Democracy Watch, a Canadian advocacy organization, has disclosed a response it received under the Access to Information Act (ATIA) from the RCMP regarding a probe into Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s actions after former Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould publicly revealed she was being pressured to call off the investigation into engineering firm SNC-Lavalin.
The RCMP’s response was in the form of a 96-page document, that disappointedly heavily redacted 86 pages due to an ongoing investigation, leaving only a 5-page letter from Democracy Watch to the RCMP from February 2021 as fully viewable. Four pages are entirely redacted due to irrelevance, while one page is redacted as being redundant.
This response reveals that the RCMP is in fact investigating Trudeau, former Finance Minister Bill Morneau, some of their staff members, and the former Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick over potential obstruction of justice after the individuals allegedly tried to convince Wilson-Raybould to refrain from probing the SNC-Lavalin prosecution.
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This revelation marks the RCMP’s first public acknowledgement of the investigation since August 14, 2019, when it confirmed it was carefully examining the situation. Subsequent news reports in September 2019 indicated that the RCMP examination was on hold due to the fall 2019 federal election campaign and the refusal of then-Clerk of the Privy Council, Ian Shugart, to waive Cabinet confidence, which would have allowed government witnesses to share full information with the RCMP. Notably, Wilson-Raybould at the time confirmed she was interviewed by the RCMP about the Prime Minister and others’ actions.
Democracy Watch has voiced concerns about the length of the investigation, which began nearly four years after the allegations were made public and after an Ethics Commissioner’s ruling that Trudeau violated federal ethics law. Duff Conacher, Co-founder of Democracy Watch, argues that the RCMP should have confirmed the investigation earlier and raises several key questions. These include: the timeline and resources dedicated to the investigation, whether there have been negotiations with the Prime Minister’s Office regarding Cabinet confidence disclosures, when the investigation will conclude, and whether there will be a full public explanation of the findings.
Democracy Watch has sent two letters to the RCMP outlining the basis for prosecuting obstruction of justice, requesting full public updates, and applying for records under the ATIA. The first letter, sent in February 2021, did not receive a response. A second letter was sent in June 2022 after the RCMP were forced to disclose documents under the ATIA related to another investigation into a trip gift to Trudeau and his family from the Aga Khan.
Conacher expresses concerns about potential delays, asking whether the RCMP and prosecutors are waiting for another federal election to pass or are attempting to bury the results by stalling, a tactic he believes is common when powerful politicians and government officials face allegations of illegal activities in Canada.
Information for this story was found via Democracy Watch. The author has no securities or affiliations related to the organizations discussed. Not a recommendation to buy or sell. Always do additional research and consult a professional before purchasing a security. The author holds no licenses.
