Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is denying that he wanted Jody Wilson-Raybould to lie as he faced new questions about the SNC-Lavalin affair following the publication of an excerpt of the former justice minister’s memoir.
Published in the Globe and Mail, the excerpt revolves around two meetings Wilson-Raybould says she had with Trudeau in February 2019 following what she has described as months of inappropriate pressure from senior Liberals.
Wilson-Raybould, whose memoir is set for release on Tuesday, has previously testified that the pressure involved efforts to get her to intervene to stop the criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin on bribery charges related to contracts in Libya.
In the excerpt, Wilson-Raybould says there was no question in her mind that Trudeau knew about the attempts to pressure her, and alleges the prime minister wanted her to lie to Canadians about what had happened.
Speaking at a campaign event in Mississauga this morning, Trudeau said the entire affair had been discussed and picked apart prior to the 2019 federal election, and denied wanting Wilson-Raybould to lie.
Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole alleged during his own campaign event in Whitby, Ont., that Wilson-Raybould’s account is proof Trudeau will do anything to win.
