Former justice minister and attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould will be called to testify at a parliamentary committee probing the SNC-Lavalin scandal — but it’s not yet clear how much she’ll be able to reveal publicly because she’s bound by client-solicitor privilege.
Wilson-Raybould resigned from the Liberal cabinet last week, but emerged from the cabinet room Tuesday afternoon after addressing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers. Standing at the centre of a scandal engulfing the government, she said she’s still consulting with her lawyer and conceded the situation is complex.
“The rules and laws around privilege, around confidentiality, around my responsibility as a member of Parliament, my ethical and professional responsibilities as a lawyer are layered and incredibly complicated. So I’m still working with my lawyer,” she said.
Minutes later, Liberal MP Iqra Khalid tweeted that she had issued a notice of motion before the justice committee to invite Wilson-Raybould to appear before the committee looking into reports that the prime minister’s office pressured her to direct the Public Prosecution Service of Canada to sign a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with SNC-Lavalin.
A DPA — a legal measure similar to a plea deal — would have allowed the Quebec-based multinational engineering firm avoid prosecution on bribery and fraud charges in relation to contracts in Libya.
I have given notice of motion at the justice committee to invite the Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould to appear before the committee.
—@iamIqraKhalid
Facing mounting pressure from opposition critics to waive client-solicitor privilege, Trudeau today would say only that he asked his new Justice Minister David Lametti to review the situation and provide him with advice.
Trudeau also said Wilson-Raybould made the request to address cabinet today, but would not divulge any details of what she said.
Wilson-Raybould was demoted to the Veterans Affairs portfolio earlier this month; she resigned cabinet last week, just days after the Globe and Mail reported that she was pressured to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case.
Wilson-Raybould said today she remains a Liberal MP.
Trudeau has denied any wrongdoing, as has his former top aide Gerry Butts, who resigned Monday in a bombshell announcement.
Asked today if she was pressured by the Prime Minister’s Office, Wilson-Raybould said she is “still working with my lawyer.”
Wilson-Raybould has retained retired Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell and has maintained she is limited in what she can say due to solicitor-client privilege. As the former attorney-general, Wilson-Raybould acted as the government’s top lawyer.