‘SADLY, I HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE’
PHILPOTT QUITS CABINET AS LIBERALS’ CRISIS DEEPENS IN WAKE OF SNC-LAVALIN SCANDAL
OTTAWA • The Liberal government lost one of its most respected senior cabinet ministers in the fallout from the SNC-Lavalin scandal as Jane Philpott announced her resignation as Treasury Board president Monday, saying she has “lost confidence” in the government after allegations of political interference in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering company. “In Canada, the constitutional convention of Cabinet solidarity means, among other things, that ministers are expected to defend all Cabinet decisions. A minister must always be prepared to defend other ministers publicly, and must speak in support of the government and its policies,” Philpott said in a resignation letter posted to her website on Monday afternoon. “Given this convention and the current circumstances, it is untenable for me to continue to serve as a Cabinet minister.”
With Philpott’s departure, the Liberals have lost a minister widely recognized as one of the government’s most competent. Her resignation deepens a crisis for a government that has been trying to project an image of unity since former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould’s explosive testimony before a parliamentary justice committee last week. Philpott said evidence that politicians and officials pressured Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin has raised “serious concerns” for her. “The solemn principles at stake are the independence and integrity of our justice system,” she wrote. “Sadly, I have lost confidence in how the government has dealt with this matter and in how it has responded to the issues raised.
“There can be a cost to acting on one’s principles, but there is a bigger cost to abandoning them.”
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office said that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accepted Philpott’s resignation earlier on Monday, “and thanked Ms. Philpott for her years of service to Canadians and her dedication.” Carla Qualtrough, minister of public services and procurement, has been named acting Treasury Board president. In Toronto Monday night, Trudeau said, “While I am disappointed, I understand her decision to step down. I want to thank her for her service.”
He said in a democracy disagreements and debates were welcome and he was listening to the many opinions raised over the SNC-Lavalin affair.
Shortly after Philpott posted her resignation letter on Twitter, Wilson-Raybould responded with a message of support.
“For almost 4 years our country has witnessed your constant & unassailable commitment to always doing what is right & best for Cdns,” she wrote in a tweet. “You are a leader of vision & strength & I look forward to continuing to work alongside you.” Speaking to reporters on Monday evening, Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer reiterated a call for Trudeau to resign as prime minister. “Jane Philpott’s resignation from cabinet clearly demonstrates a government in total chaos, led by a disgraced prime minister consumed with scandal,” he said. “It’s time for every Liberal cabinet minister to ask themselves the same questions Jane Philpott did. … If Liberal ministers stay silent, Canadians will have no choice but to conclude that the ethical rot that infects this government has consumed it entirely.” NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, meanwhile, repeated his call for an independent inquiry into the matter. “In addition, the prime minister and all of those mentioned in Jody Wilson-Raybould’s testimony need to testify under oath,” he said in a statement. “Jane Philpott has made her decision based on information she received from cabinet; Canadians deserve to know what happened as well.” Wilson-Raybould rocked the government last week when she appeared before the House of Commons justice committee and alleged she “experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion” in her role as attorney general. She claimed Trudeau, former principal secretary Gerald Butts and Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick were part of a four-month-long campaign to convince her to order the director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin. The agreement would have allowed the company to avoid criminal prosecution on charges of fraud and corruption related to nearly $48 million in payments to Libyan officials. Wilson-Raybould claimed she was pressured to take election considerations into account, and that she was subject to “veiled threats” about what might happen if an agreement was not made available to SNC-Lavalin. She made it clear she believed she was shuffled out of the justice portfolio and into veterans affairs in January because she refused to negotiate an agreement. Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet last month, after the Globe and Mail published a story detailing allegations of political interference. Since her appearance last week, a number of Liberal ministers and MPs have spoken out in support of the prime minister, saying they were satisfied that Wilson-Raybould had been able to speak “her truth.”
“I am clearly of the view that the prime minister would never apply improper pressure, that the prime minister has always been clear about the unique role of the attorney general, and would respect that,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland told the CBC last week. But Philpott was one of a handful of Liberals to offer support to Wilson-Raybould after she resigned from cabinet last month. On Feb. 12, she tweeted a photo of herself with the former attorney general. “You taught me so much — particularly about Indigenous history, rights and justice,” she wrote. “I know you will continue to serve Canadians.” Another of those who voiced support for Wilson-Raybould, Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes, was quick to respond to Philpott’s announcement on Monday. “When you add women, please do not expect the status quo,” she wrote in a tweet. “Expect us to make correct decisions, stand for what is right and exit when values are compromised.” Caesar-Chavannes announced on Saturday that she will not seek re-election this year, but insisted that her decision was unrelated to the unfolding controversy. Since her election in 2015, Philpott has handled some of the government’s most challenging and high-profile portfolios. A family physician, she was named health minister in November 2015 and then became the inaugural minister of Indigenous Services in August 2017.
Philpott oversaw a number of contentious files, including the government’s promise to eliminate long-term drinking-water advisories on First Nations reserves by March 2021 and the development of new Indigenous child welfare legislation, meant to reduce the number of Indigenous children in foster care. On Monday, NDP MP Charlie Angus, who has been outspoken on a number of Indigenous files, called Philpott’s resignation a “watershed moment.”