Canada's Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau is facing calls to step down from his position in the wake of revelations made by former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould on the 2015 SNC-Lavalin case of bribery in Libya.
Trudeau is said to have used undue influence to pressure Wilson-Raybould into intervening in the matter so that, instead of facing prosecution, SNC-Lavalin would be allowed a deferred prosecution agreement. That meant that the company would be able to dodge prosecution and merely face fines.
Trudeau is, however, standing his ground, maintaining he and his staff have acted "appropriately" and "professionally" at all times.
Wilson-Raybould, however, is saying otherwise. She maintains that it was not only Trudeau who had put her under duress but also those who work closely with him. And for a time, it became difficult for the ex-AG because, due to privileged information constraints, she could not reveal what had transpired in her conversation with the PM regarding her finding a way to accommodate SNC-Lavalin.
Trudeau has since waived this privilege, so now, Wilson-Raybould is providing testimony at a hearing with the justice committee of the House of Commons, claiming that she went through "consistent" as well as "sustained" pressure from several government people, including the PM, to "interfere" and use the "prosecutorial discretion" that came with her office, to grant a "deferred prosecution agreement," as mentioned above.
She also revealed she had received "veiled threats" from Michael Wernick, the Clerk of the Privy Council who had warned her to "avoid" "collision" with Trudeau regarding the matter.
However, she opined that, when she had not budged her position, she was shunted to another office, as veteran affairs minister. But earlier this month, she had resigned from Trudeau's cabinet; so has the latter's close confidant, Gerry Butts. Nothing has been declared to explain why this was so.
After four grueling hours of interviews and giving testimony, Andrew Scheer, the Tory leader, demanded the Prime Minister resign his office, saying Trudeau could no longer "lead the nation with a clear conscience."
Despite this, the Prime Minister continues to maintain he has not done anything wrong and pointing out that the decision regarding SNC-Lavalin was Wilson-Raybould's alone
