[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

To me, most of those are scandals of bungling, incompetence, and making bigger mistakes trying to cover up previous ones. The end result typically being wasted money. These types of things are common across most governments everywhere. No, on their own, they shouldn't be rewarded with a vote.

But the UCP scandals tend to revolve around making things worse for citizens, which is the bigger failing, because that's their job. You look at the green energy stuff, coal mines, dismantling our health care systems, kowtowing to anti-vax morons which endangers our health...all things that work against the best interest of citizens. They have an end goal in mind and they don't really seem to care what they have to do to get there, as long as no one rats them out. So I see scandals that are more than just grifting and wasted money as far more egregious.

If you are just willing to shrug off things like SNC it really shows how partisan you are. That was far more than just a bungling matter and incompetence at play. It was a scandal that ripped through our procedural systems and damaged the independence of governing bodies. It involved political interference from the PMO to save their buddies at SNC.

When the UCP strong arms governmental affairs you are quick to beat them down but SNC was nothing apparently.

After Kathleen Roussel, the director of public prosecutions, decided in September 2018 that she would not make a deal and would proceed with a trial against SNC Lavalin, Wilson-Raybould said she reached a similar decision on the matter — and made it clear to all in government that she would not intervene in the PPSC process.

The former minister said despite that position, she still fielded 10 phone calls and sat for 10 in-person meetings with members of the PMO, including Mathieu Bouchard, Trudeau's adviser on Quebec issues, and special adviser Elder Marques, among others.

Despite attempts to convince her to reconsider her stance given the possible economic consequences, Wilson-Raybould said she was undaunted in her position and that she should take no further action.

She also said she faced pressure from Ben Chin, Finance Minister Bill Morneau's chief of staff, and Gerry Butts, the prime minister's former principal secretary, to consider the consequences. Butts resigned last week while saying he acted ethically.

Wilson-Raybould said she was reminded by these staffers of the political consequences for both the provincial and federal Liberal parties if SNC-Lavalin folded or laid off workers.

"I experienced a consistent and sustained effort by many people within the government to seek to politically interfere in the exercise of prosecutorial discretion in my role as the attorney general of Canada," she said.

"Within these conversations, there were express statements regarding the necessity for interference in the SNC-Lavalin matter, the potential for consequences, and veiled threats if a DPA was not made available to SNC," she said.

When Wilson-Raybould raised her discomfort with the pressure she said she faced with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a September meeting, she said Trudeau told her he, too, was worried about SNC-Lavalin layoffs and the company's continued viability if it were convicted of the criminal charges.

A conviction could bar the firm from bidding on federal contracts for up to 10 years, a key source of revenue for the company.

"At that point the PM jumped in stressing that there is an election in Quebec and that 'I am an MP in Quebec — the member for Papineau.'"

"I was quite taken aback," Wilson-Raybould said.

"My response — and I remember this vividly — was to ask the PM a direct question while looking him in the eye — I asked: 'Are you politically interfering with my role, my decision as the AG? I would strongly advise against it.' The prime minister said, 'No, No, No – we just need to find a solution,'" Wilson-Raybould said Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters after her testimony, Trudeau denied any wrongdoing and said his government was principally concerned about job losses, namely for the 9,400 Canadians who work for SNC-Lavalin, when there were discussions about the DPA.

After the meeting and amid her clear reluctance to "find a solution," on Dec. 18, 2018, her chief of staff, Jessica Prince, was "urgently summoned" to meet with both Butts and the prime minister's chief of staff, Katie Telford, to discuss a DPA.

In a text message exchange said to have been sent immediately after that meeting, Prince told Wilson-Raybould about the conversation.

"Gerry said 'Jess, there is no solution here that doesn't involve some interference,' Wilson-Raybould said, reading the text message from Prince to the committee Wednesday.

"At least they are finally being honest about what they are asking you to do! Don't care about the PPSC's independence. Katie was like 'we don't want to debate legalities anymore.' … They kept being like 'we aren't lawyers, but there has to be some solution here,'" Prince said in a text to Wilson-Raybould.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/key...ndal-1.5036629