Former MP Jody Wilson-Raybould reveals she has breast cancer
Wilson-Raybould urged others to get regular mammograms and be tested for other cancers and illnesses
Author of the article
enette Wilford
Published Jan 20, 2026 • Last updated 1 day ago • 2 minute read
Former Liberal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould walks to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 26, 2019.
Former Liberal justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould walks to Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Feb. 26, 2019. The Canadian Press
Jody Wilson-Raybould is opening up about her breast cancer battle.
The former federal justice minister took to social media Monday to say she will be “starting treatment” soon.
“While this is scary and unsettling, I take strength from the many of you who have shared your stories of resilience and healing with me over the years,” she wrote in a post on X.
She also noted how grateful she is to her surgeons and the B.C. Cancer Agency for their care, as well as the love and support of her family and friends.
Wilson-Raybould urged others to get regular mammograms and get tested for other cancers and illnesses.
“I also ask you to encourage others to monitor their health and well-being, seek out care, and continue to help one another (especially these days) to be well and good,” she added.
Wilson-Raybould began serving as minister of Justice and attorney general of Canada in 2015, becoming the first Indigenous person and third woman to hold the office.
She resigned from the Justin Trudeau cabinet in February 2019 amid the SNC-Lavalin scandal, along with then-Treasury Board president Jane Philpott.
Remembering the SNC-Lavalin affair
The SNC-Lavalin saga began with a published report that Wilson-Raybould had been pressured by the PMO to pursue a remediation agreement with the Quebec-based engineering company to defer or suspend criminal charges.
SNC-Lavalin went on to plead guilty to one count of fraud related to a Libyan bribery case.
Wilson-Raybould later testified before the justice committee that she had been the target of a sustained campaign by people within the government to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion.
Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion’s 2019 report “found that Mr. Trudeau used his position of authority over Ms. Wilson-Raybould to seek to influence, both directly and indirectly, her decision on whether she should overrule the Director of Public Prosecutions’ decision not to invite SNC-Lavalin to enter into negotiations towards a remediation agreement. Therefore, I find that Mr. Trudeau contravened section 9 of the (Conflict of Interest) Act.”
Trudeau denied trying to improperly influence Wilson-Raybould — but took responsibility for mistakes he had made.
Later that year, Trudeau went on to win a minority government while Wilson-Raybould — who was ejected from the Liberal caucus — was re-elected to her Vancouver Granville riding as an independent.
In July 2021, she announced her decision not to run in the 2021 Canadian federal election, days after which she published her memoir, “Indian” in the Cabinet: Speaking Truth to Power.
In a follow-up post after revealing her diagnosis, Wilson-Raybould wrote: “In my little way I will strive to honour the example of my grandmother and my parents who kept on contributing when facing hard times.”
She added: “While I can’t do all I would normally do, I am excited to work away during this time writing a new book, w/ Roshan Danesh, on leadership.”
The former federal justice minister took to social media to say she will be starting treatment soon. Learn more.
torontosun.com
