Victor Boudreau will comply with conflict law over campground

Liberal cabinet minister Victor Boudreau says he will move quickly to comply with the province's conflict of interest law.

Boudreau, co-owner of a company planning to develop a large campground nearShediac, says he will set up a blind trust for his stake in the business.

"My intention,obviously,is to have it done as quickly as possible so that I respect the law in its fullest," he said.

A blind trust involves delegating all decisions about the business to a trustee,and not talking to that person about those decisions.

Boudreausays he will also recuse himself from any cabinet discussions about policies or laws affecting his campground business.

The law says ministers can't hold other jobs or own businesses, unless they get the approval of the province's conflict commissioner and follow his advice on how to handle the situation.

Boudreau, who became a partner in thecampground company while he was an oppositionMLA,says he met with the conflict commissioner on Tuesday, after being sworn in as the new minister of health.

Obviously,I need to sit down with my lawyer and set up a blind trust that respects the requirements in the law, the commissioner needs to approve of the trust. So I'm going to be doing that in the very near future," he said.

Premier Brian Gallant said earlier this week he wants no conflict of interest in his government.

Complaint already filed

Boudreau is already thesubject of a complaint to the conflict of interest commissioner overhisownership stake in thecontroversial campground proposal.

Marie-Paule Martin, who owns Camping Beausjour, claimsprivate campground owners in the region shared proprietary information about their businesses with Boudreau in May 2013.

Martin says they met with Boudreau,seeking his help in lobbying the provincial governmentto cancel plansto add campsites to theParleeBeach Provincial Park.

In a written complaint to the conflict of interest commissioner,MartinallegesBoudreau used that information for his own plan to build a 700-site RV park inPointe-du-Chne.

None of the allegations have been proven.

The proposed campground would be the largest in the region.

On Wednesday,another new Liberal minister, Rick Doucet, said he had cut his ties with a lobster industry group where he had held a part-time job.