Wilson-Raybould to submit written evidence on SNC-Lavalin to Justice Committee
Posted March 22, 2019 8:48 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Former Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould says she will be submitting written evidence in the SNC-Lavalin affair and allegations she was improperly pressured by the prime minister’s office over the company’s criminal case.
Following the Justice Committee’s decision against allowing Wilson-Raybould to testify again, the former justice minister will be submitting copies of text messages and emails to the group.
The Vancouver Granville MP claims she has “relevant facts and evidence in [her] possession,” which she referred to during her February 27 testimony.
Wilson-Raybould says the submission will include evidence she promised to produce during her appearance, as well as relevant facts that will back up her testimony and clarify statements from witnesses that came after her.
“I will be providing a written submission to the Committee in relation to matters within the confines of the waiver of cabinet confidence and solicitor-client privilege,” Wilson-Raybould said in a letter sent to the chair committee.
The prime minister’s former advisor Gerald Butts and the clerk of the privy council had contradicted her claims of improper pressure.
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Both Wilson-Raybould and former minister Jane Philpott have said there is more to the story. Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Melanie Joly says if they have a story to tell there is nothing from stopping them from telling it in the house of commons.
“They have parliamentary privilege and it’s up to them to do so and it’s a decision that they must take,” Joly said.
Opposition parties have been demanding Prime Minister Justin Trudeau grant a blanket waiver of solicitor-client privilege and cabinet confidentiality to allow Wilson-Raybould to more fully tell her story.
Wilson-Raybould resigned from cabinet over scandal.
The SNC-Lavalin, the Montreal-based engineering and construction giant, faces corruption and fraud charges over allegations it resorted to bribery while pursuing business in Libya.
-With files from the Canadian Press
