize to the Board of Directors of The Rooms, to the House of Assembly, and also be suspended two week without pay.

Thornhill Affair — involved Roland Thornhill, who resigned as Deputy Premier in the 1990s after allegations dealing with a debt settlement from 1980 was brought into question. Billy Joe MacLean Affair (The BJM Affair) — MLA Billy Joe MacLean was expelled from the Assembly after Premier John Buchanan's Progressive Conservative government introduced legislation prohibiting anyone from sitting in the assembly who had been convicted of an indictable offence punishable by imprisonment for more than five years. MacLean pleaded guilty to four counts of submitting forged documents—went to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, which upheld Macleans expulsion, but declared the law that prohibited him from running as a candidate to be unconstitutional—MacLean was re elected in a by election in 1987. He was subsequently defeated in the 1988 general election by Danny Graham (Liberal). Buchanan patronage scandals, 1990 — Michael Zareski, a former Deputy Minister, testified against Premier John Buchanan's government in June 1990 of pervasive patronage within his government. One of the many scandals included an order of 200 special machines that dispensed disposable plastic toilet seat covers that never ended up being used. Westray Mine — Dangerous practices by mining companies resulted in the death of 26 miners.

Expense fraud scandal — Scandal in which members of the Progressive Conservative Party of Saskatchewan defrauded the province of $837,000 between 1987 and 1991; resulted in 15 criminal convictions, including 13 caucus members. The chief conviction was that of Deputy Premier Eric Berntson in 1999. Thatcher murder scandal — Colin Thatcher, a member of Grant Devine's Progressive Conservative government, was convicted in 1984 for the 1983 murder of his ex wife, JoAnn Wilson. Saskatchewan Potato Utility Development Company (SPUDCO) — A publicly owned potato company that was inappropriately characterized as a public private partnership. GTH scandal — A land purchase that disproportionately benefited businessmen with personal ties to Saskatchewan Party MLA Bill Boyd.