David Raymond Amos @DavidRayAmos
Methinks CBC overlooks the fact that it was Kevin Lynch former clerk of Harper's PCO and now the Chair of SNC board who was calling the PMO and the PCO N'esy Pas?
https://davidraymondamos3.blogspot.com/2019/03/5-things-we-may-never-know-about-snc.html
https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/snc-lavalin-corruption-dpa-what-happens-next-1.5049456
5 things we may never know about the SNC-Lavalin scandal
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this story.
R.Gabrielle Berry
My favorite entry from this CBC article:
CEO Neil Bruce: We've done nothing wrong as a company and none of our current employees have done anything wrong," Bruce told investors last month.
Is this where Justin packed up his constant repetition: "There is nothing to see here. We have done
nothing wrong?"
CEO Neil Bruce: "We've never asked that the charges be dropped, we've never asked for anything to be circumvented outside this judicial system."
But the DPA is now inside the judicial system, and the Liberal govt put it there.
Yet Bruce and others from SNC-Lavalin have been vigorously lobbying the Trudeau Govt for a way out.
In my mind "vigorously lobbying" likely involves certain "gratuities" (Shall we politely say?).
It most certainly resulted in a ton of pressure on Jody Wilson-Raybould.
This case is beyond the Liberal Justice Committee; this case I beyond the Ethics' Committee; this case is likely beyond an independent outside enquiry.
This case screams for an RCMP full investigation.
Did Trudeau get the DPA legislation passed so that he could dangle it in front of nefarious companies in exchange for...………. (Fill in the blank.)
CEO Neil Bruce: We've done nothing wrong as a company and none of our current employees have done anything wrong," Bruce told investors last month.
Is this where Justin packed up his constant repetition: "There is nothing to see here. We have done
nothing wrong?"
CEO Neil Bruce: "We've never asked that the charges be dropped, we've never asked for anything to be circumvented outside this judicial system."
But the DPA is now inside the judicial system, and the Liberal govt put it there.
Yet Bruce and others from SNC-Lavalin have been vigorously lobbying the Trudeau Govt for a way out.
In my mind "vigorously lobbying" likely involves certain "gratuities" (Shall we politely say?).
It most certainly resulted in a ton of pressure on Jody Wilson-Raybould.
This case is beyond the Liberal Justice Committee; this case I beyond the Ethics' Committee; this case is likely beyond an independent outside enquiry.
This case screams for an RCMP full investigation.
Did Trudeau get the DPA legislation passed so that he could dangle it in front of nefarious companies in exchange for...………. (Fill in the blank.)
David Amos
@R.Gabrielle Berry Methinks we would all love to know who was getting the bag money N'esy Pas?
"SNC-Lavalin was caught making illegal donations to federal parties back in 2013, when executives were instructed to donate to certain candidates, only to be reimbursed through company bonuses.
Elections Canada investigated, charging a lone SNC-Lavalin bagman, who pleaded guilty in November to illegally funnelling $117,000 to the Liberal and Conservative parties.
A diverse cabinet means diverse opinions — and Trudeau shouldn't have been surprised, says journalist
Why many Quebecers want SNC-Lavalin to stand trial — despite warnings about jobs
But we don't know who else was involved, or the kind of influence SNC-Lavalin expected or may have received in exchange for their illegal donations.
Elections Canada gave the company a pass, agreeing to a compliance agreement in 2016 that closed the case. That lone executive paid a $2,000 fine.
Under the compliance agreement, Elections Canada agreed to not pursue other "certain former senior executives" and didn't prosecute anyone within the political parties, allowing them to simply pay back the money."
Ray Rohr
@Tom Herman So is that the basis of the Conservatives stance on the issue?
Hugh Farnsworth
Canadians owe JWR a huge debt of gratitude!
We may finally be able to expose and work to reduce the corruption in Quebec from forces like SNC and the mafia owned construction companies.
We may finally be able to expose and work to reduce the corruption in Quebec from forces like SNC and the mafia owned construction companies.
Len Evans
@Joan Tyne
Check the story with Sheila Copps and you will see what JWR's father told her.
Check the story with Sheila Copps and you will see what JWR's father told her.
Dee Ray Ng
@Len Evans
Just did. Her father said "It could very well topple a government. I mean, it is that serious."
It's all in the perception, right Len?
Just did. Her father said "It could very well topple a government. I mean, it is that serious."
It's all in the perception, right Len?
David Amos
@Hugh Farnsworth "the mafia owned construction companies"
Methinks mafia is an interesting word perhaps you may enjoy Googling the following N'esy Pas?
David Amos Wiretap
Methinks mafia is an interesting word perhaps you may enjoy Googling the following N'esy Pas?
David Amos Wiretap
Content disabled.
David Amos
David Amos
@Len Evans Methinks you should quit attacking me and review my comments N'esy Pas?
Frank Hammerschmidt
The decision by JWR not to
cave to pressure and harassment for a deferred prosecution was the right
one. This is not a company that should qualify for plea deals.
David Smith
@Frank Hammerschmidt
There's also this: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/snc-reconciliation-trudeau-1.5048025
There's also this: https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/snc-reconciliation-trudeau-1.5048025
Frank Goodwood
@Frank Hammerschmidt
Agreed. It was the correct and courageous decision to make regardless of the company or the number of jobs involved. The law is the law. You can't justify robbing a bank because you need the money!
Agreed. It was the correct and courageous decision to make regardless of the company or the number of jobs involved. The law is the law. You can't justify robbing a bank because you need the money!
David Amos
@David Smith Methinks the plot is thickening N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@Frank Hammerschmidt Methinks
I have the right to remind folks that the former Attorney General
should not have ignored my lawsuit N'esy Pas?
Jeff hunt
Liberals biggest fear is a full blown investigation with subpoena powers and sworn testimony.
The shredders are on standby as are phone and computer scrubbers.
The shredders are on standby as are phone and computer scrubbers.
David Smith
@David Railton
I wonder if Andrew Scheer will appoint Faith Goldy as JM.
I wonder if Andrew Scheer will appoint Faith Goldy as JM.
Jeff hunt
@David Railton I should have said LPC / Liberal Government/ Trudeau,Butts et al.
David Amos
@Jeff hunt YUP
Joseph Cluster
"Elections Canada gave the
company a pass, agreeing to a compliance agreement in 2016 that closed
the case. That lone executive paid a $2,000 fine."
Just shows us right there that the Liberals were giving "Get Out Of Jail" FREE cards already 3 yrs ago.
Now we see finally saw someone with an honest/ethical background JWR stand her ground, and said "No" the PM throw a hissy fit.
Just shows us right there that the Liberals were giving "Get Out Of Jail" FREE cards already 3 yrs ago.
Now we see finally saw someone with an honest/ethical background JWR stand her ground, and said "No" the PM throw a hissy fit.
Frank Goodwood
@david mccaig
The liberal attempted to exert political pressure to influence a legal matter. That is what this is all about.
The liberal attempted to exert political pressure to influence a legal matter. That is what this is all about.
Joan Tyne
@Frank Goodwood David LOVES spouting anti harper as much as he can. It’s all about deflection.
David Amos
@Frank Goodwood YUP but methinks it is just the tip of a very big malevolent iceberg Nesy Pas?
David Amos
@Joseph Cluster "Just shows us right there that the Liberals were giving "Get Out Of Jail" FREE cards already 3 yrs ago."
Methinks the obvious question is why N'esy Pas?
Methinks the obvious question is why N'esy Pas?
Paul Smith
Liberal Party Approves Bribing for votes. Rotten from the top down.
Ricky Weston
@Bol Dor So by that justification that the other party does it to then makes it alright, try that defence in a court of law.
David Amos
@Paul Smith Methinks you
should overlook the fact that it was Kevin Lynch former clerk of
Harper's PO and now the Chair of SNC board who was calling the PMO and
the PCO N'esy Pas?
John Horvath
I can't believe cbc forgot to
mention the Montreal Hospital bribery were 30 million was paid in
bribes by SNC! They even did a couple of investigative pieces on this
at the time! There is a loss of trust between me and the cbc..
David Mason
@John Horvath The good news is, SNCL is suing their exec of the time. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/snc-lavalin-pierre-duhaime-1.5043663
But yeah, each CBC article seems to have its own agenda, it's unsettling what a poor resource the organization is in terms of cohesive information.
But yeah, each CBC article seems to have its own agenda, it's unsettling what a poor resource the organization is in terms of cohesive information.
Bert van
@John Horvath The only
reason I can see why the Montreal Hospital bribery issue is not
mentioned is that it involves the Harper government and the close
friendship between Harper and Porter. Porter was even made head of CSIS.
David Smith
@John Horvath
Not stopping you though.
Not stopping you though.
Rob Clayton
@John Horvath
Yes, the CBC keeps on referencing Libya, Libya so as to create the illusion that illegal bribes were only paid outside of Canada. A further investigation needs to be conducted on all SNC contracts on Federal Public works conracts in Canada where they were the successful bidder.
Yes, the CBC keeps on referencing Libya, Libya so as to create the illusion that illegal bribes were only paid outside of Canada. A further investigation needs to be conducted on all SNC contracts on Federal Public works conracts in Canada where they were the successful bidder.
David Amos
@John Horvath "There is a loss of trust between me and the cbc.."
Methinks you are not alone N'esy Pas?
Methinks you are not alone N'esy Pas?
David Amos
@Rob Clayton Good point
Brian Kennedy
I dare Trudeau to give them a DPA. It will finish put the party out of power for at least a generation.
Joan Tyne
@Corinne O'Connor Canadian edition of national observer also has a great read. The hidden key to the sync-Lavalin scandal.
David Amos
@Brian Kennedy I Double Dog Dare him to
Ken Jackson
Point 5 in the article follow
link to donations and check out who received the bulk of the illegal
contributions to their part. It wasn’t the conservatives.
Manuel Santos
@Ken Jackson I don't care if the Conservative party received $1 or $1000. The fact is they received illegal contributions.
David Amos
@Ken Jackson Exactly
ALEX Chiasson
An investigative media would be able to dig up the answers if they weren't hamstrung by a scheming government and legal system.
Corinne O'Connor
@ALEX Chiasson
It was under Harper's rule than investigative media came to a halt. If anybody remembers when a reporter for the Globe & Mail or the National Post went to jail when she wouldn't give up her sources. Harper changed the rules forcing reporters to give up their sources, which meant reporters were not able to do their jobs. Since then there has been very little real investigative journalism.
It was under Harper's rule than investigative media came to a halt. If anybody remembers when a reporter for the Globe & Mail or the National Post went to jail when she wouldn't give up her sources. Harper changed the rules forcing reporters to give up their sources, which meant reporters were not able to do their jobs. Since then there has been very little real investigative journalism.
David Amos
@ALEX Chiasson All they have to do is review my comments if they want a bigger story
5 things we may never know about the SNC-Lavalin scandal
Without a trial or broader probe, Canadians could be left in the dark about company's history of corruption
The prosecution of SNC-Lavalin is
proceeding full-steam ahead, with a preliminary hearing already
underway in Montreal. A criminal trial is possible within a year.
That is unless the Trudeau government hands the Quebec company a get-out-of-jail-free card in the form of a much-talked-about deferred prosecution agreement.
If a DPA is granted, there won't be a trial and Canadians may never hear how far up the corporate ladder the alleged corruption went inside the global engineering firm.
And with the current parliamentary hearings so narrowly focused on the "he said, she said" of the Prime Minister's Office and the former attorney general, Canadians are at risk of never learning the full extent to which SNC-Lavalin may have influenced the government.
The criminal case looming over SNC-Lavalin is specifically about Libya.
The company is accused of paying $48 million in bribes to Libyan officials, with executives alleged to have bankrolled yachts and prostitutes for the son of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi in a bid to win lucrative contracts in the country.
If SNC-Lavalin is granted a remediation agreement, the company would face a massive fine — but the public will never get to see the evidence that the RCMP and prosecutors have spent seven years amassing in anticipation of the criminal trial.
What we don't know — and may never know — is the extent of corruption beyond Libya.
SNC-Lavalin
is alleged to have paid millions for travel, hotels and escorts on
trips to Toronto and Montreal for Saadi Gadhafi, the son of Libya's
former dictator, shown here in a 2005 file photo. (Tim Wimborne/Reuters)
A CBC News and Globe and Mail investigation in 2013 revealed SNC-Lavalin used secret codes
in budgets to hide unofficial payments on projects around the globe,
which numerous employees allege were for bribes. The investigation
exposed the payments in 13 countries, including Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda,
Ghana, India and Kazakhstan.
But
Canada has yet to convict anyone from SNC-Lavalin for any foreign
bribery — something that is illegal under Canadian law, which aims
to stop Canadian companies from propping up corrupt officials and
dictators in some of the world's most underdeveloped, oppressive
regimes.
A trial in the Libya case could be the last chance for accountability through a public and opening hearing.
SNC-Lavalin's former top construction executive, Riadh Ben Aïssa, has already pleaded guilty to bribing Libyan officials and laundering tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks through Swiss bank accounts to win billions in contracts.
But that was in Switzerland, where he was jailed for two-and-a-half years.
What we don't know is who else was involved.
Former
SNC executive vice-president Riadh Ben Aïssa, right, pleaded guilty in
Switzerland in 2014 to paying bribes to Saadi Gadhafi, left, in order to
land lucrative contracts. The company has said he was a rogue employee. (Radio-Canada)
Ben Aïssa has since become a key witness for the prosecution
in the upcoming Canadian trial. He's ready to point fingers at others
in the company who, for years, groomed and promoted him. He can testify
about who in the senior ranks knew about the alleged bribery, and
SNC-Lavalin's frequent use of shell companies and Swiss bank accounts to
pay "agents" to win global projects.
SNC has long argued that Ben Aïssa was a rogue actor. It denies the charges it is currently facing in Canada.
"All the sources of our troubles [are] coming from him," Jacques Lamarre, SNC-Lavalin's CEO from 1996 until 2009, told CBC News in 2014.
Granting SNC-Lavalin a DPA would shut down Ben Aïssa's testimony.
One of the more bizarre twists in the SNC-Lavalin saga involves two Canadians tied to a plot to smuggle Saadi Gadhafi — the son of the late Libyan dictator and a longtime SNC-Lavalin patron — into Mexico.
In 2011, as civil war toppled the Libyan regime, SNC-Lavalin scrambled to save its projects in the country, as well as its profitable patronage with the Gadhafi family.
Canadian consultant Cynthia Vanier and SNC-Lavalin vice-president Stéphane Roy were detained by police in Mexico City, the pair among a group accused of a conspiracy to forge passports and fly Saadi Gadhafi and his family to a life in hiding.
Canadian
consultant Cynthia Vanier spent 18 months in a Mexican prison, accused
in a plot to smuggle Saadi Gadhafi and his family out of Libya. But she
was released after a court ruled her legal rights had been violated. (Submitted by Betty MacDonald)
But Canadians have never heard the full story.
Vanier, accused of being the mastermind of the plot, was imprisoned in Mexico for 18 months. But she was released after a court ruled her legal rights had been violated.
Back in Canada, the RCMP charged Roy in 2014 in relation to the caper and SNC's Libya dealings. But his entire case was thrown out last month due to delays.
SNC-Lavalin has argued Roy and Vanier were rogue actors, and have launched lawsuits against them.
The Gadhafi smuggling plot will no doubt be evidence at the company's upcoming trial.
SNC-Lavalin CEO Neil Bruce, named to that post in 2015, vehemently denies the allegations against the company.
"We've done nothing wrong as a company and none of our current employees have done anything wrong," Bruce told investors last month.
"We've never asked that the charges be dropped, we've never asked for anything to be circumvented outside this judicial system."
Yet Bruce and others from SNC-Lavalin have been vigorously lobbying the Trudeau government for a way out.
SNC-Lavalin
CEO Neil Bruce addresses shareholders during the company's annual
general meeting in Montreal on May 3, 2018. In an interview with
Bloomberg late last year, Bruce said the pending litigation against SNC
has cost his company some $5 billion from lost contracts. (Graham Hughes/Canadian Press)
The company has lobbied federal officials
on 60 different occasions, pressing the government, among other things,
for deferred prosecution and to relax the penalties for corporations
convicted of foreign bribery.
What we don't know is what was said or what influence SNC-Lavalin's ear-bending may have had on the prime minister, the PMO, or officials within the justice system.
The House of Commons justice committee is currently narrowly focused on the allegations that the PMO attempted to politically interfere in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin by pressuring Jody Wilson-Raybould to offer a DPA. And the federal ethics commissioner is also probing the issue.
But there is no formal probe into how this criminally charged corporation has potentially influenced the government through its extensive lobbying.
Amid the latest political drama, few are talking about SNC-Lavalin's long history of illegal political donations.
SNC-Lavalin was caught making illegal donations to federal parties back in 2013, when executives were instructed to donate to certain candidates, only to be reimbursed through company bonuses.
Elections Canada investigated, charging a lone SNC-Lavalin bagman, who pleaded guilty in November to illegally funnelling $117,000 to the Liberal and Conservative parties.
But
we don't know who else was involved, or the kind of influence
SNC-Lavalin expected or may have received in exchange for their illegal
donations.
Elections Canada gave the company a pass, agreeing to a compliance agreement in 2016 that closed the case. That lone executive paid a $2,000 fine.
Under the compliance agreement, Elections Canada agreed to not pursue other "certain former senior executives" and didn't prosecute anyone within the political parties, allowing them to simply pay back the money.
Send tips to dave.seglins@cbc.ca or rachel.houlihan@cbc.ca.
CBC's Journalistic Standards and PracticesThat is unless the Trudeau government hands the Quebec company a get-out-of-jail-free card in the form of a much-talked-about deferred prosecution agreement.
If a DPA is granted, there won't be a trial and Canadians may never hear how far up the corporate ladder the alleged corruption went inside the global engineering firm.
And with the current parliamentary hearings so narrowly focused on the "he said, she said" of the Prime Minister's Office and the former attorney general, Canadians are at risk of never learning the full extent to which SNC-Lavalin may have influenced the government.
1. How widespread was the bribery?
The criminal case looming over SNC-Lavalin is specifically about Libya.
The company is accused of paying $48 million in bribes to Libyan officials, with executives alleged to have bankrolled yachts and prostitutes for the son of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi in a bid to win lucrative contracts in the country.
If SNC-Lavalin is granted a remediation agreement, the company would face a massive fine — but the public will never get to see the evidence that the RCMP and prosecutors have spent seven years amassing in anticipation of the criminal trial.
What we don't know — and may never know — is the extent of corruption beyond Libya.
A trial in the Libya case could be the last chance for accountability through a public and opening hearing.
2. What did SNC's senior management know?
SNC-Lavalin's former top construction executive, Riadh Ben Aïssa, has already pleaded guilty to bribing Libyan officials and laundering tens of millions of dollars in kickbacks through Swiss bank accounts to win billions in contracts.
But that was in Switzerland, where he was jailed for two-and-a-half years.
What we don't know is who else was involved.
SNC has long argued that Ben Aïssa was a rogue actor. It denies the charges it is currently facing in Canada.
"All the sources of our troubles [are] coming from him," Jacques Lamarre, SNC-Lavalin's CEO from 1996 until 2009, told CBC News in 2014.
Granting SNC-Lavalin a DPA would shut down Ben Aïssa's testimony.
3. What happened in the Gadhafi smuggling plot?
One of the more bizarre twists in the SNC-Lavalin saga involves two Canadians tied to a plot to smuggle Saadi Gadhafi — the son of the late Libyan dictator and a longtime SNC-Lavalin patron — into Mexico.
In 2011, as civil war toppled the Libyan regime, SNC-Lavalin scrambled to save its projects in the country, as well as its profitable patronage with the Gadhafi family.
Canadian consultant Cynthia Vanier and SNC-Lavalin vice-president Stéphane Roy were detained by police in Mexico City, the pair among a group accused of a conspiracy to forge passports and fly Saadi Gadhafi and his family to a life in hiding.
Vanier, accused of being the mastermind of the plot, was imprisoned in Mexico for 18 months. But she was released after a court ruled her legal rights had been violated.
Back in Canada, the RCMP charged Roy in 2014 in relation to the caper and SNC's Libya dealings. But his entire case was thrown out last month due to delays.
SNC-Lavalin has argued Roy and Vanier were rogue actors, and have launched lawsuits against them.
The Gadhafi smuggling plot will no doubt be evidence at the company's upcoming trial.
4. Have lobbyists swayed the Trudeau government?
SNC-Lavalin CEO Neil Bruce, named to that post in 2015, vehemently denies the allegations against the company.
"We've done nothing wrong as a company and none of our current employees have done anything wrong," Bruce told investors last month.
"We've never asked that the charges be dropped, we've never asked for anything to be circumvented outside this judicial system."
Yet Bruce and others from SNC-Lavalin have been vigorously lobbying the Trudeau government for a way out.
What we don't know is what was said or what influence SNC-Lavalin's ear-bending may have had on the prime minister, the PMO, or officials within the justice system.
The House of Commons justice committee is currently narrowly focused on the allegations that the PMO attempted to politically interfere in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin by pressuring Jody Wilson-Raybould to offer a DPA. And the federal ethics commissioner is also probing the issue.
But there is no formal probe into how this criminally charged corporation has potentially influenced the government through its extensive lobbying.
5. What about SNC's illegal political donations?
Amid the latest political drama, few are talking about SNC-Lavalin's long history of illegal political donations.
SNC-Lavalin was caught making illegal donations to federal parties back in 2013, when executives were instructed to donate to certain candidates, only to be reimbursed through company bonuses.
Elections Canada investigated, charging a lone SNC-Lavalin bagman, who pleaded guilty in November to illegally funnelling $117,000 to the Liberal and Conservative parties.
Elections Canada gave the company a pass, agreeing to a compliance agreement in 2016 that closed the case. That lone executive paid a $2,000 fine.
Under the compliance agreement, Elections Canada agreed to not pursue other "certain former senior executives" and didn't prosecute anyone within the political parties, allowing them to simply pay back the money.
Send tips to dave.seglins@cbc.ca or rachel.houlihan@cbc.ca.
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thesundayedition/the-sunday-edition-for-march-10-2019-1.5048324/what-is-the-moral-authority-to-govern-and-how-does-a-government-lose-it-1.5048326
What is the 'moral authority to govern' — and how does a government lose it?
It has become the bumper sticker of a scandal — "the moral authority to govern." Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been told he has lost that moral right to govern over SNC Lavalin affair, and should resign. But what exactly does the phrase mean? Where does 'moral authority' originate, and how does a leader lose it or give it away?
We invited two experts to help us explore the complicated mix of politics, morality and ethics.
Heather MacIvor is a legal writer at LexisNexis Canada and the founding editor of the Rule of Law Report. Before becoming a lawyer, she was a political scientist at the University of Windsor.
Patricia Hughes is the Founding Executive of the Law Commission of Ontario, and the former Dean of the University of Calgary law school.
Here are a few excerpts from their conversation with Michael Enright:
Patricia Hughes: "Moral authority to govern is a question of perception. It comes down to whether the government is observing the norms, values and fundamental principles, that we have said govern our society. So when a government seems to be acting against those norms, people question whether they still have the moral authority."
Heather MacIvor: "It's the gap that seems to be opening up between the Liberal government's self-professed moral virtue, the performative morality of Mr. Trudeau, and what appears to have happened in dealing with Jody Wilson-Raybould. It's that gap opening up. It's sticking to Justin Trudeau. You have to be careful in politics not to put yourself on too high a pedestal. The fall off really hurts."
Patricia Hughes: "The law was not broken. I believe it was inappropriate, motivated by the wrong reasons, a response to lobbying by a company, and it showed disrespect to Jody Wilson-Raybould's status. But the fact that she didn't resign right away is important. She considered it inappropriate but not more than that. I think that if he hadn't demoted her, we wouldn't be in the situation today."
Click 'listen' above to hear the interview.
Comments
David Amos
Methinks these ladies should Google my name and that of Jody Wilson-Raybould sometime N'esy Pas?
https://www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/raybould-family-reax-1.5016355
First Nation leaders blast Trudeau over reconciliation 'farce' as family rallies around Wilson-Raybould
Former judge says Trudeau's revelation of conversation with Wilson-Raybould may have triggered her resignation
After
Bill Wilson got off the phone Monday evening with his daughter Kory
Wilson he said he got the sense that there was something wrong, but he
couldn't quite place the unease or link it to his other daughter, Jody
Wilson-Raybould.
He immediately remembered the phone call on Tuesday, when he heard the news Wilson-Raybould had resigned from cabinet.
"There was something wrong, she seemed to see something was pending," said Wilson, a Kwakwaka'wakw hereditary chief who faced off with former prime minister Pierre Trudeau in heated constitutional talks in the 1980s.
Wilson
said that as the scandal evolved, triggered by the Globe and Mail
reporting that Wilson-Raybould was pressured by the Prime Minister's
Office to intervene in the criminal prosecution of multinational
engineering firm SNC Lavalin, he started to doubt she could remain in
cabinet.
"If this moves out the way it is, it's not because of Jody, but because of what I consider to be a crime committed at the highest level," said Wilson. "It could very well bring down a government."
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly denied he directed
Wilson-Raybould to intervene on the criminal prosecution of SNC Lavelin.
On Monday, Trudeau said he had "full confidence" in her as Minister of
Veterans Affairs. Justice Minister David Lametti has also denied the PMO
exerted any pressure on Wilson-Raybould on the SNC Lavalin case.
Kory Wilson, Jody Wilson-Raybould's sister, says the family is rallying around the former cabinet minister. (BCIT)
Kory
Wilson said she went out for supper in Vancouver with her children and
Wilson-Raybould on Sunday, but their conversations focused on personal
matters.
Wilson said her sister expressed excitement about her new portfolio at Veterans Affairs.
"I feel bad for the veterans, she was very excited to have that file," Kory Wilson said. "She enjoyed the meet and greets."
"I text her I love her," said Wilson. "In difficult times, family rallies around their family and that is ... what we do. She is a very strong person."
Wilson said she was referring to the rubber boots people wear in the village where their grandmother comes from.
Wilson said it has been hard for her to see her sister go through this ordeal and face sniping from unnamed Liberal sources in the press.
"I think no one likes to see a family member thrown under the bus," she said. "It's a hard road to go ... I am behind her and a whole pile of people are behind her."
In B.C., news of the resignation rocketed through First Nation political circles.
B.C. First Nation Summit Grand Chief Ed John said it will be a year on Feb. 14 since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's House of Commons speech where he declared the beginning of a new chapter in Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples, through the tabling of an Indigenous rights recognition framework.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau is embraced by Minister of Justice and Attorney
General of Canada Jody Wilson-Raybould after delivering a speech on
Feb. 14, 2018, on the recognition and implementation of Indigenous
rights in the House of Commons. Wilson-Raybould resigned from the
federal cabinet on Tuesday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Wilson-Raybould embraced Trudeau after the speech and the moment was captured in a photograph.
The framework promise — which allegedly caused friction between then Minister of Justice Wilison-Raybould and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett — is now essentially dead.
"It's just staggering to see how this is transpiring," said John.
He immediately remembered the phone call on Tuesday, when he heard the news Wilson-Raybould had resigned from cabinet.
"There was something wrong, she seemed to see something was pending," said Wilson, a Kwakwaka'wakw hereditary chief who faced off with former prime minister Pierre Trudeau in heated constitutional talks in the 1980s.
"If this moves out the way it is, it's not because of Jody, but because of what I consider to be a crime committed at the highest level," said Wilson. "It could very well bring down a government."
Thank you to my pappa for your unwavering support. Happy your eye surgery was successful. See you soon - nothing like being on the TV talking ‘bout you and me. 
Wilson said her sister expressed excitement about her new portfolio at Veterans Affairs.
"I feel bad for the veterans, she was very excited to have that file," Kory Wilson said. "She enjoyed the meet and greets."
'I text her I love her'
Wilson said she is in constant communication with her sister via texts and phone."I text her I love her," said Wilson. "In difficult times, family rallies around their family and that is ... what we do. She is a very strong person."
Shortly after news of the cabinet resignation surfaced, Wilson tweeted:
You must pull yourself up by your ‘Kingcome boot straps’ and keep up the fight for a better Canada and lives for our people #Dzawada̱ʼenux̱w strong #mighty Kwakwaka’wakw Together we are stronger
Wilson said it has been hard for her to see her sister go through this ordeal and face sniping from unnamed Liberal sources in the press.
"I think no one likes to see a family member thrown under the bus," she said. "It's a hard road to go ... I am behind her and a whole pile of people are behind her."
B.C. First Nation leaders alarmed
In B.C., news of the resignation rocketed through First Nation political circles.
B.C. First Nation Summit Grand Chief Ed John said it will be a year on Feb. 14 since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's House of Commons speech where he declared the beginning of a new chapter in Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples, through the tabling of an Indigenous rights recognition framework.
The framework promise — which allegedly caused friction between then Minister of Justice Wilison-Raybould and Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett — is now essentially dead.
"It's just staggering to see how this is transpiring," said John.
"It's a pretty drastic move on
her part, to take this step, we don't know where the chips will fall at
the end of the day," he said.
B.C.
First Nations Summit Grand Chief Ed John said chiefs needed to bring
proposals to the table on the Indigenous rights recognition framework. (CBC)
B.C.
Assembly of First Nations regional Chief Terry Teegee said he brought
up his concerns about the cabinet shuffle during a meeting between the
AFN chiefs executive and Trudeau along with some of his ministers held
the day of the shuffle.
Teegee said he thinks Wilson-Raybould, based on her speeches as Justice Minister, was facing resistance from Trudeau's inner circle and the senior bureaucracy on moving the Indigenous rights file forward.
"She was seeing push back from her colleagues ... and perhaps the party," Teegee said.
Terry
Teegee, a regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, says he
believes Jody Wilson-Raybould faced resistance on her push for
Indigenous rights from within Trudeau's Liberal government. (Courtesy of Terry Teegee)
Bob
Chamberlin, vice-president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, said the
narrative around Wilson-Raybould has destroyed Trudeau's credibility on
reconciliation.
"To me it smells and reeks of collusion within cabinet ... the words that the prime minister spoke about reconciliation and the (UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples) are simply a farce," said Chamberlin.
Chief
Bob Chamberlin, vice-president of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, says
the Jody Wilson-Raybould affair has undermined the credibility of Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau on reconciliation. (CBC)
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former Saskatchewan judge, has watched the arc of Wilson-Raybould's career for about 20 years. She said Wilson-Raybould would not have resigned over something trivial or personal.
"My instinct is that she is standing up for an impartial justice system and a nation based on the rule of law," said Turpel-Lafond, currently director of the University of British Columbia's Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.
"It is a hard stand to take, but it's essential."
Turpel-Lafond said she saw a connection between Wilson-Raybould's resignation and Trudeau's statement Monday.
Trudeau said on Monday that he had a recent discussion with Wilson-Raybould where "she confirmed for me a conversation we had this fall where I told her directly that any decisions on matters involving the director of public prosecutions were hers alone."
Mary
Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former Saskatchewan judge, said she sees a link
between Trudeau's revelation of a conversation he had with Jody
Wilson-Raybould and her decision to quit cabinet. (CBC)
The
Globe and Mail reported that the PMO pressured Wilson-Raybould to
intervene with the director of the Public Prosecution Service of Canada
to drop the criminal prosecution of SNC Lavalin in favour of a plea
bargain deal.
"This comes on the heels of the prime minister's statement yesterday where he said certain things about their conversation," said Turpel-Lafond. "One can't help but think if this [resignation] was linked to that."
Turpel-Lafond also said that Wilson-Raybould's choice of lawyer, former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell, sent a message.
"She has retained a very noted individual who is a person of high expertise and integrity. That also sends a signal that there will be some kind of defence of the rule of law and the administration of justice," said Turpel-Lafond.
"It sends a bit of a message to me."
Teegee said he thinks Wilson-Raybould, based on her speeches as Justice Minister, was facing resistance from Trudeau's inner circle and the senior bureaucracy on moving the Indigenous rights file forward.
"She was seeing push back from her colleagues ... and perhaps the party," Teegee said.
"To me it smells and reeks of collusion within cabinet ... the words that the prime minister spoke about reconciliation and the (UN Declaration on Rights of Indigenous Peoples) are simply a farce," said Chamberlin.
Sending a message
Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond, a former Saskatchewan judge, has watched the arc of Wilson-Raybould's career for about 20 years. She said Wilson-Raybould would not have resigned over something trivial or personal.
"My instinct is that she is standing up for an impartial justice system and a nation based on the rule of law," said Turpel-Lafond, currently director of the University of British Columbia's Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre.
"It is a hard stand to take, but it's essential."
Turpel-Lafond said she saw a connection between Wilson-Raybould's resignation and Trudeau's statement Monday.
Trudeau said on Monday that he had a recent discussion with Wilson-Raybould where "she confirmed for me a conversation we had this fall where I told her directly that any decisions on matters involving the director of public prosecutions were hers alone."
"This comes on the heels of the prime minister's statement yesterday where he said certain things about their conversation," said Turpel-Lafond. "One can't help but think if this [resignation] was linked to that."
Turpel-Lafond also said that Wilson-Raybould's choice of lawyer, former Supreme Court justice Thomas Cromwell, sent a message.
"She has retained a very noted individual who is a person of high expertise and integrity. That also sends a signal that there will be some kind of defence of the rule of law and the administration of justice," said Turpel-Lafond.
"It sends a bit of a message to me."
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