(Photo: CPAC)
Former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould gave shocking testimony before the House of Commons justice committee about the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
She made an explosive statement as she opened her testimony on the behaviour she dealt with between September and December of 2018, “I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the Attorney General of Canada in an inappropriate effort to secure a deferred prosecution agreement with SNC-Lavalin.”
She added the events involved 11 people from the Prime Minister’s Office, the Privy Council Office and the office of the Minister of Finance.
“Within these conversations, there were expressed statements regarding the necessity of interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter and and veiled threats if a DPA was not made available to SNC,” Wilson-Raybould says.
She also said she believes she was shuffled out of the senior justice portfolio to veterans affairs in January because she refused to give in to it.
Prime Minister Trudeau responded to Wilson-Raybould’s testimony last night.
“I strongly maintain, as I have from the beginning that I and my staff, always acted appropriately and professionally. I completely disagree with the former Attorney General’s characterization of events.”
Trudeau says his job as Prime Minister has always been to stand up for Canadians and Canadian workers.
He says he welcomes an investigation by the Ethics Commissioner to clear the air in this matter.
When asked whether or not Trudeau will be permitted to run as a federal Liberal in the next election in October, Trudeau said he hadn’t had the opportunity to review her whole testimony, and he would do that before making any further decisions.
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is calling for the Prime Minister’s resignation, “Justin Trudeau simply cannot continue to govern this country, now that Canadians know what he has done. I was sickened and appalled by her story of inappropriate and frankly, bordering on illegal pressure brought to bear on her by the highest officials of Justin Trudeau’s government.”
Scheer says Canadians need to be very concerned about the implications of this, “You don’t get to pick up the phone and use your power as Prime Minister of this country to get a deal for your well connected friends. You don’t get to fire someone who has stood up to you, and refuse to bow to your political pressure and then put someone in place who will do whatever you want.”
In response to Scheer’s call for the PM to resign, Trudeau says, “Canadians will have a very clear choice in a few months as to which party they want to govern the country.”
The next federal election will be held in October.
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