Liberal cabinet ministers are backing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s response to the Ethics Commissioner’s scathing finding that he broke Canada’s conflict-of-interest rules by orchestrating his government’s efforts to obtain an out-of-court settlement for SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
The Globe and Mail asked all 34 cabinet ministers if they agreed with Ethics Commissioner Mario Dion’s finding that Mr. Trudeau used his office to attempt to improperly further the private interests of the Quebec engineering giant and to discredit former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould. All ministers responded, expressing support for the Prime Minister’s defence of his actions. Some ministers simply said they would “refer to the Prime Minister’s comments.”
Mr. Dion’s report, released Wednesday, said the Prime Minister directed his staff to find a solution that would protect SNC-Lavalin’s business interests. The Ethics Commissioner also said Mr. Trudeau used his authority to “circumvent, undermine and ultimately attempt to discredit” Ms. Wilson-Raybould, who refused to intervene in the prosecution of the company.
Ms. Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet in February after what she described as months of political pressure from officials in the Prime Minister’s Office to direct federal prosecutors to negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement with SNC-Lavalin. Treasury Board President Jane Philpott resigned soon after, citing concerns about the pressure exerted on Ms. Wilson-Raybould. Mr. Trudeau ejected both MPs from caucus in April, saying trust had been broken.
Mr. Trudeau has repeatedly said he accepts Mr. Dion’s report and takes responsibility for what happened but can’t apologize for standing up for Canadian jobs that he says were at stake because of SNC-Lavalin’s legal and financial problems.
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See Also:
(1) #TrudeauMustResign vs. #IStandWithTrudeau
(2) Enough with all the Lavscam arrogance
(3) Wilson-Raybould was contacted by Mounties on SNC … let’s hear more
(4) The Anne McLellan doctrine: a politician warns of politicians’ ignorance
(5) NP View: Unacceptable behaviour from a stubborn and wilful man