Trudeau facing critics from all sides
‘Has a lot of work to do to rebuild trust’
OTTAWA • Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is facing a backlash within and outside his own party after Jody Wilson-Raybould’s sudden resignation from his cabinet.
The veterans affairs minister quit this week amid reports she felt pressured to head off a criminal prosecution of Quebec engineering firm SNC-Lavalin when she held the justice portfolio.
On the inside, Trudeau’s own MPs are nervous, wondering about going into an election campaign with this saga hanging over them and concerned about a lack of communication from the Prime Minister’s Office — and not just about this situation.
Trudeau’s repeated claims that Canada’s relationship with Indigenous Peoples is the most important one this country has are being called into question as Indigenous leaders line up behind Wilson-Raybould and decry criticism of her as racist and sexist.
“It’s a heavy blow to see how she has been treated,” said Cheryl Casimer, political executive for the First Nations Summit, a group that includes most B.C. First Nations and tribal councils.
The group had a regularly scheduled meeting in Vancouver Wednesday, during which a statement was released questioning Trudeau’s commitment to reconciliation.
Casimer said Wilson-Raybould’s rise to prominence as justice minister and attorney general in Canada gave hope to Indigenous youth for a better future for themselves and their families, and watching her be cast aside is very damaging.“The prime minister has a lot of work to do to rebuild trust,” she said.
Many Indigenous leaders were particularly upset about comments from anonymous Liberals that Wilson-Raybould was difficult to work with and was considered untrustworthy by fellow members of cabinet.
Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip told The Canadian Press Wednesday that Trudeau “publicly humiliated” Wilson-Raybould by removing her as justice minister and moving her to veterans affairs, and the “smear campaign” initiated in Ottawa against her has angered Indigenous people across the country.
“Everyone within the Indigenous community, rank and file, grassroots, in every single community, Facebook, social media, everyone is talking about how upset and angry they are at the prime minister’s callous dismissal of such a committed, dedicated and principled person such as Jody Wilson-Raybould,” Phillip said.
Those anonymous whispers about Wilson-Raybould have not abated. Nor has Trudeau, at least publicly, heeded calls from Indigenous leaders to apologize for the comments from Liberals and demand that they stop.