Carney asks ethics watchdog for Telesat conflict screen

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Mark Carney asked the federal ethics commissioner on Friday to impose a conflict-of-interest screen between himself and Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg, a close friend whose company holds a $2.3-billion federal defence contract, CTV News reported.

In a letter to Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Konrad von Finckenstein, obtained by CTV News, Carney wrote that “out of an abundance of caution and to avoid any doubt in public perception considering the current public attention to Telesat, I have concluded that it would be prudent to establish additional screens.” He asked that the screens cover Goldberg, Telesat and its subsidiaries.

Carney also said he hoped the screen would still let him “engage in essential international diplomacy where appropriate and without preferential treatment,” according to CTV.

The request follows a Nov. 3 letter from Conservative MP Jamil Jivani, who asked the commissioner to impose a screen and to consider whether Carney broke the Conflict of Interest Act. Our earlier report on that letter sets out the Conservatives’ request. At the time, CBC News reported that Telesat was not among the 103 companies on the prime minister’s published ethics screen, and that his office did not say whether Telesat would be added.

Carney told reporters in Antigua and Barbuda on Nov. 3 that he had not been involved in any decisions related to Telesat. He said the most recent decisions were made through the minister of defence and procurement and related to a decision by the previous government, CBC reported.

CTV reported that Carney has been friends with Goldberg for nearly two decades and that Goldberg was among a select few invited to the swearing-in ceremonies last year. No formal screen was in place to stop Carney from weighing in on government discussions connected to the company, CTV said. Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Minister Evan Solomon, who is also friends with Goldberg, is covered by a screen for both Goldberg and Telesat.

The prime minister has said he was not involved in discussions about the August contract, CTV reported. He has not said whether he removed himself from other Telesat matters, despite his office saying in September that he had.

Telesat has said Goldberg never asked Carney for government money or contracts, “or for special treatment of any kind related to Telesat, either before or after he took office,” according to a company statement CBC reported.

Jivani said in a statement to CTV that there are “many more questions for Carney to answer.” He asked why the decision came after Telesat received the contract and what effect the lack of a screen has had over the past year and a half.

The commissioner’s office said Friday it could not say whether von Finckenstein has opened an investigation, citing confidentiality. It also declined to comment on implementing the screens, CTV reported. A request for a review does not establish that any breach occurred.

Telesat is the Canadian satellite operator the government has promoted as an alternative to U.S.-owned Starlink. The company’s finances have also drawn scrutiny: its third-quarter loss widened to $157 million as a debt deadline approaches.

Sources: CTV News, Nov. 13, 2026; CBC News, Nov. 3, 2026.

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