‘Much more’ to the SNC story: Philpott
PHILPOTT STIRS THE POT, SAYING MORE ‘ISSUES OF CONCERN’ NEED AIRING ON LAVALIN AFFAIR
MPs slogged through a voting marathon that passed the 24-hour mark on Thursday evening as the Snc-lavalin affair escalated again after former cabinet minister Jane Philpott said there was “much more to the story that should be told.”
Philpott publicly called on the government to allow for more testimony in the affair, saying she and former attorney general Jody Wilson-raybould had concerns that Canadians needed to hear.
Philpott’s comments came in an interview with Maclean’s magazine that was published Thursday morning — right in the midst of a House of Commons filibuster launched by the Conservatives in protest at the shutdown of justice committee testimony.
The Conservatives forced the 257-vote marathon after the Liberals defeated a motion calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to waive privilege over further testimony from Wilson-raybould.
Wilson-raybould has alleged that political pressure was inappropriately put on her to intervene in the prosecution of Snc-lavalin on corruption charges. On March 4, Philpott, then president of the Treasury Board and one of Trudeau’s most trusted cabinet ministers, resigned, saying she had lost confidence in how the government was handling the matter.
In the Maclean’s interview, Philpott said that while resigning was difficult and she still supported the Liberal party, she felt she could not remain in cabinet.
“I felt that there was evidence of an attempt to politically interfere with the justice system in its work on the criminal trial that has been described by some as the most important and serious prosecution of corporate corruption in modern Canadian history,” Philpott said.
She also slammed Finance Minister Bill Morneau, who had suggested Philpott resigned in solidarity because Wilson-raybould was her friend.
“I think that’s an insult,” Philpott told Maclean’s. “I don’t make decisions on any policy — and definitely not on a matter of principle — based on friendship. I made the very difficult decision to step down because my conscience demanded it.”
Philpott said the testimony that had emerged so far — including one appearance by Wilson-raybould at the Commons justice committee — had not given the public the whole story.
“There’s much more to the story that should be told,” she said. “I believe the former attorney general has further points to make. I believe that I have further issues of concern that I’m not free to share.”
She also cited justice committee testimony from Trudeau’s former principal secretary Gerald Butts, who also resigned as the Snclavalin scandal unfolded, in which Butts alluded to a Jan. 6 conversation between Philpott and Trudeau about the company’s eagerness to be offered a remediation agreement instead of facing prosecution.
“I think Canadians might want to know why I would have raised that with the prime minister a month before the public knew about it,” she told Maclean’s. “Why would I have felt that there was a reason why former minister Wilson-raybould should not be shuffled?”
Philpott told Maclean’s that although parliamentary privilege technically allowed her or Wilson-raybould to speak on the matter in the House of Commons, it would be difficult to get enough time to properly tell the story.
“My sense is that Canadians would like to know the whole story,” she said. “I believe we actually owe it to Canadians as politicians to ensure that they have the truth. They need to have confidence in the very basic constitutional principle of the independence of the justice system.”
Philpott’s interview clearly rankled some Liberal MPS. “She’s well aware of how we all feel,” said Liberal MP Judy Sgro. She challenged Philpott and Wilson-raybould to “clear the air” in the Commons chamber instead of spreading “innuendo.”
“You know, we don’t want to damage the party, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Sgro said. “This is hanging over our head, with this innuendo, with this, that and the rest of it.”
It all added to a tense mood in the Commons, particularly at one point Thursday afternoon when the Liberals appeared to be late getting their MPS into the chamber for a vote, leading to an extended — but ultimately unsuccessful — effort by the opposition to challenge whether their votes should count. Because the votes are all on budgetary measures, if the government loses a vote it could trigger an election.
Later, Trudeau defended his decision to only waive privilege for Wilson-raybould’s testimony before she was removed as justice minister, saying the crux of the issue was whether she was pressured in her role as attorney general.
He also provided some detail about his conversation with Philpott on Jan. 6, describing it as a “good and positive conversation.” He said the discussion was focused on moving Philpott from Indigenous services to Treasury Board, but also about moving Wilson-raybould out of justice and potentially into Indigenous services.
“(Philpott) asked me directly if this was in link to the Snc-lavalin issue, and I told her no, it was not,” Trudeau said. “She then mentioned that it might be a challenge for Jody Wilson-raybould to take on the role of Indigenous services, and I asked her for her help, which she gladly offered to give, in explaining to Jody Wilson-raybould how exciting this job is and what a great thing it would be for her to have that role for reconciliation, for the government, and that it would be a very positive thing.”
Earlier, Conservative MP Michelle Rempel accused Trudeau of hypocrisy for championing women’s rights, but blocking the ability of Wilson-raybould or Philpott to tell more of the story.
“Any Canadian woman regardless of (political) stripe should be outraged at what is happening to these women,” Rempel said. “It’s disgusting.”
THIS IS HANGING OVER OUR HEAD, WITH THIS INNUENDO, WITH THIS, THAT AND THE REST.