OTTAWA 鈥� Former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould鈥檚 new and supplementary evidence, , have been made public.

The documents were provided to the House Justice Committee that had been studying the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal, before Liberal MPs shut it down.

This additional material is meant to elaborate on Wilson-Raybould鈥檚 Feb. 27 testimony. It was during this hours-long appearance that she detailed what she considered to be months of high-level political interference in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to have her instruct federal prosecutors to drop the criminal prosecution of the Quebec construction giant.

Here are some highlights from the conversation.

鈥業 FEEL REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE鈥�

Jody Wilson-Raybould: 鈥淚 am surprised that you and I are having this conversation, but I鈥檓 just saying I feel really uncomfortable about the appropriateness of this conversation.鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淥K, I understand that but I mean, I think [Prime Minister Justin Trudeau鈥檚] view is that he鈥檚 not asking you to do anything inappropriate or to interfere. He鈥檚 asking you to use all the tools that you lawfully have at your disposal.鈥�

鈥楬E鈥橲 IN A VERY FIRM MOOD鈥�

Jody Wilson-Raybould: 鈥淚 know I have a tool under the prosecution act that I can use. I do not believe it is appropriate to use it in this case.鈥�

Michael Wernick: 鈥淥K. Alright. That鈥檚 clear. Well, he鈥檚 in a very firm mood about this, so, um鈥斺��

JWR: 鈥淒oes he understand the gravity of what this potentially could mean? This is not just about saving jobs. This is about interfering with one of our fundamental institutions. This is like, breaching a constitutional principle of prosecutorial independence.鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淲ell I don鈥檛 think he sees it as that鈥斺��

JWR: 鈥淲ell then nobody鈥檚 explaining that to him, Michael.鈥�

鈥榊OU鈥橰E NOT JUST BEING ATTORNEY GENERAL鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淥K, I respect where you鈥檙e coming from鈥斺��

JWR: 鈥淵ou know what, I hope that you do, because I don鈥檛 think anybody respects this. The conversation that Gerry and Katie had with my chief of staff, and like, she wrote down what they said, like, saying that they don鈥檛 want to have anything, or hear any more about the legalities but want to talk about jobs. Entirely inappropriate.鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淥K, well I mean, I wasn鈥檛鈥斺��

JWR: 鈥淲ell I have it. I have it all. It鈥檚 just鈥斺��

Wernick: 鈥淥K, but I mean you鈥檙e not just being attorney general, you鈥檙e the minister of justice and a cabinet [minister] 鈥� and, you have context within which you exercise your roles and your responsibilities. Like, I鈥檓 not seeing anything inappropriate here. But, um, I mean, you鈥檙e right. And the PM鈥擨 mean 鈥� people are talking past each other. I think the way he sees it and the advice he鈥檚 getting is that you still have things that you could do that are not interference and they鈥檙e still very much lawful. So--鈥�

JWR: 鈥淎nd it鈥檚 not that they鈥檙e not lawful. The perception, and what will happen, is it will be deemed political interference from day one when people were talking about why are we entering into or putting a DPA regime in place. Everybody knows it was because of SNC, whether that鈥檚 true or not, that鈥檚 what people think鈥斺��

Wernick: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a tool that鈥檚 used in lots of other countries, though.鈥�

JWR: 鈥淔air.鈥�

Wernick: 鈥溾�攆or these kinds of purposes. And especially if there鈥檚 been a change of ownership or management in the company that鈥檚 being prosecuted. It is a public policy tool.鈥�

鈥業鈥橫 WORRIED ABOUT A COLLISION鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淎lright. Um, well, I don鈥檛 鈥� I鈥檓 going to have to report back before he leaves. He鈥檚 in a pretty firm frame of mind on this though, so I鈥檓 a bit worried.鈥�

JWR: 鈥淎 bit worried about what?鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淲ell, (incompresensible) for the prime minister, for him and his attorney general to be at loggerheads. 鈥�

JWR: 鈥淚 feel that I am giving him my best advice. And if he doesn鈥檛 accept that advice then it鈥檚 his prerogative to do what he wants. But I鈥檓 trying to protect the prime minister from political interference, perceived or otherwise.鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淚 understand that. But I mean he doesn鈥檛 have the power to do what he wants. All the tools are in your hands. So.鈥�

(Long pause)

JWR: (Laughs) OK, so then, I mean, I鈥檓 having like, thoughts of the Saturday Night Massacre here, Michael. Like, to be honest with you. And this is not a great place for me to be in. I don鈥檛 relish being in this place. But I am confident of is that I have given the prime minister my advice to protect him and to protect the constitutional principle of prosecutorial independence.鈥�

Wernick: 鈥淥K. Um, alright, but I mean (sighs) I鈥檓 worried about a collision then because he is pretty firm about this. I just saw him a few hours ago and this is really important to him.

 

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