, 05.21.2019 06:12 AM

Exclusive in the Sun: JWR speaks!

The truth.

She says it’s true — the actions of the Liberal Prime Minister should be “of great concern for many Canadians, across the country.”

She says, truthfully, that Justin Trudeau has acted in a way that is “questionable.”

She says what happened her is “a wake-up call” — and, while she’s not happy about what Justin Trudeau did to her, she’s running again.

And — when, say, a Prime Minister Andrew Scheer gives her the legal green light to do so — she plans to tell all.

She plans to reveal what really happened “behind the veil” in Trudeau’s Ottawa.

The true story.

She’s Jody Wilson-Raybould, and she’s speaking out.

In an exclusive interview with the Toronto Sun this week, the former Attorney-General of Canada spoke at length about how she’s feeling, the issues she cares about, and what the future holds for the courageous woman who shook Canadian politics to its foundations in 2019.

It’s been quite a ride for Wilson-Raybould, the Member of Parliament who started the year as the most powerful lawyer in the land — and, just 100 days later, was expelled from the federal Liberal caucus.

For being a whistleblower on corruption. For speaking truth to power. For having the guts to say “no” to Justin Trudeau and the men around him, who refused to take “no” for an answer.

The fundamentals in the LavScam scandal, by now, are well-known.

For four months in 2018, Trudeau, the Minister of Finance, and their unelected apparatchiks bullied and threatened Wilson-Raybould, demanding that she rig the system to help a seamy Quebec company — SNC-Lavalin — escape criminal prosecution for corruption charges.

Wilson-Raybould refused to do so.

By the time the whole sordid affair lurched to a close, Wilson-Raybould and her cabinet ally Jane Philpott had been defamed, demeaned, and dumped from the Liberal caucus.

Trudeau had lost his two closest and most powerful advisors — Principal Secretary Gerald Butts and Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick.

And the Liberal Party commenced a truly dramatic slide in the polls.

If an election was held today, in fact, Trudeau’s formerly-invincible party would suffer a humiliating loss to the Conservatives.

With the dust now settled, somewhat, what does Jody Wilson-Raybould think about it all?

“I am still somewhat sad,” she says.

“But, mostly, disappointed over what transpired the last number of months – given how I was removed from caucus through a questionable process and treated for doing what, at the end of the day, was the right thing to do, for the right reasons.”

She adds: “Having said that, I’m embracing my new position as an independent MP for Vancouver Granville and remain inspired by the incredible reception I’ve received from thousands of Canadians and their encouragement for me to stay in politics.”

Are they encouraging her to run again? Will she?

“My time in federal politics is not over,” Wilson-Raybould says, a bit mysteriously. “I will be making a decision shortly. Stay tuned.”

The LavScam scandal — more than the Aga Khan mess, more than the disastrous India trip, more than Trudeau’s policy fumbles on China, NAFTA, pipelines and federal-provincial relations — dealt the deadliest blow to the Liberal leader’s re-election hopes.

Before LavScam, most everyone had seen a second Trudeau majority government as inevitable.

Not now.

Wilson-Raybould agrees.

Says she: “[LavScam] was a wake up call for many – a peek behind the veil of how Ottawa works. I know, like me, many of the class of 2015 who came into federal politics for the first time truly believed there was a different way to do politics. We knew what this was supposed to mean. Unfortunately our experience did not match expectations or the standards we had set ourselves. The last months have led me – and I suspect many of my former colleagues, and I know countless Canadians – to pause and consider the way the system works.”

Can that system ever change? What needs to change? Wilson-Raybould doesn’t hesitate: politics which are “less partisan,” she says.

Freeing MPs to “truly represent their constituents.” And – contrary to what happens in Justin Trudeau’s Ottawa – a Parliament “where truth is expected.”

After all that has happened — after all that she has endured — does Jody Wilson-Raybould still have a truth to tell?

If Justin Trudeau is defeated, and his successor removes the cabinet confidence/solicitor-client privilege gag he’s slapped on her, will Wilson-Raybould finally tell us what happened “behind the veil?”

Jody Wilson-Raybould doesn’t hesitate about that, either.

“I will speak the truth,” she says, adding that she will certainly do so — when she is finally “free to do so.”

Promise to give Jody Wilson-Raybould the freedom to speak her truth, Andrew Scheer.

Put it in your election platform.

The truth, as they say, will set you free.

It may get you elected Prime Minister, too.

15 Comments

  1. Ronald O'Dowd says:

    I can’t do any better than this. Powerful beyond belief.

    • Fred from BC says:

      “Powerful beyond belief.”

      Definitely. Loved the lines about promising to let her speak, and “put it in your platform” (some good advice).

      Now I’m left with no choice but to vote for her, if she still runs in my riding of Vancouver-Point Grey (preferably as an independent; it would just be weird if she ran for the NDP).

  2. Lance says:

    Well, that is it then – Justin Trudeau cannot afford to lose. Personally.

    So, what will happen to make sure that doesn’t occur?

    Its gonna be a hit Summer.

    • Lance says:

      I meant to say “hot Summer”, however the original still seems appropriate. How many proverbial political hits this Summer? Who will even want to run?

  3. Daphne says:

    Is this interview what you were referring to on Twitter when you said “I did something big today” ?

  4. Sean says:

    As more and more threads unravel, more and more Trudeau unravels. He’s become paranoid and behaving with increased desperation: buying the media, gagging those around him, fearing question period, resorting to smearing his opponents, and petrified of being unloved.

  5. the real Sean says:

    All the parties running need to make it clear they will let JWR speak. This will box in PM Zoolander’s suicide cult as distinctively promoting corruption.

  6. Gord Tulk says:

    The ignorance about “…the way the system works.” on the part of the vast majority of Canadians – particularly, in my experience, Western Canadians astounds me.

    It’s not like this hasn’t being going on for just a short time – we are talking over 50 years at least and I am open to the argument that it is what the country is based upon.

    Perhaps it is the fault if a highly centralized and compromised media, perhaps it is laziness on the part of Canadians, perhaps it is naiveté. Probably all three. But if an MP and then Minister didn’t even understand it then the country needs a sharp and quick lesson on how the system works and why it must stop.

  7. Jack B says:

    If JWR leaves the liberal party how can she still be gagged? Just do it already. Join anybody and get the story out. Leak it if you have to.

    Trudeau is using every bully pulpit to change the channel and there is nothing to counter him. Even the paid off MSM is complacent. Somebody drop the bomb.

    • BC Guy says:

      I believe it is because Trudeau has not waived full solicitor client privilege so she can speak freely…only partial…it’s obvious he has not provided full waiver as that information will be damning…I’m am not clear however from the story how Scheer could waive it if wasn’t part of Trudeau cabinet. Warren?

      • BC Guy,

        Ditto re: cabinet confidence. In our system, what one government does, another can undo. Or if you prefer, if Trudeau says it’s an apple in law, Scheer can come in and decide it’s an orange in law. As simple as that.

      • Jim R says:

        I believe the story is referring to cabinet confidentiality, not solicitor client privilege. But I could be wrong, as her client was the government, not Trudeau.

  8. Walter says:

    I don’t know what part of the story was true, but apparently Harper had to agree to waive privileged in the Vice Admiral Norman case. Thankfully, he cared enough about the rule of law to allow it.
    But I suspect that Trudeau will waive nothing. Solicitor-Client privileged is one thing, but I suspect that even Cabinet confidence cannot be broken. The more JWR talks, the more the Liberals will say that she has said all there is to say, while everyone else will realize that there are many more questions left to answer – if only she were allowed to answer with the whole truth.

  9. Fred from BC says:

    This is too good to pass up…a look inside the minds of radical left-wingers. You’ve seen the alt-right? Now meet the alt-left:

    https://montrealsimon.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-ghastly-return-of-jody-wilson.html

    (our host is mentioned prominently several times, but I get the distinct impression that they are not fans…)

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