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Jody Wilson-Raybould wants to know who leaked confidential information about the Supreme Court of Canada appointment process.
The former attorney-general and justice minister called for an investigation into the matter on Wednesday after it was reported this week that Ms. Wilson-Raybould recommended a Manitoba judge for chief justice of Canada’s highest court and that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rejected that recommendation.
Lisa Raitt, the Conservative justice critic, alleged Wednesday that the source of the leak was “close to the Prime Minister.” The confidentiality breaches amount to another case of “potential political interference,” she said, amid allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office pressed Ms. Wilson-Raybould to intervene in the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin Group Inc.
Justice Minister David Lametti, who replaced Ms. Wilson-Raybould in the role in January, tweeted Wednesday that he was "concerned by the publication of details of the most recent #SupremeCourt justice selection. The integrity of our process depends on confidentiality for all parties involved. Canadians should have complete confidence in the administration of justice.”
Chantal Gagnon, a spokeswoman for the PMO, denied the office had any involvement in the leak.
Meanwhile, Ms. Wilson-Raybould has submitted 44 pages of additional information to the justice committee.
The documents, including e-mails and text messages, will be translated into French before they are released to the public. That could take as long as until Friday afternoon.
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ALBERTA ELECTION UPDATE
Allegations surrounding Jason Kenney’s leadership campaign continue to dog the UCP leader.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley is promising to spend $1.4-billion to expand Alberta’s network of roads that handle large and oversized loads.
Keith Gerein (Calgary Herald) on the UCP’s gay-straight alliance policy: “The UCP’s misguided platform has the potential to cause long-term discord with the youngest generations of voters, who polls indicate are already anxious about the UCP.”
Edmonton Journal Editorial Board on the UCP’s gay-straight alliance policy: “For a party looking to lead Albertans into the future, the United Conservatives took the unusual step of reaching back into the past.”
TODAY’S HEADLINES
The Quebec government will invoke the notwithstanding clause for its proposed law that will bar key provincial employees from wearing Muslim headscarves and other symbols of religious observance, a move aimed at pre-empting Charter challenges.
A First Nations-led group is putting together a bid to buy a 51-per-cent stake in Ottawa’s Trans Mountain oil pipeline.
Fired police commander Brad Blair is suing Doug Ford for libel and slander, alleging the Progressive Conservative Premier “maliciously” ruined his reputation in a "deliberate act of reprisal.”
The Senate’s human-rights committee is launching a study about the coerced sterilization of Indigenous women.
Ontario’s environmental commissioner says the state of climate policy in the province is inadequate and frightening.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to resign if Parliament backs her withdrawal agreement with the European Union, but that self-sacrifice doesn’t appear to have been enough to get the deal approved.
A second U.S. Senate committee sought to examine the motives of federal agents and investigators who launched the Trump-Russia probe as a Republican effort gathered momentum to seek retribution on behalf of President Donald Trump.
It was a shocking turn when authorities arrested Michael Avenatti this week. How one of Mr. Trump’s biggest critics went from media darling to criminal suspect.
Facebook is banning statements of support for white nationalism and separatism on its platforms.
Adam Radwanski (The Globe and Mail) on Justin Trudeau and the SNC-Lavalin affair: “To watch Mr. Trudeau continuing to fumble his way through the SNC-Lavalin affair as it approaches the two-month mark, and to consider lines that could be drawn between his handling of it and other low points of his mandate, is to wonder whether his opponents may take a second stab at arguing he is not up to the job.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on Quebec’s religious symbol ban: “The CAQ government may be making a fateful mistake by proceeding with a discriminatory and patently unconstitutional legislation.”
Éric Grenier (CBC News) on the federal election: “The stars could be aligning for the Green Party of Canada to catch a lucky break — and just in time for October’s federal election.”
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on Doug Ford’s transit plan: “Once again, the Ford government is taking its inspiration from the Liberal regime it replaced, but pushing things much further.”
Andrew Coyne (National Post) on Brexit: “Is there any ray of hope amid this gloom? Yes, there is. It is the emergence of Parliament, not only as a place of robust criticism of the government’s handling of the negotiations — the refusal of MPs, even of the prime minister’s party, to be whipped or blackmailed into submission is in stark contrast to our own Parliament’s supinity — but as the seat of a possible solution.”
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