VOTE: Should Justin Trudeau resign after the SNC-Lavalin scandal?
In the wake of Jody Wilson-Raybould’s testimony on the SNC-Lavalin controversy, Conservative leader Andrew Scheer has called for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign.
“Justin Trudeau simply cannot continue to govern this country now that Canadians know what he has done,” Scheer said. “And that is why I am calling on Mr. Trudeau to do the right thing and to resign.”
His comments come after Wilson-Raybould told the the House of Commons justice committee that that she was pressured and received “veiled threats” from the prime minister, members of his office and other senior officials regarding the SNC-Lavalin prosecution in a federal corruption case during her time as attorney general.
Back in 2015, the RCMP laid corruption and fraud charges against SNC-Lavalin, a Montreal-based engineering firm, related to business in Libya between 2001 and 2011. A former executive vice-president, Riadh Ben Aissa, pleaded guilty in Switzerland to bribery and money-laundering in connection with projects in the country, including bribery payments to Saadi Gadhafi.
SNC-Lavalin tried to strike a “deferred prosecution agreement” to avoid trials and criminal prosecution but in October 2018, Public Prosecution Service of Canada announced that there would not be a deal. This led to Wilson-Raybould coming under pressure to intervene and make the Public Prosecution Service of Canada reconsider a deal.
Trudeau has rejected the official oppositional leader’s call for his resignation following Wilson-Raybould’s testimony and disagrees with her description of discussions she had with him and senior officials about the case and is waiting for the ethics commissioner to look into the situation.
“So, while political parties and various people are making, or trying to draw a lot of attention to this issue, there is a process, both at the justice committee and indeed at the ethics commissioner, that will make a determination on what actually happened here,” Trudeau said.
Following Wednesday’s testimony and responses from federal party leaders, Canadians took to social media to express their opinions of the SNC-Lavalin controversy:
Sadly, I have no doubt the whole #SNCLavalinScandal is nothing more than politics as usual. What's notable to me is it was the 1st indigenous woman in the role of MOJAG who stood up to the political machine. We need more diversity and more women in top positions in govt asap.
— Josee-Anne (@josee_anne) February 28, 2019
Jody Wilson-Raybould. 👏🏼 Not only has she stood up for herself, she’s stood up for Canada, and for the rule of law. #cdnpoli #TrudeauMustResign #LavScam #SNCLavalinScandal pic.twitter.com/FD3GhWH0Kj
— Blondie (@blondefan1) February 28, 2019
Just want to remind us all that our moral outrage at #trudeau will give us PM Andy Scheer so think of that for the next 7 months. #SNCLavalinScandal
— Sal (@mindguerilla) February 28, 2019
A great perspective 👇. The most egregious part – that the biggest concern of Trudeau and co. was not about jobs and the impact on families – it was about the impact lost jobs would have on the election. Quebec should be the most angry. #SNCLavalinScandal https://t.co/4XY4iu9fjd
— Patrick Nelson (@PatrickNelson2) February 28, 2019
I honestly don’t understand objectively why the #SNCLavalinScandal has such a buzz. Trudeau acted inappropriately but just like any politician would have done with such a threat to their base.
— Chris McGee (@seeteegee) February 28, 2019
So what do you think of the SNC-Lavalin scandal? Do you think the prime minister should resign? Vote in the poll above and leave your thoughts in the comments below.
