Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚 long-time friend and former principal secretary Gerald Butts is testifying on Wednesday to the House of Commons justice committee about the SNC-Lavalin affair.
Butts, 47, resigned on Feb. 18, a week before former attorney general and justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould told the committee that she allegedly experienced pressure and 鈥渧eiled threats鈥� from the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office and others to interfere in the prosecution of the giant Quebec engineering firm.
Wilson-Raybould has alleged that Butts told her she 鈥渘eeded to find a solution鈥� on the SNC-Lavalin file and that he didn鈥檛 鈥渓ike the law鈥� set up by former prime minister Stephen Harper that prevented Wilson-Raybould from stepping in.
Wilson-Raybould also read the committee text messages from her chief of staff, alleging that Butts had said 鈥渢here is no solution here that doesn鈥檛 involve some interference.鈥�
Here are five things to know about Butts.
Butts is one of Trudeau鈥檚 university buddies
Butts and Trudeau were born in 1971 and met two decades later at McGill University, where they were both English majors.
Butts was a decorated debater, twice winning the Canadian National Debating Championship. Trudeau was also on the team.
Butts told Trudeau biographer Althia Raj that they talked about Trudeau becoming prime minister, but the discussion wasn鈥檛 serious. 鈥淲e talked about it like I'd like to be goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens.鈥�
The two remained friends after school. Butts helped craft Trudeau鈥檚 well-received eulogy to his legendary father in 2000.
Three years later, they retraced P.E.T.鈥檚 famous canoe trip along the South Nahanni River in the Northwest Territories.
Butts didn鈥檛 grow up in a rich or famous household
Butts wrote an in which he revealed a bit about life in Cape Breton.
鈥淒uring the 40 years my dad worked, 726 people drew their last breath deep underground in Nova Scotia, or due of mortal injuries sustained there,鈥� he wrote. 鈥淭he most tragic year in my lifetime was 1979. I was in Grade 3 when Number 26 Colliery exploded in late February. Twelve men were killed that awful, monstrous day.鈥�
Butts also told the story of his dad鈥檚 calm approach to discipline after finding his underage son鈥檚 empty Jack Daniels bottle.
Butts helped Dalton McGuinty win with a positive message
Butts worked for former Ontario Liberal premier Dalton McGuinty as his principal secretary starting in 1999, and oversaw policy in the years leading up to McGuinty鈥檚 big victory in 2003.
McGuinty won the premier鈥檚 chair after portraying himself as a 鈥減ositive鈥� alternative to the Progressive Conservatives鈥� Ernie Eves, who was sending out attack ads.
In McGuinty鈥檚 victory speech, he said voters had 鈥渞ejected the politics of division鈥� 鈥� a phrase the Trudeau echoed in his campaign.
Butts pointed out Monday that Trudeau won after focusing on 鈥渂eing positive with his vision for the county鈥� and 鈥渁ccomplished this without a single negative personal attack ad on any of his opponents."
Butts is okay with running deficits
McGuinty鈥檚 government promised to deal with 鈥渆ducation deficits鈥� and 鈥渉ealth deficits鈥� by continuing fiscal deficits, at least for the first few years of the mandate. Ontario has struggled to reduce its debt ever since, and Moody鈥檚 has downgraded the province鈥檚 outlook to 鈥渘egative.鈥�
Butts, however, has continued to promote deficit spending. In a 2014 interview with CTV鈥檚 Robert Fife, he called the federal Conservatives鈥� deficit budgets 鈥渞elatively austere鈥� and said not spending enough was a 鈥渂ig problem.鈥�
Trudeau later campaigned on running 鈥渕odest deficits鈥� in order to allow more spending on infrastructure and social programs.
Butts worked as an environmental activist
In 2008, Butts took over World Wildlife Federation Canada (WWF), a non-profit organization committed to conservation and sustainable development.
During his time there, he said, 鈥�100 per cent sustainable, renewable energy is possible and economical by 2050 if we start the transition today.鈥�
A number of NDP supporters were ridiculed for making a earlier this year, in part because of the impact that would have on the Alberta oil sands and economy.
However, in the 2014 interview with CTV鈥檚 Robert Fife, Butts acknowledged that 鈥渙ne of our most important (natural resources) is bitumen, is oil sands.鈥�
