Scheer doubles down on his demand for police investigation

It’s been a rough ride for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau lately after he got caught up in ethics violations last week in the SNC-Lavalin scandal — and the timing couldn’t be worse.

With the federal election approaching in October — and Trudeau in a neck-andneck race with Conservative rival Andrew Scheer — Trudeau is in a world of political hurt. Scheer is taking full advantage, repeating his call Monday for the RCMP to investigate Trudeau for possible criminal wrongdoing.

“There are significant grounds for an investigation into whether or not Justin Trudeau violated Section 139 of the Criminal Code: obstructing justice,” Scheer said.

Scheer made it clear he plans to turn the SNC-Lavalin scandal into a key election issue by standing in front of the podium with a sign reading: “Honest Leadership.”

“We know Justin Trudeau broke the law,” Scheer said, referring to last week’s report that Trudeau contravened the Conflict of Interest Act. “Now we need to know if he has committed a crime.”

Last week’s report by federal ethics commissioner Mario Dion slammed Trudeau and his closest aides for pressuring Jody Wilson-Raybould, then his attorney general, to give engineering giant SNC-Lavalin a plea-bargain deal on serious criminal corruption charges.

While Trudeau said he “takes responsibility” for the affair, he refused to apologize, opening himself up to even more criticism. But now Trudeau is playing the strongest card in his weak hand — insisting everything he did was to protect the jobs of SNC-Lavalin employees and contractors. “I’m not going to apologize for standing up for Canadians’ jobs,” Trudeau said.

Actually, it would be more accurate to say he’s standing up for Quebeckers’ jobs. Quebec is a crucial political battleground in the election for Trudeau, a Quebec MP. And SNC-Lavalin is headquartered in Montreal, home to more crucial Liberal seats. By appealing to Quebec economic interests, Trudeau hopes to turn the scandal back onto Scheer, something the PM executed in clever fashion.

“We will continue to defend jobs and make the kinds of investments we’re making today,” Trudeau said in Quebec City, where he announced a local transit project. “When Andrew Scheer was asked about the tramway, he said he opposes this tramway project. I think there are questions for Mr. Scheer about his continued commitment to the City of Quebec.”

It’s about the smartest play Trudeau can make right now. And that will create a challenge for Scheer to keep the SNC-Lavalin scandal in the spotlight. One way Scheer could do that is by reminding voters that the SNC-Lavalin scandal really isn’t about jobs. Even the company’s CEO admitted his employees would find other work if the firm was convicted of crimes and banned from securing government contracts.

“This thing that somehow they’re going to be unemployed is not true because they are highly qualified, highly experienced people,” SNC president Neil Bruce told The Canadian Press.

Scheer would be wise to remind voters of these words every time Trudeau cites his “jobs, jobs, jobs” alibi in this stinker of a scandal.