Trudeau denies his office 'directed' Jody Wilson-Raybould to help SNC-Lavalin

In the bombshell report from The Globe and Mail we now understand truly what she meant, because when the now former justice minister refused to drop the fraud and corruption trial against SNC Lavalin, she was sacked.

SNC-Lavalin faces legal trouble over allegations it paid millions of dollars in bribes to obtain government business in Libya, which would be a crime under Canadian law.

Wilson-Raybould's continued refusal to comment on the allegations added fuel to the political fire, started Thursday by a Globe and Mail report that she was demoted in a cabinet shuffle early last month because she refused to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case.

Moreover, as justice minister, Wilson-Raybould was responsible for a 2018 Criminal Code amendment at the heart of the current controversy - which specifically allowed for what's known as deferred prosecutions or remediation agreements to be negotiated rather than pursue criminal prosecutions against corporations.

The SNC Lavalin affair dominated the House of Commons question period on Thursday. "He takes those responsibilities very seriously".

Speaking to reporters in the House of Commons foyer, he said "the Prime Minister himself appears to have fired his own attorney-general for refusing to bow to his demands". It would also mean the criminal prosecution against the company would not continue.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Veterans Affairs Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould at a swearing in ceremony on January 14, 2019.

SNC-Lavalin was charged in 2015 by the RCMP and openly called for a remediation agreement to avoid damaging the company, a major employer in Quebec.

"If the prime minister truly believes there is no wrongdoing here, he should invite the ethics commissioner to investigate his office's dealings with SNC-Lavalin and whether or not that was a factor in the removal of Ms. Wilson-Raybould from her position as attorney general", NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a statement.

If passed, the committee would hear from Wilson-Raybould, new Attorney General David Lametti, Trudeau's chief of staff, Katie Telford, Trudeau's principal secretary Gerald Butts, Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick, director of public prosecutions Kathleen Roussel, senior PMO advisers Mathieu Bouchard and Elder Marques; and Wilson-Raybould's chief of staff Jessica Prince.

Singh also pointed out that the demotion of Wilson-Raybould was met with anger from important stakeholders including the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs.

Given the jobs at stake, officials said, the government would have failed in its duty had there not been discussion about whether to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case. "This is not what we are seeing here", Mr. Scheer said.

Singh said the allegations suggest there may have been possible violations of three sections of the federal Conflict of Interest Act: the prohibitions against public office holders giving preferential treatment to any individual or organization, using insider information to improperly further a person's private interests or seeking to influence a decision to further another person's private interests. Among other things, she wrote that "it is a pillar of our democracy that our system of justice be free from even the perception of political interference" and that, as attorney general, she believed she must be "always willing to speak truth to power".

"Who spoke to Jody Wilson-Raybould about this SNC-Lavalin case?"

The federal opposition is calling for an emergency committee meeting to investigate allegations the Prime Minister's Office may have tried to politically interfere with criminal proceedings against Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

In its October 19 submission to the Federal Court, SNC-Lavalin said while the public prosecutor has discretion to decide whether to open negotiations on a remediation agreement, this discretion "is not unfettered and must be exercised reasonably" under the law. According to the media reports, Wilson-Raybould was being asked to have a deal made in the case.

Recommended:

• 

  10 February 2019

  Matthew Whitaker to Testify Before House Judiciary Committee at 9:30am ET

  Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein oversaw the investigation until Whitaker was appointed after Sessions's resignation. Barr, Trump's pick for attorney general , and the Republican-led Senate is expected to confirm him in coming weeks.
  

  09 February 2019

  Trump vows to end HIV spread within 10 years, critics skeptical

  Today, there are over 1.1 million people living with HIV and almost 40,000 new diagnoses each year. "We know what it will take to end the HIV epidemic in the U.S.by 2030", the letter began.
  

  09 February 2019

  Toronto police chief defends handling of Bruce McArthur investigation after sentencing

  In his decision, McMahon said McArthur "lured the men to their deaths" likely on the promise of consensual sexual activity. He called their dismemberments pure evil, but said the guilty plea spared a jury four months of gruesome evidence.
• 

  10 February 2019

  Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Childish Gambino Turn Down Grammys Performances

  Women, from Lady Gaga to SZA to Maren Morris , make up many the nominations in song and record of the year . The Soweto Gospel Choir has received five Grammy nominations and won two over the last couple of years.
  

  09 February 2019

  Gabbard: ‘Assad Is Not the Enemy of the United States’

  While Gabbard's campaign might be in this infancy, this isn't the first time the presidential hopeful has faced controversy. She served on the Homeland security and foreign affair committees.
  

  09 February 2019

  Likely deal would give Trump fraction of desired wall money

  Border Patrol career professionals, who discuss "the challenges they face protecting the U.S. -Mexico border", at the U.S. Besides facing unified Democratic opposition, there is virtually no GOP support in Congress for another shutdown.
• 

  10 February 2019

  Modi arrives in Andhra, protests staged

  The ruling party organised protests in various cities and towns in the state Sunday in protest against Modi's visit. Modi has extended an invitation to Xi for another informal summit this year.
  

  10 February 2019

  Backed fighters launch final push to defeat IS in Syria

  It said the US -led coalition struck positions of the IS in the eastern Euphrates to practice more pressure on the group. The US president, Donald Trump, predicted on Wednesday that Isis will have lost all of its territory by next week.
  

  09 February 2019

  Conor McGregor could make UFC return by this summer, says Dana White

  Instead, the Dagestani grappler is targeting a return to action at the UFC's next card at Madison Square Garden in November. It's going to be quite a while before we see Khabib Nurmagomedov compete inside of the Octagon next.

• 2018 temps were Earth's fourth-hottest ever

  Last year's average global surface temperature was 1.42 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th-century average, according to NOAA . But the US did get soaked in 2018, says Deke Arndt , a climate scientist with NOAA.
  

  09 February 2019

  Skype adds an AI powered f stop-ish feature

  It has already been heralded as a life-saving feature that allows you to blur out any unwanted items in your background. The same technology has already been seen in the company's workplace-orientated Microsoft Teams offering a year ago .
  

  09 February 2019

  RBI cuts repo rate in first policy review under new governor

  The Reserve Bank of Australia, Bank of Korea and Bank of Thailand have also tempered their outlooks in recent weeks. Assuming a smooth Brexit, policy makers reiterated that limited and gradual rate increases will be necessary.