Cathy McLeod, Member of Parliament for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo, today raised concerns with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s attempts to cover-up the SNC-Lavalin Affair.
“It’s crystal clear that Justin Trudeau is attempting to cover-up the SNC-Lavalin Affair,” said McLeod. “The recent emergency Justice Committee meeting was his chance to be open and transparent on the matter. Instead, the Trudeau Liberals helped cover-up the truth of what really happened between the Prime Minister’s Office and the former Attorney General, Jody Wilson-Raybould.”
Media began reporting in early February that the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) pressured Ms. Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the criminal prosecution of Montreal engineering and construction giant SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
“The reports of alleged PMO interference in a criminal prosecution are incredibly disturbing,” said McLeod. “What appears even more shocking, however, is that it seems the Prime Minister fired his Attorney General for refusing to bow to his demands.”
The Leader of Canada’s Conservatives Andrew Scheer has written to the Prime Minister calling on him to immediately waive solicitor-client privilege so that Ms. Wilson-Raybould may speak and to preserve all documents relating to the ongoing SNC-Lavalin Affair.
Opposition MPs worked together to come up with a reasonable witness list to get to the bottom of the affair at the Justice Committee, including three key individuals Canadians must hear from: Jody Wilson-Raybould, the Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary Gerald Butts, and his senior Quebec advisor Mathieu Bouchard. However, the Liberals used their majority to block Conservative and NDP motions and voted instead in favour of a closed-door meeting.
“What’s clear after the Justice Committee meeting, is that the Liberals have no interest in finding the truth and are only interested in helping the Prime Minister cover this up,” McLeod said. “It’s imperative that Justin Trudeau wave solicitor-client privilege in this case so Ms. Wilson-Raybould can speak. Canadians deserve answers, and that’s why Conservatives will explore all legal options to hold Justin Trudeau to account for this cover-up.”
