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Trudeau says Wilson-Raybould, Philpott no longer Liberal caucus members

91ƵI have just been informed by the Prime Minister of Canada that I am removed from the Liberal caucus,91Ƶ she said in a statement
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The vice-chief of the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations says she would have welcomed the presence of Jody Wilson-Raybould as minister of Indigenous Services to help address long-standing concerns. Former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould walks from West Block on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott have both been kicked out of the Liberal caucus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday, moments after their fellow government MPs had gathered on Parliament Hill for an emergency meeting to determine their future with the party.

91ƵWe91Ƶve taken every effort to address their concerns, and ultimately, if they can91Ƶt honestly say that they have confidence in this team 91Ƶ then they cannot be part of this team,91Ƶ Trudeau said.

The dissident MPs, both former senior cabinet ministers, risked a civil war within the Liberal party, he said. That91Ƶs how the Liberals lose power and Canada can91Ƶt afford it, he said.

91ƵCanadians will view the removal of Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould from the Liberal caucus for exactly what it is: A betrayal of justice,91Ƶ Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said. 91ƵElected officials are supposed to protect individuals who blow the whistle on government misconduct and corruption, not punish them. However, in expelling Ms. Philpott and Ms. Wilson-Raybould from their caucus, they have done exactly that.91Ƶ

Wilson-Raybould, whose explosive allegations of political interference by the Prime Minister91Ƶs Office appear to have deeply imperilled Liberal hopes of holding on to power in this fall91Ƶs federal election, wrote to her fellow 91Ƶ now former 91Ƶ caucus members earlier in the day in hopes of convincing them to let her stay.

But just minutes into Tuesday91Ƶs hastily convened meeting, Wilson-Raybould, who stepped down from Trudeau91Ƶs cabinet in February after he shuffled her out of the coveted justice portfolio, made it clear via Twitter that the letter hadn91Ƶt worked.

91ƵI have just been informed by the prime minister of Canada that I am removed from the Liberal caucus and as the confirmed Vancouver Granville candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2019 federal election,91Ƶ she tweeted.

Minutes later, reporters and cameras were ushered into the caucus room to listen to Trudeau announce that both Wilson-Raybould and Philpott were out.

91ƵThe trust that previously existed between these two individuals and our team has been broken,91Ƶ Trudeau told caucus members.

91ƵIt91Ƶs become clear that Ms. Wilson-Raybould and Dr. Philpott can no longer be part of our Liberal team.91Ƶ

The turmoil has roiled the top ranks of the Trudeau government for weeks, impelled by allegations that Wilson-Raybould was improperly pressured by the Prime Minister91Ƶs Office to intervene in the criminal prosecution of Montreal-based engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.

And it comes on the heels of a fresh uproar over a key phone conversation between the ex-minister and former Privy Council clerk Michael Wernick, the country91Ƶs top bureaucrat 91Ƶ a conversation Wilson-Raybould secretly recorded.

That recording was released Friday as part of her evidence of what Wilson-Raybould calls an intense pressure campaign to persuade her to override a decision to deny SNC-Lavalin a remediation agreement, which would allow the engineering giant to avoid criminal proceedings on corruption and fraud charges.

In the weeks following Wilson-Raybould91Ƶs resignation, caucus had grown divided over the question of whether she and Philpott should be allowed to remain as Liberal MPs. Trudeau himself had initially suggested he would be willing to let them stay, saying repeatedly that he was reserving judgment.

But Friday91Ƶs release of Wilson-Raybould91Ƶs 17-minute phone conversation with Wernick 91Ƶ and the fact she recorded it 91Ƶ appeared to tip the scales.

READ MORE: Butts, Wilson-Raybould texts show mounting anger, frustration over shuffle

91ƵIf a politician secretly records a conversation with anyone, it91Ƶs wrong. When that politician is a cabinet minister secretly recording a public servant, it91Ƶs wrong. And when that cabinet minister is the attorney general of Canada, secretly recording the clerk of the Privy Council, it91Ƶs unconscionable.91Ƶ

He said he was chosen to be Liberal leader, and then prime minister, because he promised a more unifying style than the Conservatives before him.

91ƵWe won because we stood together as a team, which was, to be frank, a change from past iterations of this party. The old Liberal party was notorious for infighting. People on the same team used to identify themselves not as Liberals but as hyphenated Liberals,91Ƶ he said. 91ƵCivil wars within parties are incredibly damaging because they signal to Canadians that we care more about ourselves than we do about them.91Ƶ

For the sake of unity, he said, Wilson-Raybould and Philpott had to go.

Trudeau finished by swinging into a campaign speech, touting the Liberal record on the environment, the economy and minority rights.

91ƵThis is what this year91Ƶs election is about. This is what91Ƶs on the line,91Ƶ he said.

In her appeal to her caucusmates, Wilson-Raybould said she rejected the prime minister91Ƶs pressure on SNC-Lavalin because she was standing up for Liberal values.

91ƵI know many of you are angry, hurt, and frustrated. And frankly so am I, and I can only speak for myself,91Ƶ Wilson-Raybould wrote in her letter to caucus members.

91ƵI am angry, hurt, and frustrated because I feel and believe I was upholding the values that we all committed to. In giving the advice I did, and taking the steps I did, I was trying to help protect the prime minister and the government from a horrible mess.

91ƵI am not the one who tried to interfere in sensitive proceedings, I am not the one who made it public, and I am not the one who publicly denied what happened. But I am not going to go over all of the details here again. Enough has been said.91Ƶ

Toronto MP John McKay, who was unmoved by Wilson-Raybould91Ƶs letter, said he91Ƶs dismayed by her behaviour and believes she and Philpott are 91Ƶjoined at the hip.91Ƶ Fellow MP Judy Sgro agreed the letter is 91Ƶtoo little, too late.

Infrastructure Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne criticized Wilson-Raybould91Ƶs ethics, saying he had never recorded any conversations he had while working as a lawyer. Tourism Minister Melanie Joly called it 91Ƶfundamentally wrong.91Ƶ

In the call, Wernick repeatedly asked Wilson-Raybould why she was not using all the tools at her disposal on the SNC-Lavalin case. She pushes back, saying she would not override the decision of the director of public prosecutions to pursue a criminal prosecution against SNC-Lavalin for bribery and fraud related to its activities in Libya.

Wernick told her Trudeau was 91Ƶquite determined91Ƶ on the matter and would likely 91Ƶfind a way to get it done one way or another.91Ƶ

NDP MP Jenny Kwan said Trudeau91Ƶs move Tuesday was an extension of that attitude 91Ƶ he91Ƶd decided he was going to get his way and threw two unco-operative women under the bus, she said.

Wilson-Raybould has said she believes she was moved out of Justice to Veterans Affairs as punishment for refusing to succumb to relentless pressure last fall from Trudeau, his senior staff, Wernick and others to intervene on SNC91Ƶs behalf. She resigned from cabinet a month later.

Philpott followed suit in early March, citing a loss in confidence in the government91Ƶs handling of the matter.

The Canadian Press

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