Over the weekend, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s principle secretary resigned in the wake of the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
Gerald Butts, who served as Trudeau’s top adviser for years, has stepped down after the Globe and Mail alleged he was at the centre of a political scandal.
The scandal broke earlier this month when the Globe and Mail published a story alleging engineering firm SNC-Lavalin had been lobbying the Prime Minister’s office to avoid prosecution for corruption and fraud, prompting the Prime Minister's office to put pressure on former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
In his resignation letter, Butts denied all allegations made by the Globe and Mail.
“I categorically deny the accusation that I or anyone else in his office pressured Ms. Wilson-Raybould. We honoured the unique role of the Attorney General. At all times, I and those around me acted with integrity and a singular focus on the best interests of all Canadians,” Butts said.
Last Wednesday, the federal justice committee voted in favour of holding a hearing on the SNC-Lavalin affair, with Liberal members voting to limit the witness list, including leaving former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould off the list. On Tuesday, the committee met in camera to discuss the witness list further.
St. Albert Conservative MP Michael Cooper, who is one of the committee members, filed motions on Friday to have all the meetings held in public and televised, as well as to invite seven additional people as witnesses, including Butts. He also filed a motion to have the committee order the production of papers and records pertaining to the issue. Those motions were due to come forward at Tuesday's committee meeting, which occurred after this paper went to press.
He said Wednesday's vote from the Liberals made it "clear that Justin Trudeau is hiding something."
“It’s a cover-up and it’s becoming clearer by the day,” Cooper said last week.
“It goes without saying that if we want to find out exactly what was said and what pressure was placed on Jody Wilson-Raybould, it’s kind of important to hear from Jody Wilson-Raybould."
Since the meeting last week, one Liberal member of the justice committee has voiced her support for including Wilson-Raybould on the witness list.
“I have given notice of motion at the justice committee to invite the Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould to appear before the committee,” Iqra Khalid, Liberal member for Mississauga-Erin Mills, said in a tweet on Tuesday.
Wilson-Raybould later told reporters in Ottawa that she respects the justice committee and said she would appear in front of them.
“I am continuing to discuss and talk with my counsel about what I can and cannot say. That too would apply at the justice committee if I were to appear.”
In 2015, RCMP charged SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based engineering and construction giant, in relation to business dealings in Libya. The RCMP said the company attempted to bribe businesses and politicians in the country, including Moammar Gadhafi.
The RCMP also alleged the company had defrauded companies in Libya of around $130 million.
A guilty verdict on the charges would bar the company from bidding on Canadian projects for 10 years.
