Text messages between Jody Wilson-Raybould and one of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau91裸聊视频檚 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-Raybould91裸聊视频檚 exchanges with Gerald Butts, Trudeau91裸聊视频檚 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 91裸聊视频渒now I will be prepared for tomorrow. And I know why this is happening.91裸聊视频�
Butts has submitted the text messages to the House of Commons justice committee, in response to Wilson-Raybould91裸聊视频檚 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 Canada91裸聊视频檚 first Indigenous justice minister, resigned from cabinet a month later. Butts resigned shortly thereafter.
Wilson-Raybould maintains she was improperly pressured by the Prime Minister91裸聊视频檚 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 she91裸聊视频檇 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.
91裸聊视频淭iming of 91裸聊视频榩ushing91裸聊视频� me out (which will be the perception 91裸聊视频� whether true or not) is terrible,91裸聊视频� she wrote.
91裸聊视频淚t will be confounding and perplexing to people. This is not about me 91裸聊视频� believe me when I say this 91裸聊视频� but this is about an approach to Indigenous Peoples 91裸聊视频� 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.91裸聊视频�
Butts responded: 91裸聊视频淣obody is 91裸聊视频榩ushing you out.91裸聊视频� In fact, the PM has taken the extraordinary (in my experience unique) step of offering an alternative cabinet post to you.91裸聊视频�
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: 91裸聊视频淵es, it is my preference.91裸聊视频�
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: 91裸聊视频淔or what it is worth, I feel compelled to say 91裸聊视频� one last time 91裸聊视频� that what is being proposed is a mistake 91裸聊视频� irrespective of where I am going. There is no way to fully explain this.
91裸聊视频淢y eyes are wide open on this shift. What I know 91裸聊视频� as you must 91裸聊视频� is that there is a robust and proud record of what our government has done 91裸聊视频� through my work and that of the (Department of Justice) 91裸聊视频� I stand behind this hard work and all of my decisions and legal advice.91裸聊视频�
Butts wished her a safe trip and added: 91裸聊视频淚 know this is tough but we have very good ideas to make it all work from a comms perspective. There91裸聊视频檚 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.91裸聊视频�
She responds with: 91裸聊视频淚 guess you want me to take Jess to make room for new PMO (chief of staff) (Mathieu or elder) to support incoming PS91裸聊视频� 颅 91裸聊视频� 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91裸聊视频� senior staffers in the Prime Minister91裸聊视频檚 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.
91裸聊视频淣ope, I want to know your preference,91裸聊视频� Butts replied.
91裸聊视频淚 told you my preference,91裸聊视频� she texted back. 91裸聊视频淎s to the 91裸聊视频榲ery good ideas91裸聊视频� 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.91裸聊视频�
91裸聊视频淵es, you do because the PM told you why it is happening,91裸聊视频� Butts responded, describing a cascading series of moves made necessary by Brison91裸聊视频檚 departure.
91裸聊视频淣obody wanted to move but everyone pitched in for the sake of the team.91裸聊视频�
Joan Bryden, The Canadian Press
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