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OTTAWAPierre Poilievres Conservatives are the reason the interim ethics commissioner quit, Liberal House Leader Mark Holland said Thursday as the government remained on the defensive over its ethical track record.

Martine Richards appointment to the post drew criticism late last month after it was revealed shes the sister-in-law of Liberal cabinet minister Dominic Leblanc.

Still, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the choice, noting she joined the office under the previous Conservative government, was second-in-command and there are procedures in place to guard from conflicts.

But the Opposition Conservatives insisted putting a family member in the position tainted the work of the office, which has found Trudeau and several cabinet ministers in violation of ethics laws several times since 2015.

On Tuesday, the Conservatives had successfully passed a motion to study the issue at the ethics committee and have Richard as well as Leblanc appear.

Then on Wednesday, her office announced she was stepping down, effective immediately.

They gave no explanation and said they would not be answering further questions.

During question period Thursday, as the Conservatives needled the Liberals with questions over not just that but Trudeaus controversial winter trip to Jamaica, Holland lay the blame for the fact the job is now vacant at their feet.

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What happens when they attack people and they engage in these partisan attacks is, yes, those people do leave, he said.

Richards office noted that without a commissioner in place, there are decisions in the office that simply cannot be taken, though they did not elaborate.

In the meantime, all they can do is give guidance on how to follow the rules.

One piece of guidance they gave recently was to Trudeau regarding a trip his family was taking to Jamaica over the Christmas holiday.

This week, it emerged that trip was to an exclusive luxury villa resort owned by long-time family friends of the Trudeaus, who are also donors to a foundation set up in his fathers memory.

The Conservatives argue that amounts to people paying for access to the prime minister, and Trudeau has been under pressure to pay back the cost of the rooms which rent for upwards of $9,000 a night during peak season.

So far, he has kept saying he was with family friends, and had ensured ahead of time that would be in keeping with ethics rules. There are no prohibitions on accepting gifts from friends, provided the friends paid for it themselves.

So, who will the prime minister ask advice from the next time he wants to vacation with rich friends? Conservative MP Luc Berthold asked in French during question period, noting the now-vacant job.

In response, Innovation Minister Franois-Phillippe Champagne said the Tories focus is misplaced.

The Conservative party is completely stuck on issues that actually, Canadians dont care about.

The Liberals have committed to filling the post as soon as possible.

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Whos to blame for the ethics commissioner quitting? Pierre Poilievres MPs, say the Liberals - Toronto Star