Today, readers are responding to Wednesday’s testimony from Jody Wilson-Raybould, who told the House of Commons justice committee she faced “consistent and sustained” political pressure from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and top officials, including “veiled threats,” on the need to shelve the criminal prosecution of Montreal’s SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. Readers are also responding to John Ibbitson’s column Trudeau has lost the moral mandate to govern.
Liberal MP and former Canadian justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould testifies before the House of Commons justice committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 27, 2019.CHRIS WATTIE/Reuters
Either we are a law abiding country or we aren't. Law can't simply be enforced as convenience suits you. It would appear that the Liberal government has broken the rules in a couple of areas. As for the amount of pressure being applied, it appears to be overwhelming.
It was a delight to watch Jody Wilson-Raybould speak truth to power. She is a strong independent voice, who spoke lucidly and clearly, about what interference in the role of prosecution means to our justice system. A remarkable voice worthy of honour both in Indigenous and non-indigenous society.
Andrew Scheer has just called on Justin Trudeau to resign. The job of the Leader of the Opposition is to criticize government policy, judgement and actions, often erring on the side of exaggeration. But Mr. Scheer is spot on here. Mr. Trudeau should resign.
Watch: Andrew Scheer calls on Trudeau to stand down over SNC-Lavalin affair
The real issue here is the Trudeau said he would be different and what we are learning is that he is an arrogant, out of touch politician who cares about one thing: staying in power. Further, we learned that jobs in quebec are more important to this government then jobs elsewhere. He is a hypocrite, pure and simple. Makes me pine for the good old Harper days, at least he was not fake about it.
What an impressive person Jody Wilson-Raybould is. Hour after hour, question after repetitive question she held her ground and defended the rule of law. Bravo and merci.
She refused to consider outside opinions - opinions that may have supported, or refuted, her view. I'm not comfortable with an attorney general who will shy from hearing from experts in the field, and potentially miss a salient point by being so blinkered.
Ms. Wilson-Raybould looked like an island of virtue in a sea of liberal corruption. She was clear and direct in her testimony outlining the Liberal attempts to subvert the rule of law and judicial process. Liberal members of this inquiry looked slimy, but Ms. Wilson-Raybould held her ground and made most of their questions seem ridiculous. It’s time for Trudeau, Wernick, Morneau, Telford and the rest of the PMO to resign. Trudeau lied about his role in this scandal and the Canadian electorate deserves a prime minister who will actually uphold the rule of law and not pander to corrupt Quebec companies
How arrogant and smug Justin Trudeau was this evening. He literally stood there and said he disagreed with Jody Wilson-Raybould but had that weird smirk whenever he had to respond. The press were weak and should have demanded he respond and not deflect. This is not drama class folks. This is Canada. Please vote him out of office.
Everything else aside, the plain evidence from Ms. Wilson-Rayboud (and inadvertently from Mr. Wernick) is that the Prime Minister's Office and the Prime Minister personally attempted to interfere in the judicial process for political advantage in Quebec. That is a resigning offence, if there is anyone in Liberal Land with enough integrity and honour to acknowledge that and act properly (at this late date).
Readers are also responding to John Ibbitson’s column Trudeau has lost the moral mandate to govern.
Globe and Mail Columnist John Ibbitson, is photographed at the Globe's Ottawa bureau on on Dec 12 2017.Fred Lum/the Globe and Mail
Great Article. I fully agree. The present Liberal Party has lost the moral authority to govern Canada. We can not have a corrupt organization guiding the country if they will ignore the rule of law to get their political aims realized. Canadians deserve a government that is working within the law, not finding ways around it to help their friends at SNC-Lavalin and help them with votes in Quebec. How can anyone trust them with our country.
As so often happens, it is not the event that is damning, it is the cover up. If Trudeau had removed her from her role and publicly stated that in his opinion she was mistaken and that the preservation of Canadian jobs was the right decision, I could respect him for that. Instead we got a cascading series of obfuscations and unwillingness to take responsibility. Certainly not able to respect him or his team in this one.
Trudeau has always been style over substance. He has proven time and again to be out of his depth as PM. Now his poor judgement has crossed from embarrassing behaviour to possible criminal activity if he tried to obstruct justice. Trudeau is going to have a tough time running on his record in the upcoming election. At what point does the Liberal party consider a new leader?
This has never been witnessed by Canadians in political history. A government disintegrating from scandal resulting from it attempting to get the foremost protector of our judicial system to bend to its political will. This is an affront to democracy, the psyche that binds us as a people and society - fairness and equality in the application of the rule of law. It unites us all. No exceptions. The accused in this matter compose of Canada's most power political brokers. They include the Prime Minister, his principal secretary and chief of staff, the finance minister and his top aide, the clerk of the privy council and more. The Liberal Party tarnished the reputation of one many would agree sets an example for Canadians to follow. And it backfired in front of all Canadians.
Readers are also responding to Elizabeth Renzetti’s column When Jody Wilson-Raybould’s truth finally came, it was quiet – and devastating.
Jody Wilson-Raybould is a modern day Canadian heroine. Her strength is an inspiration and her consistency and efficiency doing her former job with integrity makes me wonder if maybe we might see her face on one of our paper bills one day. She is not a sellout. Imagine that!
I was impressed Jody Wilson-Raybould’s testimony. She came across as a very intelligent, articulate and informed individual. Such a contrast to Justin Trudeau, who always sounds so inept when speaking, incessantly stammering and repeating the same handful of talking points that he had obviously memorized. This entire affair has left Trudeau greatly diminished. I don’t see how anyone who had watched even a portion of Wilson-Raybould’s testimony could even consider voting for Trudeau now.
One the reasons I became a Canadian citizen is because I had a high regard for our ability to have and respect the Rule of Law. Apparently that is not so. Of course we all knew in the backs of our mind that the harsh reality is that politics interferes with the Rule of Law. Sad. I hugely respect Jody Wilson-Raybould - a truth-teller.
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