Text messages between Jody Wilson-Raybould and one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 top advisers suggest she initially tried to prevent her move out of the prestigious Justice portfolio by arguing it would send the wrong message to Indigenous Peoples.
But Wilson-Raybould香蕉视频直播檚 exchanges with Gerald Butts, Trudeau香蕉视频直播檚 former principal secretary, became increasingly angry and ominous-sounding as the day of the Jan. 14 cabinet shuffle approached.
In one of her final texts before the shuffle, she told Butts he should 香蕉视频直播渒now I will be prepared for tomorrow. And I know why this is happening.香蕉视频直播�
Butts has submitted the text messages to the House of Commons justice committee, in response to Wilson-Raybould香蕉视频直播檚 written submission last week, which supplemented her nearly four hours of oral testimony at the committee in February.
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None of the texts directly mentions SNC-Lavalin but Butts told the committee last month that he had numerous conversations with Wilson-Raybould during the week before the shuffle in which she stated her belief that she was being punished for refusing to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Montreal engineering giant.
Wilson-Raybould, who made history as Canada香蕉视频直播檚 first Indigenous justice minister, resigned from cabinet a month later. Butts resigned shortly thereafter.
Wilson-Raybould maintains she was improperly pressured by the Prime Minister香蕉视频直播檚 Office last fall to override the director of public prosecutions, who had decided to proceed with a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya, rather than negotiate a remediation agreement, a sort of plea bargain.
Trudeau told Wilson-Raybould on Jan. 7, while she was vacationing in Bali, that he was moving her to Indigenous Services to replace Jane Philpott whom he was moving to Treasury Board to fill the void left by the retirement of Scott Brison.
Wilson-Raybould refused to take on Indigenous Services, since it would put her in charge of the Indian Act she香蕉视频直播檇 spent her life fighting. Trudeau agreed to move her to Veterans Affairs instead.
At the moment those discussions were taking place, protests were erupting across the country in support of a northern British Columbia First Nation, 14 members of which had been arrested by the RCMP for blocking an access road used by workers on a natural gas pipeline project.
Wilson-Raybould noted those protests in a Jan. 8 text to Butts.
香蕉视频直播淭iming of 香蕉视频直播榩ushing香蕉视频直播� me out (which will be the perception 香蕉视频直播� whether true or not) is terrible,香蕉视频直播� she wrote.
香蕉视频直播淚t will be confounding and perplexing to people. This is not about me 香蕉视频直播� believe me when I say this 香蕉视频直播� but this is about an approach to Indigenous Peoples 香蕉视频直播� This situation is only going to deepen and I am very worried about it. I am getting texts/emails from indig leaders and B.C. etc. Just felt I had to text.香蕉视频直播�
Butts responded: 香蕉视频直播淣obody is 香蕉视频直播榩ushing you out.香蕉视频直播� In fact, the PM has taken the extraordinary (in my experience unique) step of offering an alternative cabinet post to you.香蕉视频直播�
On Jan. 10, Butts asked Wilson-Raybould if it was her preference to have her chief of staff, Jessica Prince, move with her to Veterans Affairs. She responded: 香蕉视频直播淵es, it is my preference.香蕉视频直播�
But two days later, she implied that moving Prince out of Justice was part of a plan to install a new chief of staff who would be more supportive of intervention in the SNC-Lavalin file.
On Jan. 12, as she was about to depart Bali, Wilson-Raybould texted Butts to say: 香蕉视频直播淔or what it is worth, I feel compelled to say 香蕉视频直播� one last time 香蕉视频直播� that what is being proposed is a mistake 香蕉视频直播� irrespective of where I am going. There is no way to fully explain this.
香蕉视频直播淢y eyes are wide open on this shift. What I know 香蕉视频直播� as you must 香蕉视频直播� is that there is a robust and proud record of what our government has done 香蕉视频直播� through my work and that of the (Department of Justice) 香蕉视频直播� I stand behind this hard work and all of my decisions and legal advice.香蕉视频直播�
Butts wished her a safe trip and added: 香蕉视频直播淚 know this is tough but we have very good ideas to make it all work from a comms perspective. There香蕉视频直播檚 an opportunity here for you to show people a side of yourself and your talent that you did not get as (minister of justice and attorney general). I really want to help. Starting with asking Jess to go with you.香蕉视频直播�
She responds with: 香蕉视频直播淚 guess you want me to take Jess to make room for new PMO (chief of staff) (Mathieu or elder) to support incoming PS香蕉视频直播� 颅 香蕉视频直播� apparently assuming her parliamentary secretary, Arif Virani, was going to be named justice minister and that his chief of staff would be either Mathieu Bouchard or Elder Marques 颅香蕉视频直播� senior staffers in the Prime Minister香蕉视频直播檚 Office whom Wilson-Raybould has since accused of exerting inappropriate pressure on her to intervene in the SNC-Lavalin case.
In fact, Trudeau appointed Montreal backbencher and former law professor David Lametti to the justice portfolio. Bouchard and Marques remain at PMO.
香蕉视频直播淣ope, I want to know your preference,香蕉视频直播� Butts replied.
香蕉视频直播淚 told you my preference,香蕉视频直播� she texted back. 香蕉视频直播淎s to the 香蕉视频直播榲ery good ideas香蕉视频直播� you guys might want to consider sharing them with me. But know I will be prepared for tomorrow. And I know why this is happening.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淵es, you do because the PM told you why it is happening,香蕉视频直播� Butts responded, describing a cascading series of moves made necessary by Brison香蕉视频直播檚 departure.
香蕉视频直播淣obody wanted to move but everyone pitched in for the sake of the team.香蕉视频直播�
Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
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