By James Peters

‘They did nothing wrong’: MP McLeod slams Trudeau for booting Wilson-Raybould, Philpott

Apr 3, 2019 | 11:43 AM

KAMLOOPS — The Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo says Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott didn’t deserve their fates.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau turfed Wilson-Raybould and Philpott from the Liberal caucus Tuesday.

Trudeau called Wilson-Raybould’s secret recording of a conversation with former Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick “unconscionable,” and said the Liberals need to remain united as a team.

Cathy McLeod has been following the SNC-Lavalin controversy closely, and said Wilson-Raybould and Philpott were “speaking truth to power”, and the prime minister was not willing to listen.

“They suggested there were concerns about the Prime Minister’s Office interfering in a criminal investigation and they’re the ones who lost their jobs,” said McLeod. “Everything that has been documented that has been submitted — that we’ve seen to date — tends to confirm [Wilson-Raybould and Philpott’s concerns].”

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“Most importantly, we have two women who lost their jobs and, from my perspective, they did nothing wrong.”

“It’s really the Old Boys Club as usual,” McLeod added.

Critics have derided Wilson-Raybould for her clandestine recording of a conversation in which she stated Wernick was pressuring her as part of a prosecution of SNC-Lavalin, something that challenged her independence as attorney general.

McLeod says that’s not the main issue.

“I know they’re saying, ‘Well, Jody should never have taped that conversation.’ They’re talking about how the truth came to light, but not about the actual truth itself.”

As for Philpott, McLeod says the former Indigenous services minister was simply critical of how the government handled the controversy, and had no direct involvement.

“Minister Philpott — because I was her critic when she was Indigenous services minister — had a good reputation as someone who was competent and got the job done. If I look at the front bench of the Trudeau cabinet, she… was one of the stronger performers and actually was making a difference in terms of services to Indigenous people,” said McLeod.

McLeod notes even though Wilson-Raybould and Philpott are no longer part of the Liberal government, there are still many questions to be answered.

“There is a time period, from when Jody Wilson-Raybould was removed from her position as attorney general, which she clearly said she needed to speak to. As you might recall, Philpott has never been allowed to speak openly to what her concerns were because of the provisions of cabinet confidentiality,” said McLeod.

“There are about ten other witnesses who have been named, in terms of what was happening at the time, who have never come to committee. They’ve shut down the only public way, currently, to get information, and really just want to leave Canadians in the dark in terms of what happened.”