Jody Wilson-Raybould is setting a trap for Justin Trudeau. One week and two days before the federal election, the former Minister of Justice says the Prime Minister would have asked her to lie in the SNC-Lavalin affair in order to end the scandal that shook the Liberal government in 2019.
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The Globe & Mail published on Saturday morning an excerpt from Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s forthcoming book next Tuesday, which looks back and forth on her eventful stint in federal politics.
The excerpt in question reports a two-day confrontation between Jody Wilson-Raybould and Justin Trudeau as the SNC-Lavalin scandal escalated and the Prime Minister tried to calm things down.
The Prime Minister’s office then allegedly exerted pressure on the minister to negotiate with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) to reach a suspended prosecution agreement with SNC-Lavalin, which was accused of fraud and corruption. .
“There is no doubt in my mind that the Prime Minister knew that there were attempts to pressure me to avoid a criminal prosecution against SNC-Lavalin, and although these attempts were unsuccessful, thankfully they did. were bad and he knew it. Rather than simply addressing the issue publicly and with precision, the government sent in executioners – the new Attorney General, David Lametti; Marco Mendicino; Arif Virani – to make statements which the facts show are not correct or fair. I told him he had to tell Canadians the truth, ”writes Wilson-Raybould.
Further on, she reports a second exchange in a Vancouver hotel during which she “knew” what the Prime Minister was asking her: “At that moment, I knew he wanted me to lie – to attest that what had happened had not happened. For me, it was one more proof that he didn’t know me, that he didn’t know who I was or where I came from. Me – lying to protect a Crown government that does wrong; a political party ; a leader who does not assume his responsibilities. He is deluding himself, ”she says.
Campaigning in Mississauga on Saturday morning, Justin Trudeau denied the former justice minister’s version of events.
“These allegations are false. It is not something that I have done or that I would do. I think people know that all these issues have been discussed at length over the past two years, they have been discussed and studied at length, even before the last election, ”he declared.
He added that after six years in power, “it is sure that you end up accumulating the weight of certain decisions, certain realities”, and that is what happens when you want to do “great things”. .
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