Good morning,
The calls for more information on the SNC-Lavalin affair are getting louder – and several are coming from within the Liberal caucus.
Humber River-Black Creek MP Judy Sgro argued late last week that former attorney-general Jody Wilson-Raybould and former Treasury Board president Jane Philpott can say whatever they want in the House of Commons. The chorus grew on the weekend when Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould and Tourism Minister Mélanie Joly joined in on network television.
Ms. Wilson-Raybould is set to provide the House Justice committee with follow-up written testimony this week to show there was high-level political interference when she chose not to intervene after Canada’s top prosecutor decided to proceed with a criminal trial against SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
One area of clarification could be a Sept. 16, 2018, meeting between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s senior aides and Ms. Wilson-Raybould’s top staffer.
In testimony before the Commons justice committee last month, Ms. Wilson-Raybould described conversation between her then-chief of staff and the Prime Minister’s senior advisers, in which the advisers brought up an internal dispute at the Public Prosecution Service over the matter of SNC-Lavalin.
The Prime Minister’s Office will neither confirm nor deny the assertion by the former attorney-general that senior advisers had inside knowledge of discussions within the independent Public Prosecution Service.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Special counsel Robert Mueller has determined that U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign did not collude with the Russian government’s efforts to tip the 2016 election.
Canada needs to ensure SNC-Lavalin remains globally competitive, says Paul Tellier, a distinguished figure in Canadian business and a former top civil servant.
Andrew Scheer says criticism over his initial failure to mention that Muslims were targeted in the recent mass murder in New Zealand is “completely baseless.”
Mr. Trudeau called a by-election for a British Columbia riding previously held by a New Democrat MP, ahead of a general election scheduled for October
Critics of a federal government online questionnaire on gun control say it suffered from vague questions and manipulation.
The head of the organization representing many First Nations people who live in Thunder Bay, or who travel there for services, says it will be difficult to fight racism in the city without the active participation of municipal leaders.
A number of advocacy groups say the federal budget doesn’t go far enough to safeguard members of private-sector pensions.
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet allies have been forced to fend off reports that there’s a plot to oust her as leader.
Mr. Trump is urging Serbia and Kosovo to settle old feuds – and potentially create new ones, The Globe’s Mark MacKinnon reports.
With Israel’s election only two weeks away, Benjamin Netanyahu will get to showcase his close ties with Donald Trump in a U.S. visit on Monday.
Lawrence Martin (The Globe and Mail) on the Mueller report: “Donald Trump has won his greatest moment of vindication since his election victory in the 2016 election. The Mueller report summary released on Sunday was an I-told-you-so moment for him, an eat-crow day for the Democrats.”
Jared Yates Sexton (The Globe and Mail) on the Mueller report: “The actual report needs to be released in its entirety. The United States deserves to know the truth as to what happened in 2016. There is a minimum when it comes to faith and trust in government, and nothing that has happened this weekend has begun the process of salving the wound that’s been inflicted.”
Rita Trichur (The Globe and Mail) on the SNC-Lavalin affair: “The political circus playing out in Ottawa has also cemented Canada’s international reputation for being lax on bribery and corruption, and that will have consequences for a slew of Canadian companies seeking growth in foreign markets.”
Campbell Clark (The Globe and Mail) on the SNC-Lavalin affair: “It’s time for Mr. Trudeau to cross the Rubicon that he should have crossed a month ago. He should tell the country that Ms. Wilson-Raybould can reveal everything.”
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on the SNC-Lavalin affair: “If it has nothing to hide, the government should reopen the hearings. It should not get to decide unilaterally that the public has heard enough, and that it is time to move on.”
Andrew Willis (The Globe and Mail) on corporate confidence in government: “CEOs see the current crop of federal leaders as uninspiring, and are voting with their wallets by committing an increasing chunk of capital to doing business outside Canada.”
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