Justin Trudeau kicks two 'whistleblower' MPs from party amid meddling claims

Justin Trudeau kicked two “whistleblower” MPs out of his ruling Liberal Party
REUTERS
David Gardner3 April 2019

Justin Trudeau has kicked two “whistleblower” MPs out of his ruling Liberal Party amid a political firestorm over his government’s alleged meddling in a criminal case.

The embattled prime minister said the expulsions of Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott from the Liberal Party were triggered because “trust has been broken”.

Ms Wilson-Raybould, the former attorney general, had accused the government of putting pressure on her to help one of Canada’s biggest companies avoid prosecution after it was accused of using bribery to win lucrative contracts in Libya.

She resigned from the Cabinet after claiming she had faced “veiled threats” and “sustained” pressure to side with construction giant SNC-Lavalin.

Ms Philpott resigned as Treasury Board president last month in protest over the government’s handling of the affair.

Trying to contain the simmering scandal in an election year, Mr Trudeau told his party last night that he had shown “patience and understanding”, but added: “The trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken.”

Mr Trudeau, who has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing by himself or his officials, claimed his decision was prompted by a revelation last week that the former attorney general had secretly recorded a conversation with Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick, which she claimed supported her allegation that she was pressured to shield SNC-Lavalin from prosecution.

“If a politician secretly records a conversation with anyone, it’s wrong. When that politician is a cabinet minister secretly recording a public servant, it’s wrong,” said Mr Trudeau.

Ms Wilson-Raybould tweeted today that she has “no regrets” over her decision to go public with her whistleblower claims.

Ms Philpott insisted she was wrongly accused of disloyalty and said she found it “profoundly disheartening” to be pushed out.

Andrew Scheer, leader of the opposition Conservatives, said the scandal represented a “betrayal of justice”.

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