For once, the big political crisis in the Americas is not in Latin America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his team are embroiled in a major political scandal after now-former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould accused Trudeau and his office of pressuring her to drop criminal corruption charges against Quebec-based engineering company SNC-Lavalin.
The scandal first became major news on February 7, when Canadian news outlet the Globe and Mail published a report detailing how Trudeau’s office tried to pressure Wilson-Raybould to meddle in the corruption case. It intensified last week when Wilson-Raybould testified before the judiciary committee in Canada’s House of Commons. According to Wilson-Raybould, Trudeau’s team wanted her to merely issue financial penalties, which would allow SNC-Lavalin to avoid a 10-year ban on bidding on federal contracts.
During her hearing, Wilson-Raybould said that in talks with members of Trudeau’s team, “there were expressed statements regarding the necessity of interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, [and] the potential of consequences and veiled threats.” She went on to describe talks with PM Trudeau about the potential for job losses in Quebec and how he then brought up the upcoming Quebec provincial elections. While Wilson-Raybould said pressure from the PM’s office was “inappropriate,” it was not, in her opinion, illegal.
While scandals surrounding SNC-Lavalin are not new, Trudeau’s alleged pressure on Wilson-Raybould, a respected female indigenous minister, has shaken Canada. Trudeau made transparency and openness a centerpiece of his leadership style and made gender equality and indigenous rights central issues of his government. But Wilson-Raybould’s demotion from Minister of Justice and Attorney General to Minister of Veterans Affairs, coupled with the fact she was replaced by a white man, looked like a betrayal of those values. For his part, Trudeau has denied inappropriate pressure was placed on Wilson-Raybould, instead claiming the controversy stemmed from a breakdown in trust and communication.
