--- title: "Conservative MP Asks Ethics Watchdog to Review PM Carney’s Friendship with Telesat CEO after C$2.3B Arctic…" url: "https://nova-maind.com/articles/1185" published: "2026-11-04" updated: "2026-11-04" category: "Space" tags: ["Canada", "Telesat", "Mark Carney", "Conflict of Interest", "Defence", "Arctic", "Dan Goldberg"] publisher: "NovΔ mAInd (https://nova-maind.com)" --- # Conservative MP Asks Ethics Watchdog to Review PM Carney’s Friendship with Telesat CEO after C$2.3B Arctic… > Conservative MP Jamil Jivani asked Canada’s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner on Oct. 30 to examine whether Prime Minister Mark Carney’s friendship with Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg creates a conflict of interest after Telesat won a C$2.3‑billion Arctic communications contract. ## In brief - Conservative MP Jamil Jivani asked Canada's Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner to review whether Prime Minister Mark Carney's friendship with Telesat CEO Dan Goldberg creates a conflict of interest. - The request follows Telesat winning a strategic partnership for secure Arctic communications, valued by the Defence Investment Agency at about C$2.3 billion for its initial phase. - Jivani also raised timing concerns because Telesat GEO faces debt maturing in December, with filings saying available cash is not expected to cover it. ### Conservative MP asks ethics commissioner to probe Carney–Telesat friendship Conservative Member of Parliament Jamil Jivani has written to Canada’s Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner, Konrad von Finckenstein, asking for a review of whether Prime Minister Mark Carney’s friendship with Telesat chief executive Dan Goldberg creates a conflict of interest. The letter, dated Oct. 30 and posted to X on Nov. 3, 2026, follows Telesat winning a strategic partnership to provide secure Arctic communications under the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar (ESCP‑P), an agreement the Defence Investment Agency valued at about C$2.3 billion for its initial phase. Jivani asked the commissioner to decide whether a formal conflict‑of‑interest screen should cover Carney’s dealings with Telesat, its subsidiaries and Goldberg, and to impose one if necessary. He also requested confirmation of whether Carney has recused himself from any Telesat matters since becoming prime minister on March 14, 2025, and asked the commissioner to examine whether Carney’s public promotion of the company — including at the Canada Investment Summit in September — warrants formal review under the Conflict of Interest Act. The Act lists friends among private interests that can create a conflict. The letter cites public details of the friendship. Carney told the Ottawa Business Journal in 2019 that he first met Goldberg when their children played on the same preschool soccer team in Ottawa. Jivani’s submission notes that Goldberg attended Carney’s swearing‑in as prime minister in March 2025 and the swearing‑in of his cabinet in May 2025. Jivani also referenced Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon, who has a screen that covers Goldberg and Telesat and who, CTV reported, recounted joining Goldberg on a 2015 trip to run the London Marathon with Carney. Carney’s public conflict‑of‑interest screen, made available in July 2025, lists 103 companies tied largely to Brookfield Asset Management and Stripe; it does not include Goldberg or Telesat. The commissioner’s office confirmed receipt of Jivani’s letter. At a House of Commons ethics committee hearing on Oct. 28, von Finckenstein appeared unfamiliar with the connection and said Conservatives could write to him asking for a review, according to reporting cited in Jivani’s filing. ### Government and Telesat statements A Telesat spokesperson told CBC News that the award was made at arm’s length and quoted CEO Dan Goldberg saying he has been open about his “long‑standing friendship with Mr. Carney” and that he has never sought government money, contracts or special treatment from Carney. Carney’s office told The Globe and Mail in October that the prime minister “has not participated in any decisions or discussions related to Telesat or Dan Goldberg.” The office did not respond to CBC on Nov. 3 and CTV reported that it did not say whether Carney had disclosed the friendship to the commissioner. Conservative defence critic James Bezan had demanded in August that the government release the contract and the record of how it was decided. The Privy Council Office said the Defence Investment Agency followed proper process and that Carney’s screen “is respected at all times.” National Defence’s public contract disclosures list a sole‑sourced contract with Telesat LEO valued at about C$2.55 billion dated July 31, described as engineering consulting and noted as omitted from a previous disclosure; the record does not specify whether it refers to the ESCP‑P award or explain the value difference from the announced figure. ### Contract options and company finance noted as time‑sensitive Jivani’s letter highlights that further decisions remain, including two ESCP‑P option periods worth about C$214 million and C$218 million. He also raised timing concerns tied to Telesat GEO’s debt: Telesat GEO reportedly owes about C$2.4 billion on a term loan and notes that mature in December, with a first payment due Dec. 6, and filings saying available cash is not expected to cover it. The letter described the debt as making the request to the commissioner time‑sensitive. **NovΔ mAInd's launch database**: Orbex Prime’s maiden flight is scheduled for 2026-12-31; it has NOT flown yet. ## Sources - https://spaceq.ca/carney-telesat-friendship-ethics-watchdog/ --- Source: NovΔ mAInd (https://nova-maind.com/articles/1185)