Green Party leader provides insight into SNC-Lavalin affair during Kamloops visit

Mar 4, 2019 | 4:35 PM

KAMLOOPS — The leader of the Federal Green Party is looking forward to Wednesday’s parliamentary justice committee meeting in Ottawa.

Elizabeth May expects she’ll be able to direct questions to the clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick, and the Prime Minister’s former principal secretary, Gerald Butts. She’s hoping to learn how deeply the Prime Minister was involved in pressuring former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould.  

“How much of what they did was under the Prime Minister’s instruction and how much was them deciding they out to get this fixed for the Prime Minister,” said May.

She says the latest cabinet resignation by Jane Philpott has strengthened her belief in Wilson-Raybould’s story.

“Jane Philpott’s resignation from cabinet does a tremendous amount to buttress the honesty and integrity of our former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould,” said May. 

She added, “when Jane Philpott resigns saying that it’s a matter of principle for her, well that fortifies the story that I believe to true, that inappropriate pressure was brought to bear on our former Attorney General.”

May has seen the explosive testimony in the SNC Lavalin affair first-hand. With the resignations of Wilson-Raybould and Philpott, she believes Prime Minister Trudeau is only starting to learn how strong his leading female MP’s are.

“When Justin Trudeau went out to get a gender balanced cabinet, he recruited some very qualified, very impressive women and put them on the front benches. They weren’t career politicians, they weren’t career parts of the Liberal party. And it’s very clear to me that they are women of integrity and principle,” said May.

Elizabeth May is hosting a town hall meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at St. Andrews on the Square.  Another Green Party town hall meeting is planned for Tuesday at noon in Ashcroft at The Hub on Hill Street.