Trudeau 'welcomes' ethics probe of alleged PMO interference in SNC-Lavalin case

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
22,838
7,782
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Funny how a PM can contravene the Criminal Code and only be investigated for ethics violations.
Jody Wilson-Raybould is calling on the Liberal government to remove roadblocks to a long-standing RCMP inquiry into possible obstruction of justice, and said she is not surprised that Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau denied urging her to lie about a pressure campaign to subvert the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.

In an interview with The Globe and Mail on Sunday, Ms. Wilson-Raybould expressed disappointment that Mountie investigators have not been able to complete their examination into the SNC-Lavalin affair because the government has denied them access to cabinet documents and key witnesses.

“It’s important for the RCMP to do their job,” she said. “The Ethics Commissioner was also unable to interview a number of witnesses so I don’t know if [the RCMP] are still undertaking a review … but I think it is important to have the ability to do a fulsome investigation.”

The RCMP said it could not provide an update on its investigation when contacted by The Globe on Sunday. In March, the Mounties told The Globe it “continues to examine this matter carefully with all available information and will take appropriate actions as required.”

Ms. Wilson-Raybould would not interfere in the prosecution and was demoted to Veterans Affairs minister. She and fellow cabinet minister Jane Philpott later resigned from cabinet after the The Globe exposed the pressure campaign. The scandal also led to the resignations of Mr. Trudeau’s top adviser, Gerald Butts, and Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick, the top civil servant.

SNC later pleaded guilty to one fraud charge, agreed to a $280-million fine and was subject to three years of probation. http://apple.news/AuM85eWD7QqCQyxS085uR6Q

“I didn’t expect Justin Trudeau to say anything different,” she said of his denial that he asked her to lie. “Trudeau is delivering the lines he is given.”
When The Globe broke the story of the pressure campaign on Feb. 7, 2019, Mr. Trudeau said the allegations were false. They were later substantiated by parliamentary testimony, a taped conversation between Ms. Wilson-Raybould and Mr. Wernick and the Ethics Commissioner’s findings.

The Globe has reported that the RCMP probe has been stymied by the Liberal government’s failure to provide cabinet documents and access to key witnesses.

In 2019, federal Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion found that Mr. Trudeau violated conflict-of-interest rules by attempting to interfere in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering giant. Mr. Dion said he was also unable to fully investigate the matter because the government denied him access to cabinet documents and to fully examine witnesses.

Mr. Trudeau told reporters Sunday that he had “no information to share” when asked if cabinet confidences prevented the RCMP from accessing information to finish its investigation. He also said that he has not been personally contacted by the RCMP on the SNC-Lavalin matter.

Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole was asked at a campaign stop in Vancouver on Sunday whether he would lift cabinet confidences if his party forms the government so the Mounties can properly investigate the SNC-Lavalin matter.

“The answer is yes,” he said. “One of the very disappointing things with Mr. Trudeau is that there has been special access for friends and people close to the Prime Minister and those around him. You should not be able to use your influence to lobby your way out of criminal prosecution.” http://apple.news/AuM85eWD7QqCQyxS085uR6Q
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
22,838
7,782
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
We have to remind all those who would dismiss this scandal that it was a case of Trudeau and those around him trying to interfere in a criminal prosecution for bribery and corruption.

This wasn’t a decision to change policy or a clash of egos, this is the PM deciding that his office should get involved in a criminal prosecution to assist a company close to him and his party.

This was a case of apparent corruption, a case of allegedly upending the rule of law for the rule of political expediency.

Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion determined Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by improperly pressuring the former attorney general. http://apple.news/AeawsbL2RRkCfSlp1_l8Eww

Campaigning near Montreal, Trudeau tried to say this was old news.

“Over the past two years we have seen parliamentary committees, we have seen publications, we have seen testimony,” Trudeau said.

A more pointed question was put to him about his government blocking the release of documents and witnesses for an ongoing police investigation.

“I have no information to share with you on that,” Trudeau said. http://apple.news/AeawsbL2RRkCfSlp1_l8Eww

Not so much an answer as a dodge, the words chosen carefully. He most definitely does have information on this, he just doesn’t want to share it.

We already know that the RCMP has been investigating the matter — something Wilson-Raybould, who has been interviewed by them, confirmed in her book. We also know that Trudeau’s office blocked the release of key information to the ethics commissioner and the police — he stopped nine witnesses from speaking on this matter.

Wilson-Raybould is renewing her call for the RCMP to be granted full access to documents so they can do a proper investigation, but Trudeau has said no.

“This is a culture of cover-up, a culture of insider access that we are going to tackle with our accountability laws,” Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said Sunday on the campaign trail.

He said that a Conservative government would lift the cabinet confidence restriction to allow police to investigate. He also said he would make it illegal for companies under criminal prosecution to lobby the government on the matter. http://apple.news/AeawsbL2RRkCfSlp1_l8Eww

His stand on this has earned him unlikely support, a former Liberal MP who represented the 905-region riding of Whitby from 2015-19. Wearing Tory blue while appearing on Global’s The West Block, Celina Caesar-Chavannes said that she will vote Conservative for the first time in her life in response to Trudeau’s actions.

“I really think that rewarding bad behaviour is not something Canadians should do,” Caesar-Chavannes said.

As an MP, she had her own experience with Trudeau’s dark side in 2019. She urged Canadians to think about leadership and what kind of person should be leading a G7 nation.

She obviously doesn’t think Trudeau is that kind of person.

Neither do I. We have the evidence, “the receipts” as Wilson-Raybould calls them, detailing that for Trudeau, even the rule of law should bend to his will.

If you won’t take my word that Trudeau isn’t fit to lead Canada, then carefully consider the words of Wilson-Raybould and Caesar-Chavannes.

Then vote accordingly.
 

Ron in Regina

"Voice of the West" Party
Apr 9, 2008
22,838
7,782
113
Regina, Saskatchewan
Trudeau refuses police access to documents related to SNC-Lavalin scandal http://apple.news/AI8AK1f7qSdaA48se4ygSJw

Asked Sunday whether the RCMP had encountered the same roadblocks put up by his government that Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion did in 2019, while investigating Trudeau’s SNC-Lavalin controversy, Trudeau responded, “I have no information to share with you on that.” http://apple.news/Ad7aRMYM3Rvue3NozGnUN9A

“In that moment, I knew he wanted me to lie — to attest that what had occurred had not occurred,” she wrote. http://apple.news/A3LpmV05IQnuboni4JZbxOw
 

taxslave

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 25, 2008
36,362
4,336
113
Vancouver Island
We have to remind all those who would dismiss this scandal that it was a case of Trudeau and those around him trying to interfere in a criminal prosecution for bribery and corruption.

This wasn’t a decision to change policy or a clash of egos, this is the PM deciding that his office should get involved in a criminal prosecution to assist a company close to him and his party.

This was a case of apparent corruption, a case of allegedly upending the rule of law for the rule of political expediency.

Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion determined Trudeau violated the Conflict of Interest Act by improperly pressuring the former attorney general. http://apple.news/AeawsbL2RRkCfSlp1_l8Eww

Campaigning near Montreal, Trudeau tried to say this was old news.

“Over the past two years we have seen parliamentary committees, we have seen publications, we have seen testimony,” Trudeau said.

A more pointed question was put to him about his government blocking the release of documents and witnesses for an ongoing police investigation.

“I have no information to share with you on that,” Trudeau said. http://apple.news/AeawsbL2RRkCfSlp1_l8Eww

Not so much an answer as a dodge, the words chosen carefully. He most definitely does have information on this, he just doesn’t want to share it.

We already know that the RCMP has been investigating the matter — something Wilson-Raybould, who has been interviewed by them, confirmed in her book. We also know that Trudeau’s office blocked the release of key information to the ethics commissioner and the police — he stopped nine witnesses from speaking on this matter.

Wilson-Raybould is renewing her call for the RCMP to be granted full access to documents so they can do a proper investigation, but Trudeau has said no.

“This is a culture of cover-up, a culture of insider access that we are going to tackle with our accountability laws,” Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said Sunday on the campaign trail.

He said that a Conservative government would lift the cabinet confidence restriction to allow police to investigate. He also said he would make it illegal for companies under criminal prosecution to lobby the government on the matter. http://apple.news/AeawsbL2RRkCfSlp1_l8Eww

His stand on this has earned him unlikely support, a former Liberal MP who represented the 905-region riding of Whitby from 2015-19. Wearing Tory blue while appearing on Global’s The West Block, Celina Caesar-Chavannes said that she will vote Conservative for the first time in her life in response to Trudeau’s actions.

“I really think that rewarding bad behaviour is not something Canadians should do,” Caesar-Chavannes said.

As an MP, she had her own experience with Trudeau’s dark side in 2019. She urged Canadians to think about leadership and what kind of person should be leading a G7 nation.

She obviously doesn’t think Trudeau is that kind of person.

Neither do I. We have the evidence, “the receipts” as Wilson-Raybould calls them, detailing that for Trudeau, even the rule of law should bend to his will.

If you won’t take my word that Trudeau isn’t fit to lead Canada, then carefully consider the words of Wilson-Raybould and Caesar-Chavannes.

Then vote accordingly.
I don't see how the PM can legally stop the RCMP from doing their job.