Trudeau scandal sends tremors throughout Canadian Government

Recently, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet went through multiple shuffles due to a scandal that monumentally changed Canada’s government. Many of Trudeau’s cabinet members resigned, the most common reason being that they felt their government had become corrupt due to the scandal.

On February 7th, the Globe and Mail reported that the former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould faced allegations that she illegally aided a Quebec-based construction company. This illegal activity included settling a criminal case and avoiding prosecution over allegations in which the company bribed officials in Libya to acquire government contracts. Later, in her testimony to the House Justice Committee, Wilson-Raybould alleged that she faced “veiled threats” and “sustained” pressure to aid the Montreal-based company SNC-Lavalin, a major employer in Canada.

This scandal has sent many tremors throughout Canada’s government, sparking national outrage and several resignations. In the midst of the allegations, Wilson-Raybould was one of many ministers to resign from the Cabinet back in February.

Gerald Butts, Trudeau’s top aide, also resigned in February amid accusations that he was one of those who pressured the former Attorney General. While denying accusations, Butts said he left his position because “[the scandal] cannot and should not take one moment away from the vital work the Prime Minister and his office is doing for all Canadians”, according to CNN.

Jane Philpott, who has held multiple positions in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Cabinet including Minister of Health, Minister of the Indigenous Board and Treasury Board president resigned last Monday, claiming that she “lost confidence in the government’s handling of an inquiry into the allegations of pressure,” according to CNN.

The most recent and perhaps most major resignation is from Canada’s top bureaucrat, a key player in the SNC-Lavalin controversy. On Monday, March 18, Trudeau announced that the Clerk of the Privy Council, Michael Wernick, is retiring after 38 years of serving the public. His replacement is Ian Shugart, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Last Wednesday, Butts testified before the House Justice Committee. In his testimony, he emphasized that he  “firmly believe[s] nothing inappropriate occurred here and nothing inappropriate was alleged to have occurred until after the Cabinet shuffle.” This was very different than Wilson-Raybould’s testimony, where she claimed: “Conversations like the one I had with the clerk of the privy council … spoke to me about his concerns as to what would happen. In my mind those were veiled threats and I took them as such. That is entirely inappropriate.” Because of the stark difference between the two testimonies, members of the Justice Committee have considered calling Wilson-Raybould back to hear from her again, but the committee ultimately decided against it.

After the multiple resignations and Cabinet shuffles caused by the scandal, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s image has been tainted. Ever since he was swept into office in November 2015, as the son of former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau has managed to keep a clean, fresh-faced image as a politician. However, his reputation is certainly taking a hit in the polls due to his lack of transparency and reluctance to inform the public during the scandal.

It seems strange to many Americans that this scandal has managed to create such a large presence in Canada’s government, since incidents like the SNC-Lavalin happen more frequently in the US government. “I feel like I constantly see corruption scandal headlines regarding US news but seeing it about Canada is certainly a first, but it’s really interesting to see how many waves this scandal is creating in a country unused to the behavior,” Richard Montgomery student Joseph Jasperse said. At the end of the day, whether Canadians like it or not, this scandal will certainly leave an impact on their government for years to come.

Article by MoCo Student staff writer Faith Cheung of Richard Montgomery High School