Jody Wilson-Raybould’s father thinks the Vancouver MP and former justice minister should be allowed to tell her story
What do they expect the public to believe? I’m ashamed of the government” Bill Wilson
In their desperate effort to explain the cabinet demotion of Jody Wilson-Raybould, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have offered every theory this side of saying the butler did it with a candlestick in the library.
It’s been like a political game of Clue, where a new version of events seems to get trotted out every day.
The drama around Wilson-Raybould began with reports that the Vancouver MP was removed as attorney-general and justice minister because she refused to give a cushy plea-bargain deal to SNC Lavalin.
The Montreal-based engineering and construction company — a generous financial backer of the Liberals — faces serious criminal corruption charges. A conviction would legally ban the company from bidding on government contracts for an extended period.
Trudeau shuffled Wilson-Raybould last month, demoting her to the veterans affairs portfolio.
“Jody has demonstrated tremendous skill in navigating extremely complex files,” Trudeau said at the time. “Jody will ensure our veterans receive the care and support of a grateful nation.”
But ever since the SNC Lavalin story broke there have been various explanations for the demotion.
The latest came from Trudeau himself, who said she was simply the victim of falling cabinet dominoes.
“If Scott Brison had not stepped down from cabinet, Jody Wilson-Raybould would still be minister of justice and attorney-general,” Trudeau said.
What the heck is that supposed to mean? Brison earlier resigned as president of the Treasury Board, but there’s no clear reason why that should have forced Wilson-Raybould out of her job. In fact, more than 30 of Trudeau’s other cabinet ministers all kept their portfolios.
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather offered an even flimsier explanation for the removal.
“There’s a lot of legal issues coming up in Quebec and the prime minister may well have decided he needed a justice minister that could speak French,” he said.
Good grief! She was attorney-general for three years and now there’s suddenly a language requirement?
Keep in mind Housefather is chair of the Liberal-dominated justice committee “investigating” the Wilson-Raybould affair.
That’s the same committee on which the Liberals used their majority to block Wilson-Raybould and officials from the prime minister’s office from testifying.
The nastiest example of this devious spin-doctoring is the character-sliming of Wilson-Raybould by un-named Liberal insiders, who called her an egomaniac who couldn’t get along with her cabinet colleagues.
That has all angered Bill Wilson, Wilson-Raybould’s father.
“It’s like they tell a different story every day,” Wilson told me. “It’s a farce. What do they expect the public to believe? I’m ashamed of the government.”
Wilson said he believes his daughter did face pressure from the prime minister’s office to help SNC Lavalin and that Trudeau removed her as attorney general — but not from cabinet — to keep her quiet.
“He probably thought, ‘We’ll placate her with the perks and salary.’ He thought she would be satisfied with that. He was wrong.”
Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet on Tuesday, and Wilson says she is the only one who can really tell Canadians the truth of what happened.
“But they muzzled her,” he said. “She can’t even legally talk to me and her mother about it.”
Wilson-Raybould said she can’t comment because she is bound by solicitor-client privilege.
Should she be allowed to speak? That’s another question where Trudeau and his Liberals have offered a bewildering variety of answers.
“When you’ve been a minister, and you move onto another file, you actually can’t talk about what you used to do in your previous minister’s role,” said Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault, adding opposition efforts to get answers at the justice committee are nothing but a “witch hunt.”
Gee, where have we heard that line before?
Trudeau said he has asked for a legal opinion on whether he can lift the legal gag order on Wilson-Raybould, though he said it’s not an idea he’s thrilled about.
“There’s a real danger, and it’s been flagged for me, of unintended consequences,” Trudeau said. “There are two court cases ongoing directly related to this matter that could be impacted.”
I think it’s pretty clear Trudeau and his minions don’t want Wilson-Raybould to start talking.
But her dad said she’s not the type to stay quiet.
“They thought, ‘She won’t create any noise.’ But that’s not the kind of person my daughter is. She wants to tell the truth.”
I asked Wilson if he had a personal message for the prime minister. He didn’t hesitate with his answer.
“Please let her speak and tell the truth,” he said. “And I would hope you will tell the truth as well.”
Somehow, I think Jody Wilson-Raybould will find a way to tell her side of the story.