National Post (National Edition)
Someone ‘I’d like to see as our next prime minister’
Re: The SNC-Lavalin scandal and the testimony of former justice minister and attorney general Jody WilsonRaybould
All Canadians, regardless of political stripe, should have experienced a sense of deep pride at the courageous manner in which former justice minister Jody WilsonRaybould stood up for the rule of law while under the most intense pressure from the highest Liberal authorities. Too many of us, when faced with such unremitting pressure, might have taken the easy way out. With the greatest of moral courage, Wilson- Raybould put her own career at risk by simply doing what was right to do. And in so doing she spoke for all Canadians.
On the other side, Jan. 7 became another “date of infamy” when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, unable to shake Wilson-Raybould’s resolve, dismissed her and replaced her with Minister David Lametti to do his bidding. Fortunately for Canada, things had by then so coalesced as to prevent this back-door assault to prevail. Thank you Mrs. Wilson-Raybould for standing up for us all. Alexander McKay, Calgary
Now, there is a lady I would like to see as our next prime minister. Greg Flis, Burlington, Ont.
Just when you thought NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was down and out, he gets a seat in the House and a gift from the prime minister. Singh can now claim that the NDP is the only option for Canadians who want centre-left, corruption-free governance. Howard Greenfield, Montreal
What is very likely NOT being said in the PMO: “There’s an election coming in Al-
berta. We have to approve the NEB recommendation and get that pipeline built now!” Jonathan Lazar, North Vancouver
Canadians are fortunate to have a politician they can all genuinely respect, a lady with exceptional integrity and courage, Jody WilsonRaybould.
But we should be concerned about what the prime minister’s chief of staff, Katie Telford, said after suggesting they hire a former Supreme Court judge to provide an external legal opinion. She said “If Jody is nervous, we would of course line up all kinds of people to write op-eds saying that what she is doing is proper.”
This is almost more worrisome than the political interference. If we can’t trust our politicians, and we have to deal with media people who do their bidding, who is there left to present the unvarnished truth? Peter Mannistu, Calgary
Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer’s call for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s resignation was directed less at the recalcitrant prime minister himself than as a dog whistle for action to his discontented and apprehensive caucus whose members are now questioning whether to tie their political fortunes to a weakened and stonewalling leader.
If it were an elected caucus and not the spectacle of a televised convention that was responsible for choosing Liberal party leadership, Mr. Trudeau’s chances of remaining prime minister would be sinking faster than SNCLavalin’s misspent lobbying efforts. Arthur Ellis, Winnipeg
Approximately three weeks
ago, the Globe and Mail published a story stating that anonymous sources had informed its reporter that Jody Wilson-Raybould had been pressed by the PMO regarding SNC-Lavalin’s legal troubles. I am shocked that no one at the House of Commons justice committee on Feb. 27 questioned WilsonRaybould regarding how the Globe came to publish its story.
I am having a difficult time believing that WilsonRaybould did not know about the story prior to the publication date. It seems that either she was the source of the story, or someone very close to her was the source, and this someone would have been highly unlikely to go to the paper without Wilson-Raybould’s knowledge and approval.
While stating on Feb. 27 that no one broke the law in respect to their interactions with her in the SNC-Lavalin matter, Wilson- Raybould has also stated that no fewer than 11 individuals communicated “inappropri - ately” with her. So, by her own words, the RCMP is not required to investigate, and with any luck we will have an answer from the Ethics Commissioner before too long regarding any impropriety on the parts of the 11 individuals’ part she has identified.
Calls for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign, or for a public inquiry, are overreach and political stunts. Calls for Jody Wilson- Raybould to explain how the Globe could possibly publish a story three weeks ago without her violating solicitorclient privilege, cabinet confidentiality, and interfering with an ongoing criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, have been sorely absent thus far.
From sea to sea ... I don’t think so. After the demonstrated ease with which our government would overturn the rule of law for votes in Quebec, can it be less obvious that Canada is primarily run by and for the interest of Quebec; the occasional pat on the head for little brother Ontario, a few scraps to the Maritime provinces, and absolutely nothing but obstruction for the unruly children in provinces from Manitoba to the Pacific Ocean. Can we really even call ourselves a country any more? Maybe the Liberals can get a few op-ed pieces to say that we are, but I will not be convinced. J. Mel Fearman, Delta, B.C.
If there were to be a change to the word integrity in any dictionary, it would be to add a photo of Ms. Jody WilsonRaybould. Robert Cleaver, Brockville, Ont.
What a day of shame for Canada this is. Christie Blatchford said Wednesday night that we look like a corrupt banana republic. If the RCMP does not act immediately on Jody Wilson- Raybould’s courageous truthtelling, we will be no better than a banana republic. Caroline Van Dyken, St. Anns, Ont.
A reminder to our “feminist” prime minister: “No” means “No.” Colette Descent, Pickering, Ont.
The only way for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to remain in office while maintaining any confidence of the Canadian people is to have an immediate unrestricted public inquiry. Ian Keough, Toronto
Does anyone else smell a goose being cooked? Eleanor Bell, Toronto