Text messages between Jody Wilson-Raybould and one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeausa国际传媒檚 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-Raybouldsa国际传媒檚 exchanges with Gerald Butts, Trudeausa国际传媒檚 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 sa国际传媒渒now I will be prepared for tomorrow. And I know why this is happening.sa国际传媒�
Butts has submitted the text messages to the House of Commons justice committee, in response to Wilson-Raybouldsa国际传媒檚 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 Canadasa国际传媒檚 first Indigenous justice minister, resigned from cabinet a month later. Butts resigned shortly thereafter.
Wilson-Raybould maintains she was improperly pressured by the Prime Ministersa国际传媒檚 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 shesa国际传媒檇 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.
sa国际传媒淭iming of sa国际传媒榩ushingsa国际传媒� me out (which will be the perception sa国际传媒� whether true or not) is terrible,sa国际传媒� she wrote.
sa国际传媒淚t will be confounding and perplexing to people. This is not about me sa国际传媒� believe me when I say this sa国际传媒� but this is about an approach to Indigenous Peoples sa国际传媒� 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.sa国际传媒�
Butts responded: sa国际传媒淣obody is sa国际传媒榩ushing you out.sa国际传媒� In fact, the PM has taken the extraordinary (in my experience unique) step of offering an alternative cabinet post to you.sa国际传媒�
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: sa国际传媒淵es, it is my preference.sa国际传媒�
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: sa国际传媒淔or what it is worth, I feel compelled to say sa国际传媒� one last time sa国际传媒� that what is being proposed is a mistake sa国际传媒� irrespective of where I am going. There is no way to fully explain this.
sa国际传媒淢y eyes are wide open on this shift. What I know sa国际传媒� as you must sa国际传媒� is that there is a robust and proud record of what our government has done sa国际传媒� through my work and that of the (Department of Justice) sa国际传媒� I stand behind this hard work and all of my decisions and legal advice.sa国际传媒�
Butts wished her a safe trip and added: sa国际传媒淚 know this is tough but we have very good ideas to make it all work from a comms perspective. Theresa国际传媒檚 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.sa国际传媒�
She responds with: sa国际传媒淚 guess you want me to take Jess to make room for new PMO (chief of staff) (Mathieu or elder) to support incoming PSsa国际传媒� 颅 sa国际传媒� 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sa国际传媒� senior staffers in the Prime Ministersa国际传媒檚 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.
sa国际传媒淣ope, I want to know your preference,sa国际传媒� Butts replied.
sa国际传媒淚 told you my preference,sa国际传媒� she texted back. sa国际传媒淎s to the sa国际传媒榲ery good ideassa国际传媒� 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.sa国际传媒�
sa国际传媒淵es, you do because the PM told you why it is happening,sa国际传媒� Butts responded, describing a cascading series of moves made necessary by Brisonsa国际传媒檚 departure.
sa国际传媒淣obody wanted to move but everyone pitched in for the sake of the team.sa国际传媒�
Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
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