The RCMP have denied that they are reportedly looking into possible obstruction of justice by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his staff in relation to the SNC-Lavalin case.
This comes years after Trudeau was found to have violated federal ethics laws by attempting to influence then-justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to drop criminal charges against the Montreal-based company.
According to a report by the National Post, the RCMP denied an access to information request by Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch, saying that the records were inquiring about something “currently under investigation.”
On Monday evening, the RCMP issued a statement in “response to numerous media reports” denying that there was such an investigation.
“In response to numerous media reports, the RCMP can confirm it is not investigating allegations of political interference in the trial of SNC Lavalin,” tweeted the RCMP.
Conacher had requested records concerning any decisions made by the RCMP regarding the examination and prosecution of anyone involved in the SNC-Lavalin affair.
“As it did in February 2021 in a letter to the RCMP, Democracy Watch again requests records with regard into all decisions made concerning the examination and any subsequent investigations that have been undertaken, and all decisions concerning prosecuting anyone involved in the situation of the allegation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, former finance minister Bill Morneau, some members of their staff, and former Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick obstructed justice by pressing then-attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to stop the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin,” Conacher wrote.
The SNC-Lavalin controversy erupted in 2019, when The Globe and Mail revealed that Trudeau and his PMO staff had pressured Wilson-Raybould to offer SNC-Lavalin a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA), which would let the company skirt criminal proceedings and continue to bid on federal contracts.
Wilson-Raybould refused to intervene in the prosecution, and was later shuffled out of her cabinet position. She resigned from cabinet shortly after, followed by fellow minister Jane Philpott.
The House of Commons’ Justice Committee held hearings on the matter, where Wilson-Raybould testified that she faced “consistent and sustained” pressure from Trudeau and his staff to interfere in the prosecution.
“The RCMP should have confirmed long ago that it was investigating the situation given the evidence,” Conacher told the National Post.
“And that more than four years have passed since the situation was made public, and almost four years since the ethics commissioner’s ruling finding that Prime Minister Trudeau violated the federal ethics law pressuring the attorney general.”
Trudeau has to this day denied any wrongdoing, saying that he was only trying to protect jobs and the economy.
He also expelled Wilson-Raybould and Philpott from the Liberal caucus. The federal ethics commissioner ruled that Trudeau had breached the Conflict of Interest Act by attempting to influence Wilson-Raybould.
Opposition politicians have called on the RCMP to investigate whether Trudeau’s conduct constitutes obstruction of justice.
“Are the RCMP and prosecutors waiting for a third federal election to pass? Or doing what often happens in Canada when powerful politicians and government officials are involved in alleged illegal activities: delaying with the hope that they can eventually bury the results of the investigation?” said Conacher.
