Wilson-Raybould should get to tell everything

On Thursday, a day after Jody Wilson- Raybould ’ s damning testimony before the House justice committee regarding allegations of inappropriate political interference while she was attorney general, Gerald Butts asked to speak to the same committee. Butts, a close personal friend to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, recently resigned as the prime minister’s principal secretary and senior adviser. Butts had been implicated in media reports about the alleged interference involving the prime minister and members of his staff, who were evidently desperate to spare Quebec- based SNC-Lavalin from criminal prosecution on bribery and corruption charges (in large part, according to WilsonRaybould’s evidence, because they were worried the prosecution would cost the Liberals votes). Butts was then directly implicated in wrongdoing by Wilson-Raybould in her remarks, and he wants the chance to respond.

He s h o u l d h av e that chance, and will. The committee has agreed to hear from him, and several others likewise implicated, including a second appearance by the clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick, whose initial testimony raised many eyebrows. Canadians will no doubt look forward to hearing what both of these men have to say.

But it’s equally imperative that Wilson- Raybould be allowed to offer further testimony, and to freely an- swer questions. During her appearance at the House committee this week, she repeatedly declined to answer questions on the grounds that the prime minister had only partially waived his right to solicitor-client privilege and cabinet confidence. What she was able to say was damning enough and has done tremendous damage to Trudeau and his government. But Wilson-Raybould made clear again and again that there were questions she could not answer until the constraints on her ability to speak were further loosened. When asked by Conservative MP Lisa Raitt if she’d be willing to return to the committee to field more questions if those restraints were lifted, Wilson- Raybould agreed that she would.

So what is the prime minister waiting for? His friend and confidant Butts will have a chance to speak, as will Wernick, for a second time now. Wilson-Raybould, for her part, should be given the chance to flesh out what Liberal MPs have been dismissing as her inaccurate version of things, unfettered by potential self- serving limits imposed by the prime minister.

That would be the prime minister, you’ll remember, who once pledged to lead the most transparent government in Canadian history. The people of Canada are eager for answers, and there are numerous people willing to speak. Let’s hear what they have to say — all of them, and all of it.