PMO denies Trudeau was hostile to MP
Caesar-Chavannes says prime minister yelled at her during multiple conversations
OTTAWA— A spokesperson for the prime minister’s office says Justin Trudeau had “emotional” conversations with Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes, but denies her claims the talks were “hostile” or that Trudeau yelled at her.
Caesar-Chavannes told the Globe and Mail in an interview Trudeau was angry when she told him on Feb.12 of her plans to announce she was not re-offering in the October federal election.
She alleges he yelled at her in that conversation and that she responded by shouting back at him, and says the prime minister later apologized.
Caesar-Chavannes also detailed another encounter with Trudeau in the House of Commons a week later in which she describes him as acting hostile toward her.
Caesar-Chavannes first raised questions about her interactions with the prime minister in a tweet she published earlier this week following Trudeau’s press conference on the ongoing SNCLavalin controversy.
Trudeau told reporters he felt there had been an erosion of trust between himself and former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould, which was something he regretted because a tenet of his leadership is fostering an environment in which MPs and staff feel comfortable coming to him with their concerns.
“I did come to you recently. Twice. Remember your reactions?” CaesarChavannes wrote in her tweet.
Caesar-Chavannes told the Globe and Mail he yelled at her in the Feb. 12 telephone conversation, telling her she didn’t appreciate him for all he had given her. The Whitby MP served as Trudeau’s parliamentary secretary from December 2015 to January 2017, when she stepped down from the post voluntarily.
The second encounter happened a week later after a caucus meeting. She approached Trudeau and says she tried to broach the topic of their previous testy conversation, but was met with a hostile “stare down.”
He came to apologize to her quietly on the floor of the House of Commons later and she left visibly upset — an episode witnessed by several MPs in the chamber that day.
An official with the PMO speaking on background told the Canadian Press Saturday that Trudeau makes a regular effort to meet with his MPs as often as possible and that often these discus- sions are candid. The official conceded that Caesar-Chavannes’ perception of the encounters may have been different, but added they have never heard Trudeau yell or raise his voice to anyone.
In a statement sent to multiple media outlets, Matt Pascuzzo, a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office, denied Trudeau was hostile toward CaesarChavannes, adding that he has “deep respect” for her.
“There’s no question the conversations in February were emotional, but there was absolutely no hostility,” he said.
“As the prime minister said, he is committed to fostering an environment where ministers, caucus and staff feel comfortable approaching him when they have concerns or disagreements. That happened here.”
Speaking at a teachers’ conference in Ottawa on Saturday, Trudeau was asked to respond to concerns about whether “recent events” involving several women in his caucus call into question his dedication to women’s rights.
Trudeau said he faced a tough number of weeks involving members of his team who have experienced “some real differences of perspective and opinion.”