PM insists Wilson-Raybould free to speak her mind

She says she can’t say more on SNC-Lavalin affair due to restriction

OTTAWA— Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says there has already been “a full airing” of the question of whether Jody Wilson-Raybould “underwent pressure” to drop the SNC-Lavalin prosecution.

He dismissed the need Friday for any blanket waiver for his former attorney general, saying his order lifting confidentiality restrictions on Wilson-Raybould frees her to speak and does not limit her.

But the former attorney general says she is still confined by it, and in another highly publicized move, wrote a letter to say she is not done.

Wilson-Raybould, now an excabinet minister, says she will provide copies of texts and emails in a written brief to the Commons justice committee despite the committee’s shutdown Tuesday of its SNC-Lavalin probe. In a bid to bolster her version of events and rebut other witnesses who came after her, Wilson-Raybould reminded the committee it asked her for her documents and even though it won’t recall her to give oral evidence she’s got more to say.

“I also have relevant facts and evidence in my possession that further clarify statements I made and elucidate the accuracy and nature of statements by witnesses in testimony that came after my committee appearance,” wrote Wilson-Raybould, in a letter dated March 21 to committee chair Anthony Housefather.

That was the same day her former cabinet colleague and friend Jane Philpott told Macleans magazine “there’s much more to the story that needs to be told” and said Canadians want to know “why there’s an attempt to shut down the story.” Wilson-Raybould said that her coming written submission will be made “within the confines of the waiver of cabinet confidence and solicitor-client privilege,” signalling she is limited by a cabinet order that said she could speak about her time as attorney general. That goes up to Jan. 14 when Trudeau moved her into the veterans affairs job.

Wilson-Raybould contends she was removed for resisting political pressure to cut a prosecution deal for SNC-Lavalin that would see it admit wrongdoing but avoid a trial and possible criminal conviction, and a resulting 10-year ban on federal contracts. The same cabinet order Wilson-Raybould says limits her is one that Trudeau and his senior officials insist frees her to speak.

“We granted a waiver to the former attorney general and to everyone involved in this issue who could speak entirely and completely to that matter,” Trudeau told reporters.

Trudeau said the question at the heart of the justice committee probe — and in an investigation by the federal ethics commissioner — is “whether or not the attorney general underwent pressure in regards to (SNC-) Lavalin.”

“That’s the question we’re actually looking at,” he said.

A senior PMO official, speaking on background, told the Star Friday that Trudeau and his advisers crafted the waiver to allow Wilson-Raybould to fully disclose what she believes relevant to her story, not to gag her, and in their view that freedom extends to conversations she had after the Jan. 14 cabinet shuffle — conversations that others, including the prime minister, have publicly spoken about.

“As long as there is no cabinet confidence or government secret that can’t be revealed publicly, there would be no reason that she couldn’t speak” to reporters, to a committee, or in the House of Commons, the official said. Trudeau has also occasionally reminded reporters that nothing said should interfere with the ongoing preliminary inquiry into the bribery and fraud charges against SNCLavalin.

Wilson-Raybould declined the Star’s request Friday for an interview, as she has since the story broke.

Although the justice committee has concluded oral hearings, Housefather said he will allow Wilson-Raybould to submit her texts, messages and further evidence. A growing chorus of Liberal MPs who are annoyed at the drip-drip-drip of information, are calling on Wilson-Raybould and Philpott to stop hinting, and start talking.