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February 12th, 2019

Jagmeet Singh Statement on the Resignation of Jody Wilson-Raybould

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh made the following statement:

“Like most Canadians, I was pleased to see the Prime Minister appoint Jody Wilson-Raybould as the Attorney General of Canada, the first Indigenous woman to ever hold the post. This seemed like a move towards reconciliation, but this treatment of her is not acceptable and raises lots of questions.
I have the utmost respect for Jody Wilson-Raybould. And in recent days, I have been dismayed at reports that pressure from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his office to go easy on SNC-Lavalin may have resulted in her termination as Attorney General.
Now, more than ever, it is imperative that the Liberal government support the work of the Justice Committee that will be looking into whether there was illegal interference with the independent exercise of the former Attorney General’s responsibilities.
Ms. Wilson-Raybould said she “spoke truth to power” and that the justice system should be “free from even the perception of political interference and uphold the highest levels of public confidence.” We call on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and on the current Minister of Justice David Lametti to allow Ms. Wilson-Raybould to speak about this affair and to work with the Justice Committee to get answers.
If Justin Trudeau and the Liberal government shut the Justice Committee’s work down, it would send a dangerous signal to Canadians about the state of our democracy.
Justin Trudeau must be transparent and we will continue to push his government to make sure Canadians receive the answers they deserve.”